Sun Devil Fitness Intramural Sports 4-on-4 Intramural Flag Football Rule Modifications and Code of Conduct Issue 2 Version 4 These Rule Modifications and Code of Conduct are designed to supplement the NIRSA Rules by which play is conducted on this campus and at this university. The Rule Modifications shall be available to all participants and is recommended that every participant read and understand the standards by which this campus will operate. Every player must read the Code of Conduct before league participation. The Rule Modifications and Code of Conduct are not limited to what is listed. Questions, comments, or concerns should be directed towards an Intramural Sports staff member. Thank you for your participation and cooperation.
4-on-4 Intramural Flag Football Rule Modifications Section 1 Game Play, Time, Timeouts, and Forfeits 1.1- Each game will consist of two halves, each lasting twelve (12) minutes of running time. a. The first half will not allow stoppages of time other than team timeouts or an Official s Timeout. b. The second half will contain a stoppage at the One Minute Warning, and stoppages thereafter on incomplete passes, penalties, changes in possession, fumbles, first downs, plays ending out of bounds, and any other play resulting in a clock stoppage. 1.2- Each team will receive two (2) timeouts per game. 1.3- The game time slot will begin when the on-field and off-field officials are present on the field. Time permitting, a five (5) minute warm-up will be allowed. This time may be adjusted at the senior official s discretion. 1.4- Halftime will last three (3) minutes. This time may be adjusted at the discretion of the senior official or the supervisor on the field. 1.5- At the conclusion of the warm-up and halftime, team captains must meet the officials at the center of the field for a pregame meeting, coin toss, and decision of possession. a. Winning captain of the coin toss may chose to give possession to the other team or receive possession for the first half, or defer their decision to the second half. b. The appropriate captain shall choose which end zone to defend. 1.6- Injuries on the field may result in an Official s Timeout at the discretion of the senior official on the field. This decision may be overruled by the supervisor on the field. 1.7- The Mercy Rule is in effect when the point differential is 19 points or greater. The clock will not stop (except for timeouts) for the remaining one minute. 1.8- There will be no overtime. Games will end in a tie unless decided otherwise prior to the game. 1.9- Forfeits shall occur if: 2 P a g e
1.10- Scoring a. A team falls below the minimum number of three (3) players. b. A team receives three (3) Unsportsmanlike Conduct fouls in a single game. c. The official or League Staff deem the team shall not play. a. For all Leagues, a Touchdown is defined as six (6) points. b. Point After Touchdown in all classifications shall be a one (1) point try from the three (3) yard line, a two (2) point try from the ten (10) yard line, and a three (3) point try from the twenty (20) yard line, as selected by a team captain. Section 2 Game Officials, Protests, and Disciplinary Action 2.1- Games will be officiated by a crew trained by Arizona State University and certified to work by league staff. a. Every game shall contain a crew of at least one (1) Senior Official. 2.2- Two (2) officials will work every game. One (1) official may work the game if agreed upon by both team captains at the start of the game. A three (3) official system may be used as needed. 2.3- A scorekeeper should be present for every game to operate the scoreboard. If this official is unable to be present for a game, the scoreboard will be operated by the on-field officiating crew. 2.4- In-game protests are not allowed in this version of Flag Football. 2.5- Game protests shall be directed to the Intramural Sports Coordinator in writing within 24-hours of the conclusion of the game at polyintramurals@asu.edu. a. Protests of games must include specific examples of rules protested. b. Protests that include abusive statements may be penalized under the Code of Conduct as Unsportsmanlike Conduct and will be referred to league staff for disciplinary action. 2.6- Disciplinary action taken against a player will be dealt with on an individual basis. Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalties will be noted, reported, and logged against the player. 3 P a g e
