All games will be played in accordance to current SCMAF flag football rules (http://www.scmaf.org/flag-football), except for the following CREST Sports rules. THE PLAYERS Eight players on the field per team. A team may play a game with seven roster players. When the eighth player arrives, they may enter the game at the next dead ball. If a team has less than seven players, the game will be considered a forfeit. The coaches will come together to split the players in attendance to make two even teams. The game will be played as a scrimmage friendly. The game will have two twenty minute halves and the running clock will be in effect throughout the game. 2nd 3 rd grade coaches will be allowed on the field to assist and instruct players. All players listed on the team roster must be listed on the official score sheet (coach will provide player s first and last names with uniform numbers before the first league game). It is the responsibility of the coach to inform the league coordinator, supervisor and scorekeepers of nonplaying players and the reason for benching them. Parents must be notified before any removal of playing time is allowed. UNIFORMS It is the responsibility of the coach to make sure the players are aware of the dress code. All members of the team must wear numbered uniforms of the same color. Exception: Supervisor may waive this requirement due to a previously reported lost uniform. Penalty: 1 point to the opposing team for every player out of uniform. Uniforms must be tucked in at all times. Due to safety purposes, no denim pants, jeans, jean shorts, or cargo shorts will be allowed in any game. Shorts or athletic pants without pockets are required. Athletic shoes are required. Plastic or rubber cleats will be allowed. No metal spikes or cleats will be allowed.
Casts, splints or body braces made of hard materials are not allowed, unless they are padded to the satisfaction of the program supervisor. No earrings! Players must remove earrings to be eligible to play. Headbands and wristbands will be allowed. Plastic bands, metal bracelets and rings are never allowed. Medical bracelets will be allowed however must be covered completely with a wristband or athletic tape. No necklaces of any kid are allowed. Religious accessories, if covered to the point where they cannot harm or injure another player, will be allowed at the discretion of the supervisor. FIELD Field dimensions will be 100 yards X 40 yards which includes one 10-yard end zone at each end. The four playing zones will be 20 yards in length. Due to construction, field improvement projects, and changes in field space adjustments to dimensions of the field may be made at any time by the program supervisor. GAME BALLS 2 nd /3 rd grade leagues: Pee Wee size footballs will be used. 4 th /5 th grade and 6 th grade leagues: Junior size footballs will be used. 7 th /8 th grade leagues: Official size footballs will be used. All game balls are marked and labeled for the appropriate leagues. Coaches must bring their own equipment for warm-ups. Game balls are not allowed to be used for warm-ups.
LEAGUE PLAY All games will begin at the scheduled time. As soon as the previous game is over, the following game coaches will report to the scorer s table and report their starters for the next game. Players will take the field and prepare for the game to begin. The winner of the coin toss chooses one of two options: o Receive the kickoff in the first half or in the second half. o Choose the goal their team will defend. The team who lost the coin toss will be assigned the option that was not selected by the winner of the coin toss. At the start of the second half, the teams switch goals. The game will consist of two twenty-minute halves with a running clock. The clock will begin after kick-off for each half, once the receiving team touches the ball. Timeouts: Each team will have (2) thirty-second time-outs per half, which are non-cumulative. Stoppage time will be in effect the last two minutes of the game. The clock will stop for the following reasons and will restart on the hike: o Time-outs o Incomplete passes o Scores o Out-out-bounds plays o Fair catches o First downs o Penalties o Change of possession Blowouts o The clock will run and supersede stoppage time when a team is up by 18 points or more. The scoreboard will be cleared and will only be in use if the game becomes competitive (within 18 points).
SCORING Each touchdown is awarded 6 points. 2 point conversions will be marked 5 yards from the goal line. 1 point conversions will be marked 2 yards from the goal line. SUBSTITUTIONS Substitutions (subs) will only take place every five game-time minutes. Players must check-in at the scorer s table before subs are called. After 5 minutes have elapsed, the referee and scorekeeper will call for the sub period to begin. The game clock will run during subs. Coaches must put all the players that are on bench in the game. Coaches must determine their subs before each sub period. Sample for 1 st half for a full team of 16 players. 20:00-15:00-Game Start (Players 1-8 start game while players 9-16 are on the bench out of the game). 15:00-10:00-First Substitution Period (Players 9-16 go into the game while players 1-8 will be out of the game). 10:00-5:00- Second Substitution (Players 1-8 return into the game while players 9-16 go out the game again.) 5:00- Half- Third Substitution Period (Players 9-16 go back into the game and players 1-8 will be out again.) Sample for 2 nd half Coach may start any combination of players to begin the second half. Or utilize the same substitutions as the first half. 20:00-15:00-Start of Second half (Players 1-8 will begin the second half while players 9-16 are on the bench out of the game). 15:00-10:00-First Substitution Period (Players 9-16 go into the game while players 1-8 will be out of the game). 10:00-5:00- Second Substitution (Players 1-8 return into the game while players 9-16 go out the game again.) 5:00- Half- Third Substitution Period (Players 9-16 go back into the game and players 1-8 will be out again.)
