Game Format

Learn to Play

•  6 vs 6; no centre snap QB calls ”HUT” to start the play

• Field of play is 50 yards in length inclusive of  a 5-yard end zone, and  2 10-yard zones on each half of the field; fields are 25-30 yards wide;

• Each possession starts at the 5 yard line after scores, turnover on downs and halftime

• Teams have 3 downs to advance the ball past each zone (10 yards in length)

• Unlimited runs allowed within a set of downs (coaches are encouraged to teach the players to run passing plays)

• 4 steamboats (to be counted by referee) must elapse before any defender crosses the line of scrimmage; on a play-action the steamboat count stops and defenders may cross the line of scrimmage

• To ensure equal playing time, each team will be required to make substitutions every 3 minutes of regulation time

Youth League/ Girls Division

•  7 vs 7; no centre snap QB calls ”HUT” to start the play

• Field of play is 80 yards in length inclusive of  a 10-yard end zone, and  2 15-yard zones on each half of the field; fields are 35-40 yards wide;

• Each possession starts at the 5 yard line after scores, turnover on downs and halftime

• Teams have 4 downs to advance the ball past each zone (15 yards in length)

• Balls can only be ran once in each set of downs (this is to help encourage players to develop passing plays)

• 4 steamboats (to be counted by referee) must elapse before any defender crosses the line of scrimmage; on a play-action the steamboat count stops and defenders may cross the line of scrimmage

• To ensure equal playing time, each team will be required to make substitutions every 3 minutes of regulation time

Equipment

Uniforms

• All players must wear jerseys approved of SCFFL; any player missing their jersey will be required to wear a pinny provided by the league or a shirt of the same colour as their jersey

• Jerseys must be tucked underneath the flag belt

• All players must wear bottoms (shorts/pants) WITHOUT pockets

• All jewellery must be removed ahead of game time

Footwear

• All players must wear football or soccer cleats. 

• All metal cleats/spikes or shoes with metal tips are strictly prohibited

Flags

• All players must wear 2 flags

• Flags must be worn at the hips and must not be obstructed by any clothing

Regulation Time/ Time Outs

Learn to Play

• Games are 40 mins in length; 2 running 20-minute halves with 5 plays counted down at the end of regulation time

  • Clock will only stop for timeouts, injuries, player substitutions

  • Any play started before the clock runs out will not count towards the 5 plays

  • Converts and replayed downs do not count towards the 5 plays

• 30-second play clock to start the play; any play not started within 30 seconds will result in delay of game.

• Each team will have 2 30-second timeouts per half; timeouts not used in the first half will be forfeited

• Referees have unlimited timeouts and have the ability to add time back to the clock at their discretion

• In regular season all games that are tied at the end of regulation time and 5 plays will result in a tie

  • In playoffs each team will go into a best of 3 convert attempts with the option to go for a 1 point convert (from the 5 yard line)

Youth League/ Girls Division

• Games are 50 mins in length; 2 running 25-minute halves with 5 plays counted down at the end of regulation time

  • Clock will only stop for timeouts, injuries, player substitutions

  • Any play started before the clock runs out will not count towards the 5 plays

  • Converts and replayed downs do not count towards the 5 plays

• 25-second play clock to start the play; any play not started within 25 seconds will result in delay of game.

• Each team will have 2 30-second timeout per half; timeouts not used in the first half will be forfeited

• Referees have unlimited timeouts and have the ability to add time back to the clock at their discretion

• In regular season all games that are tied at the end of regulation time and 5 plays will result in a tie

  • In playoffs each team will go into a best of 3 convert attempts with the option to go for a 1 point convert ( from the 5 yard line) or 2 points ( from the 10 yard line); converts are live ( see convert rules)

Mercy Rule

• In the event that a team is up by 18+ points at the end of regulation time in the 2nd half, the 5 plays will not be played and the game will end

Scoring

Touchdowns

•  6 points

• Occurs when any part of the ball crosses the plane of the end zone before a player is downed (flagged) by any means

Converts

• After a touchdown is scored a team can either choose to receive a FREE extra point (1) or  attempt a 2-point convert from the 10-yard line

  • 2 point convert attempt will be from the 5-yard line in Learn-to-Play

• Converts are live-- any defender who intercepts a convert are able to return the ball to the other end zone for the amount of points of the convert attempt

Safety

• 2 points

• Occurs when a ball carrier brings the football into their own end zone and are downed

• An interception in the end zone will not be ruled a safety if the ball was caught in the end zone or the momentum of catching the ball carried the player into the end zone; it will be ruled a touchback