a. Two (2) Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalties issued in the same game will result in player ejection. b. Additional suspension may be given at the recommendation of the Senior Official on the field for the League Staff to investigate and make a decision. Information regarding Unsportsmanlike Conduct may be found in the ASU Polytechnic Intramural Flag Football Rule Modifications. Section 3 Teams and Rosters 3.1- All classifications must have a minimum of four (4) players on each roster and no more than five (5). a. Teams may participate with three (3) players. b. Teams falling below the minimum of below (3) players during the game must forfeit. (See Forfeits, Sec 1-9a) 3.2- Team jerseys created by the team must conform with the equipment standards detailed in Section 5. a. Team created jerseys and must include player numbers on the front and rear of the shirt or jersey. Numbers on the sleeves are optional. If team jerseys are not created, pennies will be distributed by Sun Devil Fitness Intramural Sports staff. 3.3- Captains and Rosters a. Teams must be represented by at least one (1) captain for every game. b. Team captains do not have to be the same for every game, but once a captain has been designated for that game, it may not change. Section 4 Game Check-in i. If only one captain has been designated and he/she has been ejected or is unable to complete the game, a replacement must be chosen and designated as the replacement to the officials. 4.1- Players are requested to arrive at the field no less than fifteen (15) minutes prior to their scheduled time slot. a. Teams arriving after the scheduled time may be replaced and/or removed from play. 4.2- Every player is required to check-in with the scorekeeper upon arrival to the field. 4 P a g e
a. ASU ID is required for check-in. Section 5 Equipment i. Participants must be registered students, faculty, or staff at any campus of Arizona State University. ii. Students of Chandler-Gilbert Community College (Williams Campus) may participate if they are SDFC-polytechnic members and are currently paying their dues. This also applies to community members meeting the SDFC-polytechnic membership guidelines and are currently paying their dues. iii. Other forms of government issued picture ID may be substituted, but preferably not on a regular basis. iv. The first check-in for each player must be performed with an ASU ID (or for community/cgcc SDFC-polytechnic members, a government issued picture ID and proof of SDFC-polytechnic membership). A player may not participate without having verified he/she is in fact an ASU student/faculty/staff or paying SDFC-polytechnic member. v. Any student/faculty/staff of Arizona State University may participate regardless of campus affiliation. 5.1- All equipment shall adhere to the standards created by NIRSA. Equipment deemed illegal by an official or by the league staff shall be unplayable. A player will have the option of changing or correcting the illegal equipment, but may not return to the game until he/she has done so. 5.2- Shorts or pants must not have pockets of any kind. The shorts and pants may not have belts, contain belt loops, exposed drawstrings, or anything deemed hazardous and illegal by an official. Pockets may not be taped or shorts/pants turned inside out. a. Shorts must be a color in contrast with the color of flag belts being used on the field (See Flag Belts, Sec 5-4a). b. Shorts, sweatpants, wind pants, and other athletic wear are permitted. Jeans will not be permitted. c. Towels may be used as a part of the uniform, but will be considered as an extra flag. If towel is pulled instead of a flag, that player would be down and 5 P a g e
play would end. Towels may be used as a platform to hike the ball from, regardless of weather conditions. (See Management of the Ball, Sec 5-9c-ii) 5.3- Team jerseys may be sleeveless, but the sleeve opening may not extend more than four (4) inches or four fingers below the armpit. Shirts may not be higher than four inches/four fingers above the pants waistband. a. If shirts extend below the waistband, they must be tucked inside of the pants at all times during the game. 5.4- Flag belts shall be distributed by the league staff to each player. a. Flag belts do not have to be consistent in color for the team, nor do they have to match the jersey color. Different colored flag belts may be used to provide contrast with clothing. b. Flag belts may not have knots or be tied to the player. They shall be clipped and may not be altered to prevent a de-flag. i. Altering a flag belt will result in immediate disqualification of the player. c. Flag belts shall be placed at or near the waistband of pants and clipped so that they will not fall off incidentally. Shirts shall not impede a de-flag. The clip should be placed so that one flag