MIDWEST YOUTH FOOTBALL LEAGUE INSTRUCTIONAL DIVISION RULES (Revision 7-14-2014)(Latest Revision 7-26-2015) SECTION A - PURPOSE OF THE MIDWEST YOUTH FOOTBALL LEAGUE To provide an environment in which youth will be able to develop basic concepts of good sportsmanship. To provide experiences for youth that are fun and help them develop positive attitudes. To assist young people to develop physically, emotionally, and skill wise. To teach basic fundamentals of the game of football. To provide a safe and healthful environment in which youth may experience the fun of playing football. To provide a forum in which youth, through the experience of the game, can apply and demonstrate the skills they have learned through practice. To provide leagues made up of teams that are as equal in age, size, and skill as much as possible. To involve adults in helping achieve the above purposes, whether as coaches, advisors, officials, fans, concession workers, timekeepers, etc. SECTION B - LEAGUE STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION I. The league shall be divisional by age and weight, with four divisions, structured as follows: All weights will be rounded down to the nearest pound. Ex. 120.8 will be 120. Flag Division Instructional Division for seven (7) and eight (8) year olds; Four skilled position players shall be defined as 4 backfield players. They must be 85 lbs or less to advance the ball. Tight ends may be up to 105 lbs, but may only advance the ball if they are 85 or less. All players between 86 and 105 must have one stripe and may play offensive line, defensive line or linebacker, but not a defensive end. All players 106 to 115 will have two stripes and must play offensive line only. Instructional will consider allowing 6 and 7 year olds that are over 115 to play. 8 year olds must move up in age. Division 1 Division 2 The league shall have coordinated sign up periods for the youth. The dates for sign ups will be properly publicized for both football players and cheerleaders. The dates for sign ups will be determined, keeping in mind attempts to avoid conflicts with baseball and other scheduled events. 1
I Games shall be played between each team in a conference. A maximum of eight (8) regular season games shall be played. The Director or his representative shall determine the inter-conference schedules. A) The League will not participate in the presentation of trophies or awards to teams winning conferences, the league, etc. B) There will be no team fund raisers or solicitation of funds from player s parents, of any type, in this league. All teams and players are EQUAL. V. The Director or their designated representative will be present at all games. V Each team in the league shall have a head coach and three official assistant coaches. During games, only the head coach and the three assistant coaches, as designated by the head coach, are permitted in the bench areas. Special weekends as defined by the MYFL Board shall be used as a fundraiser for the host site by charging admission of $2 per adult and free admission for children. SECTION C - COACHES CONDUCT I. Each head coach shall be required to attend one pre-season league meeting and any and all other meetings deemed necessary by the league. Failure to attend the meetings without proper request for a representative to attend on the head coach s behalf may result in that coach losing his privilege to coach for the season. I No coach is allowed to pull his team off of the field and stop play for any reason whatsoever. Coaches removing their teams from the field shall have the game forfeited, shall be suspended for the remainder of the season, and any other penalty as sanctioned by the Midwest Youth Football League. All coaches and players will, in the interest of GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP, shake hands with the opposing team and coaching staff at the end of each game. Coaches conduct shall be governed by the following: 1) Coaches shall not engage in any extensive physical contact with players. 2) Coaches shall not use foul or abusive language. 3) Coaches shall not give players instructions that are contrary to the rules. 4) Coaches will address officials in a properly courteous manner. (Officials will address coaches in a properly courteous manner also.) 5) Due to the nature of this league (youth football) and what we are trying to teach our youth (good sportsmanship, on and off the field), we will practice ZERO TOLERANCE; that is, a coach or assistant coach ejected from a game will be suspended from coaching for the remainder of the season and the entire next season. They must sit out the entire next season before they are eligible to apply for reinstatement. After this period, the following procedure will apply for reinstating a banned coached. Any program which is a member of the Midwest Youth Football League that makes a decision to reinstate a suspended coach under this rule, must write a letter of 2
