Flag Football Rules

General

Players

Roster size is limited to 12 players:

• Players must be TWU students, faculty/staff, or Fitness and Recreation members
• Rosters are final at 5pm the second Friday after your first game

Players on field:

• Seven players per side (7 vs 7)
• Coed - You can have more than 4 females but not more than 4 males on the field at any given time.

Starting the game:

• Minimum of four players to start

Co-Ed Rules:

• Male/Female rule: A male complete a reception to a female at least once per 4 plays OR a female can throw the Play must gain positive yards to meet rule requirement
• Flag Football is a non-contact sport.  While accidental contact can and will happen, contact that is used to gain an advantage over an opponent (pushing, grabbing, running over/into, holding, etc.) will be penalized.

Game Set Up and Time

1. You must show a valid TWU, Fitness and Recreation, or Texas ID to participate:
   • No ID, no play, no exceptions
   • All games will consist of two 20-minute halves with a continuous clock
   • The clock will stop in the last two minutes, of the second half, on every whistle
   • Clock will stop for all injuries
2. Rock-paper-scissors decides possession to start game
   • Winner chooses possession of ball or which end zone to defend
   • Second half the possession and direction is reversed
   • Play begins from own 10 yd line
   • No kickoff
3. Halftime
   • Three minutes
4. Time Outs
   • Two 30-second time-outs per game, per team
5. Mercy rule:
   • Game will be called if the point margin is 25 points or greater at/after the 2-minute mark of the second half
6. Overtime Rules:
   • Rock, Paper, Scissors will be played to determine which team is on offense, defense first, or side of field
   • Each team will start at the 20 yard line with 4 downs to score
   • Each team will get at least one possession to If the score is still tied after each possession, repeat until the tie is broken
   • Teams will be given one timeout each in the overtime period

Forfeits

Game time is forfeit time:

• According to the student supervisors or officials watch
• One forfeit during the season can remove you from playoffs and possibly from the rest of the season
• Each team is allowed only one Notification of a default to the Intramural Supervisor before noon on the day of play will result in a loss but will not result in removal from playoffs, and possibly the rest of the season
• Team must have four players with appropriate identification, appropriate attire, signed in on the score sheet, and ready to play prior to game time to avoid forfeit

Equipment

Jerseys:

• All players must have on same-color shirts
• Shirts/Jerseys must be tucked in
• Jerseys will be provided by Fitness and Recreation in case of a jersey color clash

Cleats:

• Athletic/running shoes are required, no Crocs, Vans, boots, barefoot, will be allowed
• Cleats are allowed provided they do not have metal studs

Footballs:

• Fitness and Recreation will provide game balls – no substitutions.

Flags:

• Fitness and Recreation will provide flag belts – no substitutions.
• Flag belts cannot be This will result in an automatic ejection

