PEE-WEE DIVISION (3 rd -5 TH GRADE) (Ages 8-10 Years Old) 9/30/17 updated A. PLAYING AREA FLAG FOOTBALL RULES 1. Field dimension for 3 rd -5 th grades league will be 60 yards long and 40 yards wide with three 20 -yard zones for first downs. 2. All players, coaches, and fans must remain five (5) yards from the sideline and within 15 yards of each end zone. (Players and coaches must stay three yards from the sideline and within 20 yards of each end zone.) B. EQUIPMENT 1. The game ball is a Junior size football which is provided by the San Francisco Parks and Recreation Athletics Department. 2. Sneakers and rubber/plastic cleats may be worn. NO METAL or SCREW- ON CLEATS! 3. A player may not wear anything that would make it harder for the defense to grab their flags. No other types of football gear may be worn and no cast of any sort will be allowed. (i.e. gloves, braces, pads, etc.) 4. Flags must be of the Velcro Rip type (take-a-flag, any make) with the league providing the flags for both teams. 5. Shirts must be tucked in at all times and the flags are worn on the hip on top of the shirt. Each team will receive ONE warning and then a 5-yard penalty will be implemented. 6. All players MUST WEAR their own PERSONAL MOUTH PROTECTOR. NO PLAYER WILL PLAY WITHOUT ONE! C. PLAYERS 1. There will be seven players on the field (1 center, 1 guard, 2 ends/tackles, and 3 in the backfield). 2. Only the last player on either end of the line of scrimmage and the 3-backfield men are eligible for a pass. 1
3. On offense only, there will be no center sneaking allowed. 4. On offense and defense, you must have 3 players on the line of scrimmage. 5. All players must play in both halves. 5. No player is allowed to play down in a Division. 6. Players must only play for 1 team. 7. Teams cannot have more than 15 players on their roster. D. SCRIMMAGE LINE 1. There must be 3 players on the line of scrimmage on offense and defense one second before the ball is snapped. 2. All end players must be 5-yards from the sideline at the snap of the ball. 3. Huddles are required. Coaches cannot huddle with their team on the field.(*coaches can huddle with their team for the first two week of games) 4. The defensive nose guard must line up 1-yard off the line of scrimmage off shoulder from the center. 5. You can Blitz any down, however the player blitzing must come from 7 yards off the line of scrimmage. E. LENGTH OF GAME F. FUMBLES 1. The length of the game will be two 16 minute halves.the last 2 minutes of the second half turns into 6 plays total. Play clock rule will still be in effect. 2. Punts and PAT s do not count as plays 3. An Official will be assigned to keep track of time, and time outs and scores 1. All fumbles, dropped and loose balls that hit the ground are dead and not playable (dead immediately) from the point that the ball touches the ground. The situation does not matter, for safety purposes. If a ball is snapped or dropped in the end zone, it is a safety. STRIPPING Is considered a fumble and is not allowed. If this occurs, the ball in play is dead and the offense retains the ball at the spot of the fumble. If the ball is bobbled or tipped in the air, it is not considered a stripped ball and the possession goes to the team whose player retains possession of the ball. 2
G. KICK-OFF 1. The kicking team kicks off from their 15-yard line. 2. The ball must not be higher than 2" on the tee or ground on the kick-off. 3. If the kick goes out of bounds, the receiving team receives the ball at midfield. There will be no re-kicks granted. 4. The receiving team can line up no closer than 10 yards from the kicking team and must have 5 men on the front line. 2. No on-side kicks will be allowed. H. PUNTS 1. All punts must be declared (there are no quick kicks). 2. The defensive team must be given enough time to put their men in their positions. Everyone must be set prior to the kick 3. The defensive team must have 5 men on the line of scrimmage. They cannot raise their hands or otherwise attempt to block the kick. 4. No player may cross the line of the scrimmage or move until the ball is kicked. 5. If the ball is touched first by an offensive player, the ball is dead at the spot. 6. A dropped center ball for punting may not be picked up and punted. It is dead where it is dropped. I. SCORING 1. A touchdown counts as 6 points. 2. A ball will be placed 3 yards out for the 1 point and 5 yards for 2 points. 3. A safety is worth 2 points. On a safety, the kicking team must kick or punt from the 20- yard line and the receiving team must line up at least 10-yards away. 4. TIES - Each team will be given the ball for 4 downs (possession will be determined by the flip of a coin). In the regular season there will be only two overtimes, if the game is tied after the second overtime, the game will be declared a tie. 5. In playoffs and championship games two overtimes will be played, in the third overtime if the team with the most yards gained after 4 possessions will be declared the winner. * First OT ball will be placed on the 20 yard line and second OT the 15 yard line J. PASSES 1. A forward pass may be thrown from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage. 2. A player who catches a pass without a flag(s) may advance the ball from where he catches it. Once the player is touched with one hand, the play is declared dead. 3. A pass interference penalty is a spot foul and an automatic first down. 3