recommendation to the MYFL Mini Board, which must approve the reinstatement. If the Board does not approve reinstatement, the individual will not be allowed to coach, but may continue to reapply for reinstatement each year thereafter. The letter requesting reinstatement must contain the following A detailed description of the incident which resulted in the suspension. Reason why the program feels the offending coach should be reinstated. No contact with the team will be allowed during this period. Coaches ejected from a game shall have the situation reviewed by the Mini-Board. A coach under suspension for any reason shall have no contact with his team, either at practice or at league games All suspensions under this rule are subject to review by the MYFL Mini Board. Due to the nature of this league (youth football) and what we are trying to teach our youth (good sportsmanship, on and off the field), we will practice ZERO TOLERANCE. Any individual convicted of a crime against the state or humanity shall be banned from participation in the MYFL for life. (Subject to review of the MYFL Mini Board.) Any individual accused or indicted of a crime against the state or humanity shall be suspended from the MYFL, until which time as the charges are found to be without merit. (Subject to review of the MYFL Mini Board.) Any individual involved in a physical altercation shall be banned from participation in the MYFL for life. (Subject to review of the MYFL Mini Board.) 6) Coaches shall not give any player instructions to fake an injury to allow a substitution or delay a game. This will be considered a flagrant violation of the coach s code of conduct. V. All teams are to attend all league functions. 1) Coach of teams not attending league functions are subject to league suspension! V No member of the coaching staff shall be permitted to videotape the opposing team s games, for the purposes of scouting. All coaches must abide by Ohio law and complete an on-line concussion awareness class. The league considers this mandatory but will not be held accountable if a coach breaks the law. The coach will have to be accountable to the State of Ohio law. SECTION D - PARTICIPATION AND CONDUCT I. Residency The league shall be made up of residents of Fairbanks, Madison Plains, Plain City, London, and West Jefferson. I All players must have on file with the Program Director, a signed permission slip to play, proof of age, and registration payment receipt prior to any practice or game. Hardship cases may be considered and approved wherein the League will waive payment for any player or players. The decision shall rest with the Program Director and will be decided on a case-by-case basis as to qualification. Any child will be eligible to participate if he/she has attained his/her seventh (7) birthday prior to August 1 st of the current year, and not attained his/her ninth (9) birthday prior to August 1 st of the current year. 3
Birth certificates will be required to be on record with the participant's application. The league Director and Commissioners reserve the right to determine the division in which a child shall be placed. Generally, seven (7) and eight (8) year olds shall play in the Instructional Division. V. Any player missing two (2) of the three (3) practices unexcused, in any week, will, at the coach s discretion not play the following game. However, under no circumstances, shall a child be penalized for missing practice due to a school related issue. A player ejected from a game, for any reason, will not be allowed to practice the following week and will be suspended for the next league game. SECTION E - EQUIPMENT I. All players MUST wear protective gear at all times while actually engaged in contact play, including practice sessions. This shall include HELMET, SHOULDER PADS, HIP PADS, FOOTBALL PANTS WITH PROPER KNEE AND THIGH PADS, AND A MOUTH GUARD. ATHLETIC SUPPORTERS ARE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. I League players shall be allowed to wear molded soccer or multi-purpose style shoes that do not contain metal within the mold. Tennis style shoes are permitted, but not recommended. No steel or replaceable cleats are allowed. Other protection, such as rib pads and arm pads are permissible. (A) Team uniforms shall not vary from the league uniform. Players shall be required to wear the furnished game jersey and the player furnished pants. Pants can be any color as long as whole community is the same (i.e All PC teams would need to wear the same color) (B) Teams may decorate their helmets uniformly, however all logos and decals must be approved by the league. The league shall furnish an approved mouthpiece for each player. They are designed to be attached to the helmet via the facemask. All players will be required to attach their mouthpiece to their facemask as they were designed. Failure to do so will result in a five-yard dead ball penalty and the player will be declared ineligible until he is fitted with the proper equipment. Players with a special mouthpiece shall be reported to the referee prior to the start of the game. Current HS rules do not allow Clear or White mouth pieces. V. From time to time games will be scheduled between teams with like colored jerseys, in these cases cover-ups, furnished by the league, will be worn by the home team. The use of cover-ups will be decided by the referees. Please remember to return the cover-ups at the end of the game. With difference to the High School rule players shall be allowed to wear face paint and eye markers during games as long as they are in good taste. Good taste shall be decided by league officials. SECTION F - DRAFT OF PLAYERS I. Any player who has not been evaluated will go into the blind draft. 4