Scorekeeper will mark players off as they enter the game. Scorekeeper will remind coaches which players must be placed in the game. Late arriving players will be included in the next substitution period. Late arriving players are not guaranteed their full playing time. If players arrive with less than five minutes left in the half/game they are not guaranteed any playing time in that first half or game. No single player may play the whole game unless their team has 8 players or less. If a team has 9 players, the player that starts on the bench will be put in the game for a different player each sub period. If a team has 10 players, every player must come out of the game for at least one sub period before the end of the game. No player may sit out twice in a half. If a team has 11 players or more, all players must sit out at least one sub period before the end of the first half and once again before the end of the game in the second half. If a player is injured and the game time is stopped, they must sit out at least one play before returning; depending on the severity of the injury, the player will sit out longer than the required one play. KICKOFF Kickoff is from the thirty-yard line. The restraining line for the receiving team is the forty-yard line. The restraining lines are ten yards apart for all free kicks. The kickoff must originate from the ground or from a kicking tee. The receiving team must place a minimum of five players within the restraining line. There are no on-side kicks.
If a player on the kicking team touches a free-kick before it crosses the receivers restraining line and before it is touched by a receiving player, it is referred to as the first touching of the kick. The receiving team has the option of accepting the result of the play or requesting a re-kick. If the ball goes out of bounds on a kickoff before the receiving team s twenty-yard line, the ball is put in play at the location the ball went out of bounds. If the ball goes out of bounds behind the receivers twenty-yard line, the ball will be placed on the twenty-yard line, or the team may accept a fiveyard penalty and a re-kick will occur. If the ball travels into the end zone, the receiving team will have the option of taking the kick out of the end-zone or downing the ball in the end zone and taking the ball at the twenty-yard line. PUNTS All punts must be declared. Quick kicks are not allowed. Penalty: 5 yards from previous spot. A team may re-declare a punt after a time out is called. The punt must be kicked from behind the line of scrimmage. The defensive team must have at least four players on the line of scrimmage. Defensive players may not rush the punter, they also may not move, raise their hands, wave or attempt to block the kick. Penalty: 5 yards from previous spot Players may not leave the line of scrimmage until the ball is kicked. The receiving team will have the option of taking the kick out of end-zone, or downing the ball in the end zone and taking the ball at the twenty-yard line for any punts crossing the goal line. A receiver may signal a fair catch while the ball is in flight and is beyond the kicker s line. A valid fair catch signal is the extending and lateral waving of one arm at full arm s length above the head. Penalty: 5 yards from the spot of the infraction.
On any kick, while the ball is in flight beyond the scrimmage line, the kicking team cannot touch the ball or obstruct the receiving team s path to the ball. Penalty: 10 yards from the spot of foul OFFENSIVE-PASSING PLAYS Any basic formation of eight players on the line and in the backfield may be used. There must be a minimum of four players on the line of scrimmage or in the backfield. Not enough players on the line of scrimmage is a dead ball. No free plays. Penalty: 5 yards, illegal formation Pre-Snap Rules: An offense may shift prior to a snap as long as all the players on the line of scrimmage are set for at least 1 second prior to the snap of the ball. An offense may motion only one player at a time. The motion player may only move backwards or lateral to the line of scrimmage. The player may not move forward. During a quarterback's cadence, no players will be allowed to shift or motion once the quarterback has said the word "Set". Penalty: 5 yards All players are eligible to receive a pass. Quarterback runs will not be allowed. The quarterback will be considered the first player who receives the hiked ball from the center. Penalty: 5 yards and loss of down from the spot. A backward pass by the quarterback is considered a lateral pass. An incomplete lateral pass is a dead ball at the point of contact with the ground. An intercepted pass in the defensive team s end zone may be taken out. Downfield blocking on a passing play is not permitted until the ball is caught. Receivers must go in a pass pattern looking for a pass, and not blocking or shielding a defensive player. Penalty: 10 yards from previous spot A receiver must have only one foot inbounds unless both feet are off the ground and a defensive player causes him/her to go out of bounds, when making a catch.
