Padded Flag Rules

A.            General Rules

1.             Penalties: 5 yard minor and 10-yard major penalties will be enforced

2.             Seven (Subject to change)  players on the field at a time. The offense must play 3 offensive linemen, a center and two guards in a balanced formation. The defense must play 2 defensive linemen. The offensive and defensive lineman must be in a 2-point stance.

3.             No metal-cleated football shoes, golf or track shoes, cowboy boots, or bare feet will be allowed.

4.             Each player’s pants, or shorts must contrast with the flags.  Final judgment will be left to the game officials. 

5.             No jewelry is allowed. An official will allow medical medals if properly covered with tape and declared safe. Gloves are allowed providing they contain no metal, no padding, and no abrasive materials. 

6.             Players must tuck in their jerseys in such a manner that the jersey will not interfere with their flags. If jersey is untucked and the defensive player grabs jersey instead of the flags, it is a penalty on the offense for flag guarding.

7.             One Coach from each team may be present on the actual field of play to assist players in                                                  positioning themselves and in the huddle. Coaches may not interfere in any way with actual play.

8.             Captains will participate in the pre-game conference with the officials. Only one captain on the field should be designated to talk to the officials to decide penalty options. The coach may assist the captain with the decision.  Most decisions will be obvious and not needed to be discussed.

9.             All players must play at least one-half of the game.

10.          All players are required to wear a set of flags. In the case of an inadvertent detached flag:

a.             On all running plays, the ball will be spotted at the point where the flag fell off.

b.             On a pass play, a potential receiver who drops his flag then catches the ball will not be                                                      allowed to advance beyond the point of the reception.

c.             If a defensive player is caught pulling the flag off of an offensive player before receiving                                                 the ball, an unsportsmanlike penalty will be assessed.

11.          The ball is NOT dead when it touches the ground unless on an incomplete forward pass or a defender intentionally stripping the ball from the ball carrier (also a penalty). In this league fumbles are live balls and can be picked up and advanced. However, if a player has a body part besides the hands or feet in contact with the ground when possession is obtained, then the runner is down at that spot.  

B.            Playing Rules - Offense

1.             Spinning is allowed. (Not an excuse for running over a defender.)

2.                   Players on the ends of the line are eligible for a pass. However, the center as well as any covered interior lineman may not go out for a pass.

3.                   Sleeper play: no offensive player who is “spread” shall be closer than five (5) yards from the                                           sidelines; he must come from the huddle. The sleeper is illegal.

4.                   Center sneaks are ILLEGAL. NO QB SNEAKS. DEFENSE IS NOT ALLOWED TO LINEUP ON CENTER OR SHOOT A GAP SO THIS WOULD CREATE AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE.

5.             One forward pass is allowed per play. An unlimited number of laterals are allowed.

6.             Kickoffs will not take place. The ball will be placed at the twenty-yard line to begin the game and after scores and on touchbacks.  If a safety occurs, the ball will be placed at mid-field.

7.             Punts:

a.             Offensive team is required to declare when it is punting. Both offensive and defensive teams must respect the neutral zone until the ball has been kicked. The punt must come from at least 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage. The punter must kick the ball within 5 seconds after receiving the snap from center.  NOTE: The ball is not dead when it touches the ground on a snap from center; kicker may pick it up off the ground.

b.             Both sides of the ball do not move during play. Only the punter and returners may move. Teams can only have a max of two returners. Everyone else must be on the line up scrimmage. Defense can jump straight up as ball is kicked to try and block but cannot cross the neutral zone.

c.             Center must hike the ball between the legs on all punts. Remember it is a learning process.

d.             Punts cannot be advanced. It is spotted where it stops rolling, goes out of bounds, or is caught.

e.             Ball punted into end zones will be placed at the 20-yard line

8.             No offensive player may screen block, on the defensive side of the line of scrimmage on a pass play, until after the pass is caught. Result: offensive pass interference. Major penalty: Loss of down.

9. Blocking- One of the main purposes of this league is to teach kids to block with shoulder pads on to prepare for tackle. This is where it differentiates from true flag rules. Players may block, push,and drive defenders. However, holding inside and not releasing when player tries to break away will be monitored closely.

10. Running with the ball- Despite wearing helmets and shoulder pads, the only way the defense can get a player “down” is by pulling their flag. Therefore, ball-carriers cannot lower their shoulder, run through defenders who are in position first, stiff-arm, or flag guard in anyway. The play will be blown dead at the spot this infraction occurs. Multiple offenses will result in a 10-yard penalty from the spot of the infraction. Runners need to be taught to avoid defenders not run through them.

C.            Playing Rules - Defense

1.             The defensive linemen must line up head up on the offensive linemen. Nobody is allowed to line up over the center. There is no bull rushing the center.  You may use any other move.  The defensive lineman must also be in a 2-point stance and 1 yard off of the ball.  If the offense uses more than three lineman, than the defense will have the option of using more lineman.  The other defenders can line up anywhere on the field but have to be a minimum of 5 yards off the line of scrimmage. Inside the 5 yard line they may line up on the goal line.  No shooting into the A gap. Players must engage lineman they are head up on first and then can progress into A gap.

