MIDDLE SCHOOL RECREATIONAL SPORTS FLAG FOOTBALL RULES The Official High School Football Rules published by the NFSHSA will govern play except where modified in the Seven Man Flag Football Rules. 1. PLAYERS Each team will be composed of seven players who may be positioned any place on the field, or their respective team s side of the neutral zone or restraining line. All players are eligible to receive a forward pass. Any player may be in motion prior to the snap of the ball as long as the movement is not forward and no other player is moving at the same time. A shift by more than one player is legal, but following the shift, all players must remain stationary for at least one second before the snap of the ball. 2. EQUIPMENT All players must wear shoes at all times while participating. Shoes with cleats or spikes are not permitted, but soccer or turf shoes are allowed. Knee pads, eye glass guards, cloth or elastic bandages and baseball type caps are permitted. Helmets and all other pads are prohibited. All players should wear numbered shirts of matching colors. All pants/shorts must be hemmed and may not be split along the leg seam. (NOTE: A player whose pants are damaged during the game may continue play even if he must carry his flag in his belt.) The home team will furnish two sets of ten (10) flags each, one for each team. The size of each flag will be consistent for both teams. (Officials should ask players to correct violations. continued violations by a player should be penalized as unsportsmanlike conduct. The ball will be an intermediate size football issued by the district. 3. SCORING AND OVERTIME PROCEDURE A touchdown scores 6 points. A point after touchdown (PAT), attempted from the two yard line scores 1 point either by passing or running. A safety scores two points. To score, only the ball must break the plane of the goal line. The player does not have to cross the line for a touchdown or for a PAT. All regular season games ending in a tie will be recorded as such. In the event of a tie in a playoff game, the following procedure will be used: Following a two minute intermission, the referee will assemble the captains for a coin toss. The winner of the toss will have the option to choose offense or defense first or to choose which end of the filed will be used for the overtime. Each team will receive five (5) chances to score from the two yard line. The team which is on offense first (Team A) will run two plays followed by the other team (Team B) running two plays at the same end of the field. Team A will then run three more plays followed by Team B running it s remaining three plays.
Any time the defensive team intercepts, the play is ended. Each team is allowed one time out in addition to any unused time outs from the second half. If one team no longs has a chance of tying or beating the other, the game is over and no more plays are run. If the game is still tied after both teams have attempted five plays, the teams will continue to alternate, one play at a time, until one team is successful and the other is not. The team scoring the most times will be awarded one point and be declared the winner. 4. TIMING The game will consist of four eight (8) minute quarters. There will be a one minute intermission between the first and second quarters and the third and fourth quarters. There will be five minute intermission between the second and third quarters. The game clock will be stopped for time outs, and when touchdowns or safeties are scored. The clock will start with the spotting of the ball. Exceptions: During the last two minutes of the 2 nd and 4 th quarters, the clock will start with the snap of ball after all dead ball situations including time outs. After all scores, the clock remains stopped until the ball has been touched by the receiving team on the kick off. Each team is allowed two time outs per half. A time out will not exceed one minute. All players may confer with the coach on the side lines during a time out. 5. COIN TOSS Before the game, the referee will meet with the team captains and toss a coin. The winner of the toss shall have first choice of options for either the first or second half. The loser shall have the choice of options for the half not chosen by the winner. The options for each half shall be: (a) whether his team will kick or receive; or (b) the goal that his team will defend. Teams will change goals between the first and second half.
6. THE FIELD The field will be 80 yards long by 40 yards wide. The field will be divided into four zones of Twenty yards each with a ten yard end zone on each end. A line approximately five yards long will be marked thirty yards from each end zone to designate the spot for the kickoff. A line approximately two yards long will mark two yards from each goal to designate the spot for the point after touchdown attempt. A team box will be designated on each side of the field. The box will be one yard back from the sideline and extend from the twenty yard line to the opposite twenty yard line. All team personnel excluding the coach must remain in their respective team box except when entering the field to become a player. The coach is permitted to move freely on his team s side of the field. --10 yd-------------20 yd----------------- 20 yd---------------------20 yd------------------20 yd---------------10 yd-- 2yd 30 yd. X X 2 yd 30 yd. < 100 yards > 7. KICKING AND PUNTING On all kickoffs, the kicking team s restraining line shall be its own thirty (30) yard line unless moved because of a penalty. For all free kicks, the receiving team s restraining line shall be ten yards from that of the kicking team. Players may be anywhere behind their teams restraining line and must remain behind it until the ball is kicked. The ball always belongs to the receiving team on kickoffs and punts. If a kick is first touched by the kicking team, the ball is dead at the spot and belongs to the receiving team. If a kicked ball is muffed by the receiving team, the receiving team may still pick it up and advance it. If a kicked ball is muffed by the receiving team and then touched by the kicking team, the ball is dead at the spot and belongs to the receiving team. A kick off which goes out of bounds before traveling twenty yards is put in play opposite the spot
