Overview 

1. Referees apply the rules of the National Football League (NFL), Canadian Football League (CFL), and the Football Canada Flag Football Rule Book.
2. We have introduced several specialized rules to better comply with the philosophy and objectives of its programs.
3. We can change rules at any point with notification to all captains.   

Distribution of Equipment 

1. The league will not permit pants or shorts with pockets due to the high risk of injuring or breaking fingers while attempting to de-flag an opponent. Players cannot tape their pockets shut. Any player wearing shorts or pants with pockets after the second week of play will not be permitted to play.
2. No jewellery of any kind is permitted on the field, including Fitbits and wrist watches. Earrings should be removed or taped. MedicAlert bracelets are the only exception to this rule which must be taped down. 
3. All participants must have their flag belts visible at all times. Repeated official requests will result in substitution until a player properly makes their belt visible. Participants who do not adhere to this rule will be substituted at the referee’s discretion until said participant’s belt is visible.
4. No flag belts shall be twisted or taped to hold flags on the belt. Before each night, referees will inspect all flag belts, footballs and all other equipment for rips, cracks, ineffectiveness of flag adhesive material and air pressure of balls.  

Players 

1. Teams are allowed seven players on a field at a time. In the mixed team Leagues, teams must have a minimum of two players being self-identifying females. There are no gender requirements in the open leagues.
2. Mixed team leagues may play with only one female but must play a player short in such a case (i.e. one female and four males); a male cannot substitute for a female.
3. In the mixed team leagues, if a female player becomes injured during the game and is no longer able to continue playing, the team may play one down to a minimum of five players on the field. 

Game Format 

1. A game is divided into two halves of 20 minutes each. Playing time is 40 minutes plus five untimed plays at the end of each half.
2. The clock runs continuously, and each team has one time-out per half. Any unused time-outs will be lost.
3. The game starts with a coin toss to determine which team will kick the ball. The winner of the toss may choose to defer and select the side of the field they want to defend. The ball is placed on the offensive team’s 15-yard line. THERE ARE NO KICKOFFS.  
4. The referee will give notice to the last five plays with 5-7 minutes left in the half and the game.
5. If the game is tied at the end of regulation time, the game will go into a “shootout.” Structured as PATs, each team will take turns from the distance they choose for the reward of 1, 2 or 3 points from their respective distances. There is another coin flip to determine the team which has possession first. This process continues until a winner is selected. 

Rules Governing Play 

Referee  

1. The referee will show penalties by the use of throwing flags.
2. The calls of the referee are final and non-negotiable.
3. The referee will show yardage and appropriate distances for players by bean bags and flags, with one flag indicating the Line of Scrimmage, one flag indicating the First Down Line, and a bean bag indicating the distance to which the Rusher(s) must begin pre-snap. 

General Rules  

1. A ball carrier is stopped when their flag is taken by a player of the opposing team (de-flagging). If a player incidentally loses a flag without being de-flagged by an opponent, the play is still live and is stopped when an opponent touches a player with one hand (turns into one-hand touch).
2. The offensive team has four downs (or ‘plays’) to travel ten yards.
3. If the offensive team fails to complete the remaining yards on the 4th down, it will result in a turnover on downs.
4. The defence lines up 1 yard away from the LOS and is offside if they encroach on this 1-yard “Neutral Zone.”
5. No fair catches, fumbles, and on-side kicks.
6. Single Point Rouges are not enabled.
7. A player cannot reach forward, jump up, or dive with the football to gain extra yards. A penalty will be assessed in this situation. A player can spin.
8. Safeties are enabled.
9. Blocking is not allowed.
10. The team with the ball has 25 seconds to huddle, call a play and snap the ball. 