2.                   NO BLITZING. Those eligible to rush the passer when the quarterback is in the pocket are the down linemen. Once the QB has left the pocket all defensive players are allowed to rush the QB. The pocket is defined as in between the tackles. Players need to be taught to shuffle and/or read step prior to attacking the line of scrimmage.

3.                   Impeding the runner will be enforced when a defensive player makes an attempt to stop a runner’s forward momentum without attempting to de-flag the runner. This includes wrapping up, grabbing and holding onto jersey (unless jersey is untucked), tripping, diving at legs, and tackling.

Defenders may not strip the ball, attempt to strip the ball, or punch at the ball in the attempt to dislodge the ball. Play will be blown dead at the spot and multiple offenses will result in 10 yard penalties.

This league’s purpose is to get kids used to wearing the gear, moving in the gear, and blocking/defeating blocks in shoulder pads. Tackling is no part of this. Lowering shoulder into ball carries is no part of this. Defenders will make plays for the flags and the flags only. Excessive contact will result in players being removed for a play, a series, a half and even up to a game.

4.             Roughing the passer will be defined as any contact with the passer. Defenders must go for the flags only. Any contact with the quarterback’s head or throwing arm/hand , whether intentional or not, will result in a major penalty and possible ejection from the game.

D.            Penalties

1.             Blocking: An offensive block may take place. This must be done without holding, grabbing, clipping, or using hands to the face.

2.             Blocking and interlocked interference:  Teammates of a runner or passer may interfere for them by screen blocking, but shall not use interlocked interference by grasping or encircling one another in any manner. Penalty: Personal foul, 10 yards.

3.             Tackling:

a.             An attempt to encircle the body of an opponent with hands or arms, thus impeding his                                                       progress. Penalty: 10 yards and an automatic first down.

b.             Tackling or pushing a ball carrier that is running near a sideline for the purpose of knocking him out of bounds.  Penalty: 10 yards (possible ejection). Only de-flagging can stop ball carrier’s progress.

c.             NOTE: Repeated violations may result in an ejection.

4.             Protecting Flags: The ball carrier shall not protect his flags by blocking with arms or hands to stop an opponent from pulling or removing flags. Penalty: 10 yards      

5.             Motion: One player in the offensive backfield may be in motion but not in motion toward the                                         line of scrimmage. All other players must be without movement of a part of the body or its                                              extremities. Penalty: 5 yards.

6.             Hurdling: An attempt by the ball carrier to jump over a player who is still standing or is on his                                      hands and knees. Penalty: 10 yards.

7.             Straight Arm: Extended to ward off an opponent. Penalty: 10 yards.

8.             Butting or lowering head: By offensive runner is illegal. Penalty: 10 yards. Offensive runner may not run over defensive player. The runner must attempt to run around him. Penalty: 10 yards.

9.                   Stance: Offensive and Defensive lineman must be in a 2-point stance.

10.                Offsides: One player from the defense comes across the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped. Penalty: 5 yards.

11.                Delay of Game: Will not be called unless it becomes an excessive problem. Coaches work on getting your players up to the line of scrimmage and snapping the ball within 30 seconds. Penalty: 5 yards.

Field Dimensions

6-9 yrs. old league football teams will play on a 70-yard long field X 38 yards wide. Endzones may be shorter to fit the field in.

The Ball

DIVISION                                                            TYPE

Padded Flag                                                          Pee Wee

The ball issued by the Cañon City Recreation District is the official game ball of the program.

Time Per Game

Games for padded flag football are regulated by time.  Here are the following rules.

4- 12-Minute Quarters. Time kept by officials. Clock will only stop during time-outs, injuries, and lengthy penalty enforcements. Coaches need to focus on getting kids lined up and going quickly between plays and changes of possession.

All teams are allowed 3 timeouts per game, 1 minute in length.

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Weather

In case of weather, the Recreation District will make the final determination if play will be suspended. Coaches will be contacted and then they will contact their team’s parents. Check the website at www.ccrec.org, or check our Facebook page if the weather is in question.

Zone To Gain (Flag Football Only)

Padded Flag- Chains will be used and a first down will be gained at 10 yards.

Coin Toss

The team that wins the toss to start the game has 2 options.

·                     To take the ball first.

·                     To go on defense first.

The opposing team will pick which goal to defend.

EXTRA POINTS

The ball can be run or passed into the end zone from the two-yard line for two points. It is an un-timed play and can be run with no time on the clock.

***Score is not kept in this league. Coaches, Parents, and spectators do not need to be shouting out scores and putting pressure on the kids about wins/losses. Also, penalties will be called in moderation. Emphasis will be on keeping the kids playing and learning. This is not the NFL, College, High School, or even Middle School. There will be ZERO Tolerance for Coaches, Parents, and Spectators berating officials. Violators will be kicked out of the park and subject to further suspension. ***