I Players will return to the same team that they played on the previous year unless they move up into a different division or if a request, honored by the Director, for a player not to return to the same team, is made. Reasons for the request must be stated and that player will go into the draft. If a player, who is eligible to return to a team on which he played the previous year, fails to sign up prior to the draft, that player will be treated as a new sign-up and awarded to the team next in line for a player, subsequent to the draft. Instructional Division, sign-ups will be cut off on the date of the Kickoff Bowl. The Instructional Division draft shall be conducted at a special drafting session from a roster of draftees. The draft shall be conducted for all locations at a time and place designated by the Director of the MYFL. Players are NOT permitted to be present during the draft. Sons of head coaches may be withheld from the draft and assigned to their father s team if so desired (limit - 2 withholds per team). No assistant coaches will be assigned to teams due to player s talent. V. Expansion team coaches may pick an assistant coach, with player, but loses his first round draft pick. V Any player not returning to the team that he previously played for will go into the blind draft. In the Instructional Division, the draft will be structured such that each team contains a balance of age groups. To accomplish this, 7 year olds will be drafted first, and 8 year olds will be drafted last. For draft purposes teams will be ranked by the number of returning players from the previous year. Round I; every team gets a pick of their choice, regardless of age group. Starting with Round II and continuing, teams with the fewest returning players in the respective age group starting with the 7 year olds will draft first and continue drafting until the seven year olds are used up or the team has reached its maximum (number to be determined by the Division Commissioner & the Draft Master). Once that age group is used up, we will move to the next age group until all players of that age group are drafted and then on to the next age group. For the purpose of the draft the age group of a player is his age on August 1 st of the current year. Players assigned to the blind draft, will be assigned and grouped according to age. SECTION G - WEIGH-INS/WEIGHTS I. Official weigh-ins will be conducted on the day of the Kickoff Bowl (If a child cannot be present for the Kickoff Bowl, then the official weigh-in shall be the weigh-in conducted during the first game that the child plays.). Thereafter, weigh-ins will be conducted approximately 1/2 hour prior to the kickoff of games. The weigh-in will be conducted by the head coaches of the teams and the commissioners or their representative. Those individuals not making weight as described herein will be disqualified from play for that week and any week in the future until such time as the participant can make weight on an approved scale in the presence of one of the commissioners or his authorized representative. I Each player must meet weight at weigh-in prior to the first League Game. This weigh-in will establish those players eligible to participate in their respective divisions based upon maximum weight limitations. All players exceeding the established maximum weight for their respective division will have to wait until the next week to try and make the weight. No player can participate until the league weight is met. At weigh in time, the weight will be adjusted back to the previous full pound. Players must be attired in football pants with pads, socks and a shirt for weigh ins. No player, parent nor coach should request a child be weighed with less than the required attire. There will be 5
a two pound allowance for the required clothing. Ex. 85 pound limit now tops out at 87.9 pounds. The player must not weigh 88 pounds. SECTION H - SCHEDULED GAMES AND PRACTICES I. No outside league scrimmages will be allowed. Scrimmages may be arranged by the respective coaches only between teams within the league; scrimmages will count as one practice with pads for each team involved. I Each team must complete the schedule of league games. Practice schedules prior to the start of school shall be determined by the commissioners. After school starts, practice shall be limited to two (2) practices per week unless otherwise approved by the Mini-Board. Exception to this rule is if a team has a bye for the week they may conduct a third practice in pads. The length of the practice sessions shall be at the coach s discretion as long as they do not exceed two (2) hours in length per day. Once school starts, practice must be over by 8:30 PM. Any Saturday practice at any time must be non-contact. No pads are permitted to be worn. SECTION I - GAME RULES I. There will be score kept during the game this year. Score will be kept by 1 s. Games in the Instructional Division will be played on a 100 yd. x 32 yd. field. All games will be played with seven minute quarters and time shall be kept in accordance with high school rules. Each team will be allowed two (2) time outs per half. Time outs not used in the first half cannot be carried forward to the second half. Time outs will be one minute in length. During a game, the clock will stop in accordance with the National Federation of State High School Associations Rule Book. This will include, but is not necessarily limited to the following: 1) Following an injury, 2) Following a penalty, 3) Following an incomplete forward pass, 4) Ball out of bounds, 5) Following a score, 6) An official s time out, 7) At the end of each period, 8) A charged time out. 6