• No safeties will be called in Learn-to-Play league (resulting play will be touch back and play will commence from 5-yard line)

Playing Regulations

Basic Rules

• Coin flip determines the choice of possession or direction, winner can:

  • Choose to receive:

    • Side of field of play

    • Or defer choice to second-half

• Ball will start on the offense’s own 5 yard line to start the game, after scores, turnover on downs and halftime

• Ball in play once referee blows whistle (all defense must be onside), offense will have 25-sec to start the play

• Play starts once the quarterback yells “HUT”; the steamboat count will start as well

• There must be a designated “rusher” marking the quarterback; defenders can only cross the line of scrimmage after the 4th full steamboat; on a play-action or run the steamboat count stops and defenders may cross the line of scrimmage

• Absolutely NO tackling or blocking (stationary picks are acceptable; the player cannot move)

Passing

• There can only be one forward pass per play; a second forward pass will result in illegal forward pass and the spot will be judged from where the ball was thrown

• If a QB throws the ball after they have crossed the line of scrimmage; play will result in an illegal forward pass and the spot will be judged from where the ball was thrown

Running

• In Youth League/Girls Division, the ball can only be ran once within a set of downs

• Unlimited Runs in Learn to Play

• 5-yards outside of the end zone is a no run zone; any play started within this zone must be a pass play

• A QB may only run once the 4 steamboats had elapsed and provided that a run play has not already been used within the set of downs

Ball Carrying/ Receiving

• Receivers must remain inbounds for the entirety of the play to be eligible (they cannot run out of bounds and run back in)

  • Receivers cannot be pushed out of bounds; will result in a penalty

• Receiver must have one foot in bounds when making a reception

• Laterals are allowed; if a lateral is dropped the result of the play is a dead ball and the ball will be marked where it dropped

• If the ball is FUMBLED the result of the play is dead ball and it is marked where it fell

• Ball Carriers cannot run into a stationary defender, the onus on the carrier to run around defenders

• A ball carrier cannot jump to avoid being flagged, nor can they jump to enter the end zone

• NO SPINNING: A spin is defined as 360 degree turn; a player may spin 180 degrees to avoid being flagged but must maintain control at all times. Any spin will result in a dead ball at the spot

• NO DIVING: Diving is not permitted to advance the ball or for flagging

Flagging/Flag-guarding

• All players must be wearing two SCFFL approved flags

• Flags must be worn at the hips and excess belt length must be tucked in or cut off

• Jerseys must be tucked underneath the flag belt and flags cannot be obstructed in any way

• A coach/player may call the referee’s attention to improper flag positioning at any point in the game

• Removal of 1 flag of the ball carrier will stop the play

  • In the event that one of the ball carrier’s flags has fallen off before/during the play without defender contact; the play can be downed by a 1 hand touch

• The ball carrier must not impede any defender from getting their flags in any way whether it was inadvertently or not; flag-guarding of any kind will result in a penalty

• If a defender removes a receivers flag before a ball is caught; the ball is still in play and it will require a 1 hand touch down the player

  • If a receiver is bobbling a catch; a defender may remove a flag at any point of the bobble to stop the advance of play

Ball Placement

• The ball will be placed where the ball carrier’s flag was removed, not where the ball was

• In the event of a tipped ball (forward-tipped, ball contact was offense to offense) the ball will be placed where the first receiver made contact with the ball

Penalties

• All penalties will be at the discretion of the non-penalized team to accept to decline

• All live ball penalties (occur while the ball is in play) will be indicated by the referee throwing their flags onto the field; most plays will be allowed to continue until completion at which point the non-penalized team will be given the choice to accept or decline

• Penalties will be either applied to Line of Scrimmage (LOS) or Point of Infraction (POI)

• Certain penalties can be assessed as major or minor penalties and will have different distance (yardage)  assigned to it, based on the referee’s discretion

• Offsetting Fouls- occur when both the offense and defense are penalized on the same play

  • Offsetting fouls result in the down being played over

  • If a team incurs two penalties during the same play only one may be enforced

  • If a t penalty occurs during a play and an additional penalty occurs as a result of a dead-ball foul, both penalties will be enforced even if they are incurred by the same team or opposing teams and do not offset

• Any distance penalty that would place the LOS past the goal line will be applied as “half the distance” to the goal line

Commissioner’s Rule

• In the event of a dispute, that cannot be clearly resolved with the SCFFL rule book, the league commissioners will have final say

• League commissioner’s reserve the right to make amendments to the rule book or make judgments that may to contradict the rule book that serve in the best interest of all participants of SCFFL to ensure that league remains a fun, safe, fair for all