falls on each side and one to the rear. 5.5- Jewelry of any kind must be removed before entering the field. a. Earrings or piercings may be taped prior to arrival at the field. Sun devil Fitness Intramural Sports staff will not supply tape for this purpose. b. Banned jewelry includes, but is not limited to: necklaces, rings, earrings, bracelets, any unyielding material. c. Support braces, like knee braces, may be worn as long as there is no exposed metal or plastic and will yield if contact is made with it. 5.6- Proper footwear is required. A player may not participate barefoot, in socks, or flip-flops. a. Shoes must be closed-toed and laced-up made of a soft pliable upper material of canvas, leather, or synthetic attached to a composite bottom. b. Cleats are recommended, but tennis shoes or other athletic wear are acceptable. Skateboarding shoes or other loose-fitting shoes will not be permitted. 6 P a g e
i. Cleats or other footwear may not contain metal, ceramic, metal studs, or be detachable cleats. 5.7- The use of a Quarterback Wristband for playlists is permitted. Playlists may be used, but must not be visible unless used as part of a wristband. Playlists must be made of a yielding material. 5.8- Hats with a bill or any unyielding material may not be worn on the field during warm-up or during play. They may be worn on the sideline inside of the Team Box (see Team Box, Sec 6-2e). 5.9- A team may provide their own ball for use when their team is on offense. If a team cannot provide a ball, one will be provided by the other team or by Sun Devil Fitness Intramurals Sports staff. a. The legality of the ball shall be decided on by an official. i. Open League teams must use a Regular Size football. b. The offensive team may bring their ball into a huddle. c. It is the responsibility of the team for management of the football. The team shall retrieve the football after every play and bring it to the line of scrimmage for play. i. The official shall move the orange (offensive line) and yellow (defensive line) pucks to the succeeding spot where the ball is to be hiked from. 1. The ball shall be hiked from the orange puck. The official will not place the ball for the team. ii. The ball may be hiked from a towel regardless of weather conditions. The team is responsible for providing the towel and for moving the towel to the succeeding spot. Players may wear the towel when not using it, however it may not be left on the field when not used for this explicit purpose. Section 6 Field and 4-on-4 Modifications All games will be located on the main field at the center of campus, north of the Sun Devil Fitness Complex and north/east of the Student Union, unless otherwise specified by league staff. 6.1- The field will be played to NIRSA dimensions unless otherwise specified. 7 P a g e
a. The field will consist of one zone-to-gain (each twenty [20] yards), and two end-zones ten (10) yards each. The field will be thirty (30) yards wide. b. A single hash mark will run the middle of the field through the zones-to-gain, Play will begin on these hash marks. i. Try for Point After Touchdown must begin on this hash mark. 1. There shall be a line at the three (3) yard line and an X at the ten (10) yard line for Points After Touchdown (one (1) and two (2) points, respectively; PAT for three (3) will take place from mid-field). c. Play will begin each half, after touchdown, or after safety on a large X located at the ten (10) yard line. d. All substitute players and spectators must be behind the five (5) yard safety zone five yards from the sideline. Substitute players must be in the marked Team Box. This will be penalized as Sideline Warning. 6.2- First Downs and Down Modifications 6.3- Punting a. First Downs will take place on the first possession and once crossing the mid-field zone-to-gain line. b. Teams will only have Three (3) Downs to achieve a First Down if beginning inside the defending zone-to-gain. c. Teams will have Four (4) Downs to achieve a touchdown. a. Punts are not permitted in this version of Flag Football. 6.4- Minimum Line Players a. Teams must have a minimum of one (1) player on the Line of Scrimmage (LOS) at the time of the snap. This player must remain stationary for at least one second prior to the snap. More players may be on the line if desired. 6.5- Runner, Scrambling, and Quarterback Rushing a. Teams may never advance the ball across the LOS. The ball may only be advanced through a forward pass across the LOS. 8 P a g e