There shall be no kickoffs in any division. The ball will be put into play on the thirty (30) yard line except after a safety, at which time; the ball will be placed at the forty (40) yard line. a. A new set of downs will be established by advancing the ball ten (10) yards. b. All penalties will be marked off according to Ohio High School rules. c. Each play must be started by the offense within 35 seconds as defined by the referee placing the ball ready for play. d. Score will be kept by standard high school rules. Extra points will be awarded as two points for a pass and one point for a run. There will be no overtime during the regular season. In Instructional there shall be no punts. When a team declares a punt, the officials will advance the ball twenty-five (25) yards. In no case will the ball be advanced beyond the fifteen (15) yard line. The punting team will lose possession, turning the ball over to the receiving team. The clock will continue to run while the yardage is marked off; then stop until the ready to play signal is given. e. The center is protected on all plays. No player shall line up head over the center. f. NO QUARTER BACK DRAWS WILL BE PERMITTED!! g. Fumbles will be a live ball and may be advanced by the offense or the defense. Stripped players are not permitted to advance a fumble. h. If a team goes ahead by 3 scores they must replace their skill position players with a new set of players. This must be a different set of players than listed as your first and second half backfields. If a team goes ahead by 5 scores the clock will be a running clock with stoppage for timeouts, injuries and the end of the period. The home team is expected to provide a time keeper and the visiting team is expected to provide a chain crew. Parents working chains must remain neutral. Crew members that cannot remain neutral will risk the visiting team receiving and unsportsmanlike penalty. Continued violations will result in the crew member being asked to leave the game. I The offense must run a formation in which all four back are inside the ends. a. All formations shall be considered tight. (No more than a two (2) foot spread between tackles and ends). b. All striped players must start in a down formation and must start on the line of scrimmage. No unbalanced line formations shall be used. c. Offensive line splits shall be no more than two (2) feet in width. d. No split ends will be allowed, only tight formations. Players on the end of the line will be permitted to start from an up position. Defensive ends may also play up but must start within the outside shoulder of the last offensive player on the line. Striped players can play defensive end but must start in a down position. e. NO SPREAD OFFENSE. 1
i. NOTE: IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A FORMATION OR ARE NOT SURE ASK A LEAGUE OFFICIAL. DO NOT ASSUME IT WILL BE OK. In the Instructional Division a minimum of one (2) licensed officials must be present for the game to be played; if no licensed official is present, the game cannot be played and will be rescheduled. V. All active players on a team shall start on offense or defense and will play 50% of each game. Any participant who, for any reason, will not be participating in any game shall be reported to the officials prior to the kickoff. Any intentional misuse of this rule can result in the head coach being permanently removed from coaching duties in any program. A player that starts on offense must play the entire half on offense. A player that starts on defense must play the entire half on defense. There shall be no substitutions allowed. Two starting line ups are required and must be submitted to the opposing coach prior to the start of the game. 1. Four backs in the backfield shall be considered skilled positions. 2. Players, backs or receivers that advance the ball in a half are not allowed to carry the ball in the other half. Players who advanced the ball in a half may be lined up at a receiver position in the other half but will be ineligible to advance the ball. Coaches should meet at halftime to go over the players who are eligible to advance the ball in the second half. V In the Instructional Division, two (2) coaches will be allowed on the playing field, one in the huddle to call the plays; one to help in the placement of the players. If a team has more than one qualified coach, then the coach on the playing field calling the plays shall be different for offense and defense. Once the offensive team breaks the huddle AND the players are SET, the on field offensive coaches cannot communicate in any way with his players and similarly, once the defensive team breaks its huddle and the players are set, the on the field defensive coaches cannot communicate in any way with his players. The officials shall attempt to give each coach a