Once a receiver goes out of bounds, the player is declared ineligible to catch the ball unless the defense forced the player out of bounds. A team may use as many forward passes as necessary, provided the passes are thrown from behind the line of scrimmage. Penalty: 5 yards from previous spot Any offensive penalties that occur inside the ten-yard line will be marked half the distance to the goal. If the penalty occurs in the end zone, it will be a safety. 2 points will be awarded to the defensive team. OFFENSIVE-RUNNING PLAYS The ball carrier may not steer their blockers. Penalty: 5 yards When the ball hits the ground due to a fumble, a center snap, or a backward pass, the ball is dead and placed at the point of contact with the ground. If a ball is dead in the end zone, it will be declared a safety. Exception: If the ball lands ahead of the runner on a dead ball situation, the ball is marked on the spot where the runner fumbled the ball. A ball carrier cannot touch or protect their flags by guarding, hacking, or holding the flag. Flag guarding is any attempt to keep the defense from pulling the offensive player s flags during a play by the use of hands, arms, or by holding and swinging the ball. Penalty: 5 yards from the spot of foul and loss of down. The ball carrier shall strive to avoid having their flag pulled by agility rather than power. Spinning by the ball carrier is allowed. Any attempt by the ball carrier to run over, charge, or straight-arm a defender is illegal. Penalty: 10 yards Hurdling by the ball carrier is allowed. Diving by the ball carrier is illegal, Penalty: 5 yards from spot of foul and loss of down.
All running up the middle from the offense or defense is illegal. The middle is determined by the bean bags that are set at shoulder width by the head official from the line of scrimmage. Penalty: 5 yards. Players that touch the ground to balance themselves while running will not be considered down. OBSTRUCTION-FIELD OF PLAY At the discretion of the official, a touch-down will be awarded if the official rules that a fan (parent, relative, animal, object, opposing coach or players not in the game) obstructs or alters player s path to the end zone. BALL IN PLAY The ball is put in to play by the offensive center with a backward snap. Teams have thirty seconds from when the ball is marked to put the ball in play for the official play to begin. Penalty: 5 yards from previous spot The offensive players assuming their position for the snap may readjust their stance provided everyone is set for one second before the ball is snapped. Note: If the offensive player intentionally simulates movement to draw the defensive team into committing a foul, the infraction will then be administered against the offensive team. Penalty: 5 yards from previous spot Any simulated snap of the ball by the offensive center will constitute a false start. Penalty: 5 yards, illegal procedure A team has four scrimmage downs to advance the ball to the next zone in order to gain a first down.
OFFENSIVE BLOCKING City of Santa Monica CREST Sports In any situation, a blocker, on the initial contact, must have at least one foot on the ground and make contact above the belt and below the neck. Penalty: 10 yards from previous spot The four-point blocking stance is never allowed. In the four-point stance the player places two hands on the ground. The weight ratio between the hands and feet in the four-point stance is 1-1. Penalty: 5 yards from previous spot The three-point blocking stance is allowed. The three-point stance is a stance used by offensive and defensive linemen as well as running backs. This stance requires one hand to touch the ground with the other arm cocked back to the thigh/hip region. The back should be slightly inclined forward, as well as the arm which is placed on the ground. Diving or rolling blocks will not be allowed. All blocks must be above the waist. Penalty: 10 yards from previous spot An offensive player may not help, push, or block the ball carrier to advance the ball. Penalty: 5 yards from previous spot and loss of down. DEFENSIVE PLAYS A defensive player may not hold or run through the ball carrier. Defensive players must play the flag, not the player or the ball. Penalty: 10 yards from the spot of foul. Violators involved in the following fouls, may be ejected from the game at the discretion of the official if they intentionally: o Tackle, trip, charge, or bump the ball carrier. o Push a ball carrier out of bounds. Penalty: 10 yards from the spot of the foul for unsportsmanlike conduct. Penalty: 15 yards from the spot of the foul if the fouls is ruled to be flagrant. The player will be ejected from the game and will not be allowed to play in the next scheduled game.
At the discretion of the official, if the last defensive man between the ball carrier and the goal line is guilty of any of the above infractions, the ball carrier will be given the score they would have attained if they had not been fouled. Defensive players must have at least one foot in contact with the ground when attempting to pull a flag. It is illegal for the defensive player to rush up the middle (one yard on each side of the ball) at the line of scrimmage. Penalty: 5 yards from previous spot Slapping and striking an opponent in the face, head or body in an attempt to gain an advantage while rushing is not allowed. Penalty: 10 yards from the spot of foul The defense must keep their arms inside the plane of the shoulders when they ward off a blocker. Contact or blocks must be made above the waist. The defense may not use the lower leg or foot to obstruct or trip an opponent. Penalty: 10 yards from the spot of foul Prematurely pulling of flags by the defense of any offensive player that is not in possession of the ball will be ruled as unsportsmanlike conduct. Penalty: 10 yards from the spot of foul and automatic 1 st down Defensive players must make a definite effort to avoid charging into a passer after the ball has been thrown. Penalty: 10 yards from previous spot and automatic 1 st down. The defensive line-up is not restricted in its formation. There is no limit or required number of players that must be on the line of scrimmage. Any defensive penalties that occur inside the ten-yard line will be marked half the distance to the goal. This includes penalties in the end zone. Interceptions can be taken out of the end zone.