K. PENALTIES 1. The following are 5-yard penalties: a. Offsides b. Backfield in motion c. Too many men on the field d. Being closer than 5 yards from the sideline e. Delay of game (longer than 30 seconds to get the ball into play) f. Too many men in the backfield or on the line of scrimmage g. Shirt not tucked in. h. Spinning more than once PER PLAY. (after 1 warning/dead ball per team) i. Defensive holding results in penalty and automatic 1 st down. 2. The following are 10-yard penalties: a. Leaving your feet while blocking or cross body blocking will be dead at the spot. a. (10 yd penalty will not be enforced) b. Clipping c. Tackling d. TACKLING THE BALL CARRIER: This is a judgment decision on the referee's part. e. Illegal use of hands on offense f. Deliberately pushing a man out of bounds (player shall be put out of the game) g. Straight arming b) Flag Guarding is a spot foul, the ball will be dead where the infraction occurred. and no additional 10 yards will be added. c) Hurdling only to the disadvantage of the defensive team d) Hurdling will be called when a runner tries to hurdle the line of scrimmage. A runner can jump over a defensive player who is down; it is not considered jumping if player has fallen on the ground and the runner jumps over them to avoid from getting hurt. Hurdling is a spot foul, the ball will be dead where the infraction occurred. i. Failure of a player holding a flag aloft (one team warning before penalty is imposed) e) Holding up a pulled flag that does not belong to the ball carrier f) Faking a pulled flag g) Unnecessary roughness of a player in making body contact with another player when attempting to pull the flag or to elude the flag being pulled a. Lowering of the head b. Offensive holding c. Pass interference from the spot of the occurrence 3. Additional penalties: a. Unsportsmanlike conduct is cause for expulsion from the game. b. Any coach who receives two unsportsmanlike conduct warnings or penalties throughout the season will be suspended from coaching their next scheduled game. A third offense will result in expulsion from the league. c. Excessive celebration will result in a penalty (will be determined by the referee) No game or half can end with a penalty on the defensive team. The offense shall be given one more play. If a player is going for a touchdown and in judgment of the officials he is clear of everybody, if a fake flag pulling occurs and a whistle has been blown, the team with the ball shall get the ball on the 1 yard line and a first down. If the player scores and a whistle has been blown he will be granted the touchdown and a 10-yard penalty will be assessed on the kick-off. The fans and spectators are restricted to stay between the two 20 yard lines. This will be a 5-yard penalty after 1 st warning. The Second Warning will be a 15 yd penalty 4
*****League Directors reserve the right to suspend any game due to unsportsmanlike conduct of coaches, players, or parents L. PLAYER ELIGIBIILTY 1. If a player gets protested due to his or her age the game will still be played under protest. 2. If the player is not the legal age to play in that division any games that were played with the player on the roster will be considered a forfeit loss. 3. The player will be issued 1 official warning and will be allowed to play on another team that fits his or her age. 4. If the player gets protested again, and the protest is upheld he/she will be removed from the league. 5. Players must provide proof of age whether it is a birth certificate or school ID. 6. The League Coordinators reserve the right to contact the school to confirm the players age. 7. Players are only allowed to play up a division with permission from their parents in writing and must be approved by the league director. *Players cannot play for two teams in the same division. 8. All Players must play 3 games in the regular season to qualify for playoffs. 9. All Rosters must be finalized by the second week of games 10. Coaches must fill out a player sheet before each game M. TIME-OUTS 1. There are two 1-minute time-outs per half per team. Timeouts do not carry over into the second half 2. An additional time out will be granted per half during playoff and championship games. N. STARTING TIMES 1. If a team does not have all their players or their coach, the referee should wait an extra 10 minutes from the original start time before beginning the game. 2. A team may start a game with six players. 3. All coaches must attend mandatory coaches clinic in order to be on the field. 4. No Parents can fill in for coaches, the game will still be played, however the team with no certified coach will forfeit the game. The San Francisco Recreation Athletics Department reserves the right to change, modify, add or delete any rule where it feels such action will benefit the league and its participants. Most Importantly, HAVE FUN and PROMOTE GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP! 5