where it went out of bounds. A kick off that goes out of bounds after traveling twenty yards is put in play twenty yards beyond the kicking spot. Punts which go out of bounds are put in play at the inbound spot where it left the field of play. Kicks and punts which break the plane of the goal line shall be touchbacks. Passes intercepted In the end zone shall be touchbacks. Neither can be returned to the field of play. Following a touchback, the receiving team shall begin possession on their own twenty yard line. Following a safety, the team scored upon shall put the ball in play with a free kick from their own twenty yard line. On a punt, the offensive team must announce if they are going to punt on a fourth down. On punts, the team receiving the ball must have at least three men on the line of scrimmage at the time the ball is kicked. No defensive player may rush the punter, they must wait until ball is punted. 8. OFFENSIVE PLAYS After each play, the official will spot the ball equal distance between the side lines and on the line where the previous play ended. The new line will be determined by the forward point of the ball, not by the position of the runner s feet. The offensive team has 25 seconds to put the ball into play after it has been placed ready for play by the official. The snap must pass through the legs of the snapper and must first be touched by a player who is in the backfield. A team may throw an unlimited number of forward passes on any play provided that each forward pass originates behind the neutral zone. No player lined up in the back field may proceed the ball carried on running plays which cross the neutral zone within two yards on either side of the snapper. Any ball that touches the ground is dead, except as noted in punts and kick offs. The runner may not run through the tackler. He must attempt to evade the tackler. The runner may jump, spin or dive as long as he does not initiate contact with the tackler. A runner is down when he has less that two flags. A player may handle the ball when he has less than two flags, but the ball is dead at the spot where he gains possession. 9. FIRST DOWNS AND LINE-TO GAIN The offensive team must advance the ball from one zone to the next in four downs or less In order to retain possession. When the ball is marked ready for play in the new zone the following down shall be first. If a player advances into the next zone and then retreats behind the line-to-gain and is tackled there, no first down is allowed. Furthermore, new zone and the enforcement takes the ball back behind the original line-to-gain, no first down is allowed, Only the ball must break the plane of the line to gain, the runner need not do so. (Note: On players which originate near a line-to-gain or the goal line, one official should position himself near the line to determine if the ball breaks the plane).
10. BLOCKING AND TACKLING An offensive player may use only a standing block: feet in contact with the ground. Teammates of the runner may contact opponents with their hands or arms provided: (a.) The elbows are entirely outside the shoulders; (b.) The hands are closed or cupped with the palms not facing the opponent: and (c.) The forearms are approximately parallel to the ground, in the same horizontal plane and extend no more than 45 degrees from the body. The blocker may not swing his elbow or forearms so that it is moving faster than his shoulder. The blocker may initiate contact with an opponent only from the waist to the shoulders. A blocker may not block an opponent in the back. The snapper and free kick holder are protected from being blocked until they have gained an upright blocking position. A defensive player may use his hands to evade a potential blocker. Such use of hands is restricted to contact with the blocker between the shoulders and the waist. A defensive player may not push an opponent in the back. If he does, it will be called clipping. A defensive player tackles an opponent by removing a flag from the ball carrier. He must always play the flag and not the man. The defender may not hold the runner while pulling the flag. In most cases, if the defender reaches around the runner with both hands, one on either side, holding should be called. Pushing the ball carrier out of bounds is always unnecessary roughness. In this case, a touchdown may be awarded if in the opinion of the official the runner would have scored had he not been pushed out of bounds. Pulling the flag of an offensive player who does not have the ball shall be penalized as unsportsmanlike conduct. Players who have just passed the ball or received a fake are excluded from this protection until, in the judgment of the official, it is obvious that they no longer have the ball. However, they are still considered to be tackled if they gain possession of the ball while having only one flag. In passing situations, the defender may make contact with the passer if the defender also touches the ball. If he does not touch the ball, and touches the passer other than In attempting to full his flag, it is unnecessary roughness and must be penalized. 11. OFFICIALS The game officials shall consist of a referee and an umpire assigned by the contacted officials association. When approved by the district, and the officials association, more than two officials may be used. The home team will provide a time clock and timer. The visiting team may furnish an assistant timer provided that the referee is notified prior to the start of the game. 12. PENALTIES AND ENFOREMENTS For all penalties, the referee shall notify both captains of the infraction and then present the options to the offended captain. Most penalties will be enforced from the spot of the foul. The enforcement for any penalty may not move the ball closer than half of the
distance of the goal. When the spot enforcement for an offensive penalty is behind the offensive team s own goal line, it shall be a safety. If the defensive team commits a foul for which the enforcement spot is behind their goal line, the ball is placed on the one yard line and the down will be first. 13. SUMMARY OF PENALTIES PENALTY ENFORCED FROM YARDAGE Delay of game Line of scrimmage 5 yards Encroachment Line of scrimmage 5 yards Illegal motion Line of scrimmage 5 yards Illegal snap Line of scrimmage 5 yards Illegal substitution Line of scrimmage 5 yards Guarding the flag Spot of foul 5 yards + loss of down Illegal forward pass Spot of foul 5 yards + loss of down Defense pass interference Spot of foul Automatic first down Offense pass interference Line of scrimmage 10 yards + loss of down Illegal use hands Spot of foul 10 yards Clipping Spot of foul 10 yards Holding Spot of foul 10 yards Illegal block Spot of foul 10 yards Running through a defender by a ball carrier Spot of foul 10 yards + loss of down Body tackling Spot of foul 10 yards Unnecessary roughness Spot of foul 10 yards Pushing ball carrier out of bounds Spot of foul 10 yards + possible TD Roughing the passer Line of scrimmage 10 yards + auto. First D. Illegal participation Line of scrimmage 10 yards Intentionally puling the flag of non-ball carrier Line of scrimmage 10 yards Unsportsmanlike conduct Spot of foul 10 Yards