i. A Forward Pass behind the LOS and advanced beyond the LOS is illegal (Illegal Advancement, 5 yards). ii. A Forward Pass behind the LOS followed by another Forward Pass beyond the LOS is illegal (Illegal Forward Pass, 5 yards and Loss of Down). b. The Quarterback or a Runner may not scramble and advance the ball across the LOS. c. Quarterback Rushes are not permitted. Defensive players are permitted to cross the LOS but may not hurry or sack the Quarterback. 6.6- Penalty Enforcement a. All penalties shall be enforced as five (5) yard penalties. Penalties carrying a Loss of Down will still be enforced (e.g. Offensive Pass Interference, Illegal Forward Pass) b. Unsportsmanlike Conduct, regardless of Live Ball or Dead Ball, shall be enforced as a 10 (yard) penalty. Section 7 Governing Rules and League Staff 7.1- The rules in the current NIRSA Rulebook as well as the Arizona State University, Polytechnic Campus Intramural Flag Football Rule Modifications are effective until updated. The NIRSA Rulebook is updated bi-annually. The Rule Modifications may be updated at any time. Interpretation of the rules and Rule Modifications are at the discretion of the officials on the field, as well as the league staff. Circumstances and events not covered in either the NIRSA Rulebook or the Rule Modifications will be decided by the Supervisor of Officials/Team Sports Director for rule interpretation. The league remains the right to amend any standard and has the final decision of any protest, incident, or event. a. In all cases, the Rule Modifications and decisions made by League Staff supersede those created by NIRSA. The local body shall always take precedence over all others. 7.2- The League Staff shall be comprised of the Competitive Sports Coordinator and Student Coordinator as well as all current Intramural Sports staff. 9 P a g e
7.3- The Rule Modifications were finalized in December 2008 (Version 4 finalized in February of 2014) and are effective until updated. For questions, comments, or concerns, please contact a Sun Devil Fitness Intramural Sports staff member: Mark Dixon Competitive Sports Coordinator Phone: (480) 727-1107 E-mail: m.dixon@asu.edu Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus Jasmine Williams Intramural Sports Student Coordinator Phone: (480) 727-1601 E-mail: jtwilli4@asu.edu Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus 10 P a g e
Intramural Flag Football Code of Conduct The Code of Conduct is intended to promote good sportsmanship, both on and off the field, not only during Intramural Flag Football, but in any Campus Recreation activity. Good sportsmanship is a key value to intramural sports, win or lose. Promote the Sun Devil Way and treat your fellow athletes and officials with respect at all times. Failure to do so could result in severe consequences. In an attempt to avoid unsportsmanlike acts, the Code of Conduct was created. The following is a list of prohibited acts that could face disciplinary action, but are not limited to the following: o o o o No player shall intentionally kick the ball, spike the ball to the ground, over-celebrate, throw the ball high into the air, or intentionally throw the ball away from an opponent. (NIRSA Rule 9, Sec. 1, Art. 2). There shall be no unsportsmanlike conduct by players or non-players. Examples include, but are not limited to: attempting to influence a decision by an official; disrespectfully addressing an official; indicating objections to an official s decision; holding an unauthorized conference or being on the field illegally; using profanity, taunting, insulting, or vulgar language or gestures. (NIRSA Rule 9, Sec. 1, Art. 3) Two (2) Unsportsmanlike Conduct fouls made against the same player or non-player result in immediate disqualification from a game (NIRSA Rule 9, Sec. 1, Art. 4). Three (3) Unsportsmanlike Conduct fouls made against the same team in a single game result in their forfeiture of the game (NIRSA Rule 9, Sec. 1, Art. 6). Players shall not strip a ball or attempt to strip, throw a runner to the ground, hurdle any other player, contact an opponent before or after the play is declared dead, making unnecessary contact other than attempting to de-flag, tackling a runner (disqualification), fighting (disqualification), or any other action deemed reckless by an official. (NIRSA Rule 9, Sec. 3, Art. 1) Any obscene, profane, or abusive language or abusive gestures (including taunting) directed towards an official, player, or non-player by any player or non-player, as well as any intentional and unnecessary contact made with an official, player, or non-player may result in an Unsportsmanlike Conduct foul, disqualification, or suspension to be determined by league staff. Always promote the Sun Devil Way and good sportsmanship on and off the field. 11 P a g e