Field Play

1. Scoring:
   • Touchdowns = 6 points
   • Point after:
     • 3 yard line = 1 point
     • 10 yard line = 2 points
     • 20 yard line = 3 points
     • Interception during point after touchdown, will end the play
   • After a successful point after, touchback, or safety: the ball is given to opposing team on their 20 yard line
   • Substitutions can be made freely, between downs
   • Ball Out Of Play:
     • The ball has made a complete rotation across the goal or sideline
     • When play has been stopped by an official
2. Plays
   • Play will start and stop on the Head Officials There is a 20-second play clock after the ‘Ready to Play Whistle’
   • Offense has 4 plays to move the football past the first down line (every 20 yards is a first down)
   • Player who receives snap (quarterback) must be at least 2 yards behind the offensive scrimmage line
     • Direct snaps are illegal
     • Snaps must be one fluid motion
     • A snap that hits the ground will result in the play being no fumbles
     • Quarterback is only allowed to run the ball if the defense rushes the quarterback
     • If the quarterback runs the ball when the defense has not rushed, the play will immediately be blown dead
     • Quarterback has 7 seconds from the snap to get rid of the ball. If quarterback still has ball in possession after 7 seconds it will be ruled as a sack
     • Only one player allowed in motion prior to the snap. The player in motion must move parallel with the line of scrimmage
     • Safety – when the offensive player with possession of the football is de-flagged in own end zone or if the snap hits the ground in end zone
     • Touchback – pass intercepted and downed in own end zone or a punt that touches anything on or behind goal line. Receiving team will have possession and start at 20 yd line.
     • Intercepting momentum – defending player intercepts football and is carried into defending end zone, such as falling This will result in a touchback
   • On 4^th down, offense is given the option to go for it or punt
     • If offense punts, both teams may not move until the ball has been kicked
     • If offense goes for it and does not cross the 1^st down mark, defense possesses the ball at that spot
       • Receiving team cannot rush the punter
       • If the football is caught by the receiving team, they can return the kick
       • If the ball hits the ground, the play will be blown dead, and the new line of scrimmage will be where the ball hit the ground
3. Passing and Receiving:
   • One forward pass per play
   • Pass must be made from behind the line of scrimmage
   • Can do a lateral pass after line of scrimmage
   • No fumbles - If the football is fumbled, the play is over and will be marked at the point it hits the ground. Forward fumbles, intentional or not, will be marked at the spot the fumble happened
   • There is no “uncatchable” rule (need one foot inbounds for a legal catch)
   • If there is a simultaneous catch between offense and defense, the ball is dead and possession is given to the offense (meaning if the offensive player and defensive player both catch it at the same time, possession goes to the offense.)
4. Flag Removal Rules:
   • Legal
     • Pulling the flags off the player who is carrying the football
     • If a player loses his/her flag belt during normal play, play continues, and that player must be touched by the defense with at least one hand, between the shoulders and knees, for the runner to be marked down
   • Illegal
     • Pulling the flags from a player without possession of the ball
     • Tampering with flag belt to gain advantage when flag is pulled, including tying or using foreign materials to secure belt to player (this penalty is subject to ejection)
     • Holding player in any way, while simultaneously trying to remove the flag belt. If a player accidently grabs the shorts or shirt while trying to pull the flag belt, they should let go as soon as possible to avoid a possible holding penalty
     • Flag Guarding - swinging the hand/arm, lowering shoulder, or diving while in possession of the football to prevent from being deflagged
5. Offensive Screen Blocking
   • No contact
   • Blockers cannot use their hands, arms, legs to impede the progress of someone rushing the quarterback, but may screen the rush by making the defender run around them
6. Defensive Rushing:
   • Must go around offensive screen block
   • Cannot make contact with arms/hands to gain advantage over the blocker
7. Offside
   • Any player crossing line of scrimmage prior to the snap or lining up in neutral zone
   • False start called when offensive player simulates start of play before the snap

Fouls

Behavior and Sportsmanship

It is every player’s responsibility to:

• Keep roster up-to-date
• Know the rules and abide by them
• Respect and cooperate with the supervisors and officials

It is the responsibility of the team captain to:

• Ensure proper behavior on the part of their team’s fans
• Be responsible for their team for all the above

Friendly competition and good-spirited rivalry are expected, however:

• Officials and supervisors are university employees and will not tolerate verbal abuse or physical threats from or amongst players, captains or spectators
• Inappropriate conduct can result in penalties ranging from game ejection to lifetime suspension to calling DPS

A Sportsmanship Rating system will be implemented to provide better transparency between players and Intramural Staff:

• Ratings start at an ‘A’ and can go down to a ‘D’
• A team must have a ‘B’ average to be eligible for the play-offs, regardless of their win/loss record
• A signature from team captains must be obtained after each game, acknowledging the rating, as well giving the supervisor an opportunity to explain the reasoning behind the rating
• During playoffs, a team receiving a sportsmanship rating lower than a ‘B’ will not be allowed to advance regardless of victory

**Any participant dismissed for misconduct must leave the facility immediately**

• Failure to comply will result in call to DPS and may also result in a team forfeiture
• Any player ejected from a game for misconduct will not be allowed to participate in the next played contest, or in any Fitness and Recreation event thereafter, until they have met with the Supervisor of Intramural Programs

Blood Rule

A player with a bloody injury or blood on his/her uniform must leave the game. The player may not return to the game until the wound is no longer bleeding, the wound is sufficiently covered (preferably by a trained individual), or all pieces of the uniform that have blood on them are removed and replaced.

Accident Insurance

The State of Texas and Texas Woman’s University cannot accept liability for injuries. Participants are encouraged to provide their own accident or personal insurance.

Page last updated 9:30 AM, December 11, 2024