Scoring  

1. Every running and receiving touchdown scored is worth 6 points. Touchdowns scored by females in the Co-ed Team League are worth the 8 points. All touchdowns scored in the Open Leagues are worth 6 points regardless of gender.
2. Point After Touchdown (PAT) will be 1 point from the 5-yard line, 2 points from the 10-yard line and 3 points from the 15-yard line. Any team attempting a 1-point convert is not permitted to run.
3. 2-point safety touches (safeties) are enabled.
4. Field Goals and Rouges are not enabled. 

Running Rules  

1. A team is not permitted to run by a quarterback (QB) or any other player twice in a row and must be divided with a pass play. A team which runs on a designated ‘Pass Play’ will be penalized with a 10-yard penalty.
2. The pass play is not required to be a completion to break up the plays but cannot be an intentional grounding or ‘spike.’ An infraction of this rule will result in a 10-yard Intentional Grounding penalty.
3. A run play consists of either a handoff to any offensive player or the QB attempting to make forward progress.
4. Handoffs (a direct transfer of the ball from one player to another) are permitted forward, laterally and backwards.
5. All pitches must be tossed backwards or laterally; pitches passed forward count as the team’s forward pass, so they cannot throw forward again in that play.
6. Fumbles are not enabled; the play is dead once a ball is fumbled and hits the ground.
7. No player shall run the ball if the spot of the ball is placed on the opponent’s 5-yard line or closer. 

Passing Rules  

1. All players are eligible to receive a forward pass, including Centre, Running Backs and Receivers.
2. Only one forward pass is permitted within the line of scrimmage (LOS).
3. To count as a Pass Play, the ball must travel more than 5 yards in the air forwards (if the reception is behind the LOS) or passed over the LOS.
4. Teammates may use as many lateral passes as they wish.
5. All pitch passes must be thrown backwards or laterally to be able to be thrown forward again.
6. Once a rushing player has passed the LOS, only lateral and backward passes are allowed. No forward passes are permitted once passed the LOS.
7. Interceptions are permitted but must not involve defensive pass interference in the play up to that point.
8. A Quarterback who is de-flagged in the backfield when attempting to pass the ball (sacked) will count as a Neutral Play (neither a Pass Play nor Run Play). 

Rushing Rules  

1. The Defensive Rusher (DR) will be 10 yards behind the LOS and 1-3 yards to either side of the Centre. The DR can leave as soon as the ball is snapped. The DR must declare themselves before the play begins; otherwise, they will not be able to rush and will be penalized as an Illegal Rushing (10-yard penalty).
2. The Rusher must have a clear line to the QB and may not be intentionally blocked by receivers or the Centre, which will result in an Illegal Blocking Penalty (10-yard penalty). Incidental, non-illegal contact may occur due to the nature of the game made by crossing receivers; it becomes illegal when intentional contact is initiated by the offence meant to delay or prohibit the DR from gaining access to the QB.
3. A two-player rush (or double rush) is permitted; however, both players must declare before the play begins.
4. No Rusher may interfere with the QB’s throwing motion. Any contact with the QB’s arm (from the shoulder down) or the ball (while in hand) will result in a penalty. Excessive contact will result in ejection.
5. A Rusher can be offside by stepping over the 10-yard rush line before the ball is snapped. 

Punting  

1. At any time, a team may choose to punt the football.
2. While the Punter is in the kicking motion, the ball may not touch the ground (like a rugby kick).
3. Fair play is not enabled.
4. The ball is still live once it touches the ground ONLY ON PUNTS and the 5-yard cushion rule is in effect; if the ball is picked up, then slips out of the hands of the ball carrier and falls on the ground, the play will be deemed a fumble, and the play will be called dead.
5. 5-Yard Cushion Rule: Before the ball is touched by the returning team, the kicking team must stay at least 5 yards away from the ball. Once a member of the returning team touches the ball, the 5-yard cushion is waived.
6. No punt blocks are allowed.
7. Before the punt play, the punting team must declare that they are punting. Once announced, the punting team must kick the ball; no fake punts are allowed.
8. If the ball is caught in the endzone and the receiving player takes a knee or is de-flagged in the endzone, the receiving team will begin on the 15-yard line. 
9. 1-point Rouges are not enabled. 