It is NOT considered rushing up the middle if a defensive player is being blocked all the way through into the bean bags. The offensive player must hold his block all the way through for it NOT be considered a flag. Only time a flag will be thrown is if an offensive player makes original contact with a defensive player then let s go and the defensive player continues to run through the middle on his own free will. POINT SYSTEM FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL GAMES Middle school leagues will have the following point system applied to game results to determine post-season playoff seeding. o WIN = 3 POINTS o TIE = 1 POINT o LOSS = 0 POINTS TIE BREAKER FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL MATCHES REGULAR SEASON At the conclusion of the regular season the following procedure will be used to determine playoff seeding: o Head to Head o Record vs. like opponents o Coin flip TIE GAMES If at the end of the game both teams are tied, it will end in a tie game. This applies to all regular season games. For middle school teams only: o During playoffs, extra point conversion tiebreakers will be played. After a coin toss, the winner of the coin toss will decide if they will attempt a 2-point conversion or a 1-point conversion. After the coin toss winner converts or fails to convert the extra point, then the team that lost the coin toss will be given the opportunity to attempt the extra point conversion. The team that converts or ends up with a higher amount of conversion points will be the winner. If neither team is successful with the conversions or if the game is still a tie, then the process will be repeated however, the order will change. The team that went last will now go first with the conversion attempts. This process will continue, switching the teams that go first, until a winner is determined
REFEREES Enforce SCMAF Rules and all CREST Sports rules. Three-person referee system will be used. NO electronic whistles will be used during games. The authority of the referees starts when they have entered the field of play. All decisions of the referees will be final so far as the result of the game is concerned. Referees will include a summary of their game results to the program supervisor, including all pertinent information such as the result of the match, misconduct, unruly spectators, injuries etc GENERAL RULES Foul Language/profanity o First occurrence. Penalty: 5 Yards. o Second occurrence. Penalty: 5 yards and five minutes out of the game. o Third occurrence. Player will be ejected from the game. Celebrating after a score/teasing offensive or defensive players. Penalty: 15 yards from the goal line for unsportsmanlike conduct. This penalty will be assessed on the extra point conversion for the offensive team. Player will sit out for 5 game minutes. Penalty: 15 yards from the spot of the foul will be assessed for either an offensive or defensive unsportsmanlike conduct. Player will sit out for 5 game minutes.
5 yard penalties Penalty What to do Delay of Game dead ball from the previous spot False start dead ball from the previous spot Flag Guarding from spot of foul and loss of down Illegal Formation/Shift/motion from previous spot Illegal Forward Pass from spot of foul and loss of down Quarterback Run From line of scrimmage and loss of down Off sides(offense or defense dead ball from the previous spot Run/Rush up the Middle from previous spot Steering blockers/runner from spot of foul and loss of down Charging/stiff arm from spot of foul and loss of down Illegal Participation from previous spot Diving from spot of foul and loss of down Holding (defense) from previous spot and automatic 1st 1 st time from previous spot, 2 nd time Foul Language bench for 5 game mins, 3 rd time ejection from game 10 yard penalties Penalty What to do Stripping the ball from spot of the foul Pushing the ball carrier from spot of the foul Clipping from spot of the foul Premature Flag pull from previous spot and automatic 1st Holding (offense) from spot of the foul Illegal block from spot of foul Holding (ball carrier) from spot of the foul/line of scrimmage Pass Interference (Defense) from previous spot and automatic 1st Pass Interference (Offense) from previous spot and loss of down Roughing the passer from previous spot and automatic 1st 15 yard penalties Unnecessary Roughness from previous spot and benched for 5 game minutes Unsportsmanlike Conduct from previous spot and benched for 5 game minutes
City of Santa Monica Human Services Division, C.R.E.S.T. Programs Code of Conduct CREST is dedicated to cultivating an environment that is inclusive, and that promotes and encourages positive youth character development. Use of profanity, demeaning language, and/or behavior that is perceived as aggressive or threatening to participants, spectators, or staff is unacceptable in any program area. Adults affiliated with a child participant exhibiting these behaviors may be asked to leave the program area and their child participant could be subject to withdrawal from the program. Policy: Upon the first occurrence, a CREST program representative will immediately speak with the individual exhibiting the unacceptable behavior. The policy will be reviewed and the occurrence will be documented and logged. Upon the second occurrence, the CREST program representative will escort the individual away from the program area. The second occurrence will be documented and logged. Upon the third occurrence, the CREST program representative will remind the parent of the policy and their child participant will be subject to withdrawal from CREST program(s). The third occurrence will be documented and logged. Parent or guardian will be contacted and provided with documentation about the consequences of program disruption. Program fees will not be refunded. When necessary, City staff will call the Santa Monica Police Department for the safety of children, spectators and staff.