warning, however, violations are at the sole discretion of the officials and subsequent violations will be penalized and could result in loss of down. a. NOTE: The on the field coach or coaches shall make every attempt to stay out of the way of the play. In the event that a coach is obstructing the play, he shall be treated, at the referees discretion, as part of the field. VI IX. Blockers may not leave their feet before, during, or after contact is made. There will be no blocking from behind or below the waist. Blockers cannot lock limbs with other blockers. Defense must line up head to head, no shooting the gap and no blitzing. Linemen must make contact with both hands with a member of the opposing line before rushing the backfield. a. NO HEAD TO HEAD LINE UP OVER CENTER!! X. Each team in the Instructional Division will be allowed two (2) time outs per half. Time outs not used in the first half cannot be carried forward to the second half. Time outs will be one minute in length. a. During a time out on the field in the Instructional Division, two coaches are allowed on the field, the Head Coach and one Assistant. 2
b. An injured player must be removed from the playing field for at least one down. The officials will make the determination if a player is injured. No exceptions will be allowed to this rule. i. NOTE: There are no substitutions in this league. A player that starts on offense stays on offense. A 2-way player must remain a 2-way player throughout the entire half of the game. A player that starts on defense stays on defense. One exception to this rule is to replace an injured player. Once the injured player is able to return to the game, that player must go back in to the game for the substitute player. XI. X XI X XV. X XV The official league football shall be furnished by the league to each team. The Official Football Rules, published by the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations and such changes authorized by them shall govern all games. If a rule is not specifically modified by the league, in writing, by the official league rules or addendum therein, the above listed rulebook shall be followed. In the Instructional Division, no blitzing is allowed by any player. Blitzing is defined as a player who was more than one (1) yard off the line of scrimmage at the snap, charging in anticipation of penetrating the line of scrimmage with the snap of the ball. A defensive player who has established a position within a yard of the line of scrimmage, irrespective of whether he is in a down position or in an upright or standing position, will not be classified as a Blitzer. Continued violation of this rule shall result in a loss of offensive play. In the Instructional Division, there shall be no more than six (6) defensive linemen & no less than five (5) defensive linemen on the line, with all linemen required to be in a down position with the exception of the two defensive ends. All other defensive players must be aligned no less than five (5) yards from the line of scrimmage at the snap of the ball. Repeated violation of this rule can result in an unsportsmanlike penalty and removal of a coach. Defensive players in the Instructional Division must be set for one second before the snap of the ball. The spirit of this rule is to allow the referees time to check for possible blitzers and obvious attempts to draw the offense offside; not to penalize the defense for arbitrary movement within the line and will be enforced as such. Offensive formations will be limited to the standard seven-man line. Unbalanced lines are not allowed. In the Instructional Division, latitude will be given to the center s head being over the ball during the snap of the ball. XVI In the Instructional Division, a Hurry-Up Offensive is not permitted. The offensive team must huddle to allow the opposition a chance to huddle. XIX. XX. XXI. There is no free blocking zone in this league; there is no blocking below the waist. Coaches shall submit, prior to each game, at the weigh-ins, a starting lineup of skilled players (backfield) to the opposing coach for each half. These are the players to be subbed-out in the second half. Instructional Chili Bowl The last game of the season will be determined by the league. Matchups for the final game will be based off of the current standings. This is not a championship format. Teams will be matched against teams of similar strength. 3
SECTION J - FIELD EQUIPMENT AND CLEAN UP I. Both teams playing the last game on the respective fields shall be responsible for the cleanup of that field and surrounding area. Because of the adverse effect on income from the Concession Stands, tailgating is banned as a practice in this League. Firearms whether legal or otherwise shall not be permitted at any function of the Midwest Youth Football League, be it practice, games, or other official functions. The only exception to this rule shall be dually sworn local law enforcement officials in the performance of their duties. Any person, be they officials, coaches, participates, or spectators found to be carrying, displaying or otherwise having in their possession a firearm, whether legal or otherwise shall be banned from participating in the MYFL, and were appropriate, legal action shall be brought against said person by the League. 4