Specialty Position Rules 

The Centre  

1. Each team must have a centre to snap the ball to the Quarterback.
2. The Centre can snap the ball between their legs or on one knee. 

The Quarterback (QB)  

1. The QB of the team must be the only player to call out the snap count (i.e. “Down, Set, Hutt” or some variation). Each team must have a QB to catch the ball from the Centre and attempt to determine yards by throwing, handing-off, lateral passes, pitches or running the ball themselves.
2. The team’s QB does not have to declare themselves before each play; it will be assumed that the player calling out the snap count is the QB.
3. Direct snaps to Running Backs/Receivers are allowed. 

Receivers 

1. All players other than the quarterback are eligible receivers (including the Centre) after they snap the ball.
2. The QB can turn into a Receiver if they hand off or pitch it backwards or laterally. 

Running Backs (RB) 

1. The RB can be either a male or female ball carrier who attempts to make yardage.
2. The RB can be handed the ball either in front, behind, or beside the QB, as well as thrown/pitched backward or laterally.
3. There is no limit to the number of RBs a team may have on the field of play.
4. Lead Blocking will not be accepted and will be penalized as Illegal Blocking (10-yard Penalty). 

Defensive Backs (DB) 

1. Any player who is not a Defensive Rusher is considered a DB.
2. A team is eligible to have as many DBs as they wish.
3. A DB may shadow a Receiver but may not make contact with the WR as this will result in a penalty of Defensive Pass Interference.
4. Defensive players may not create an unsafe play by blocking the ball carrier’s path to stop forward progress. This infraction will count as a Blocking Penalty (10-yard blocking). 

Penalties  

5-Yard Penalties  

1. No Yards (on Punts)- yards applied from the spot of the catch
2. Offside (Defense)- option replay down AND 5-yard penalty
3. False Start (Offense)- replay down AND 5-yard penalty
4. Time Count Violation - replay down AND 5-yard penalty 

10-Yard Penalties  

1. Delay of Game (Offense/Defense)- replay down AND 10-yard penalty
2. Illegal Blocking (Offense/Defense)- yards applied from LOS
3. Too Many Players (Offense)- option replay down OR 10-yard penalty
4. Too Many Players (Defense)- option replay down OR 10-yard penalty
5. Flag Guarding- yards applied from the spot of the infraction
6. Second Forward Pass on a Play- yards applied from LOS
7. Illegal Rushing (Defense)- option yards applied from LOS OR yards gained
8. Running on a Pass Play (Offense)- Loss of Down (from LOS) OR 10-yard penalty (replay same down) and Closed 

15-Yard Penalties  

1. Defensive Pass Interference- automatic first down from either 15 yards for LOS or from the spot of the foul, whichever is to the offence’s advantage. If the infraction occurred in the end zone, the ball will be spotted at the one-yard line and will be an automatic first down. If the penalty occurred on a conversion attempt, the conversion will be awarded regardless if the ball was caught (provided there was a possibility that the ball could be caught). If not, the ball will be spotted halfway to the goal, and the conversion attempt will be replayed.
2. Offensive Pass Interference- loss of down and penalty from LOS
3. Objectionable Conduct/Unnecessary Roughness- automatic first down. Including but not limited to profanity, obscene gestures, pushing, tackling, and verbal abuse of game officials or opposing team, spiking the football, fighting, and excessive rough play. If a player receives a second OC/UR, the player will be removed from the game.
4. Roughing the Passer/Kicker  

Note: If a penalty cannot be fully applied due to the location of the offensive near the opponent’s endzone, the spot of the football will be half the distance to the goal line from the line of scrimmage.  

Defaults 

1. A default takes place if, after a 5-minute warm-up and after an additional five-minute grace period, one of the two teams: 

• Has fewer than 6 players on the field, properly attired as outlined above;
• Has fewer than 2 female players (applicable for only mixed team leagues).

2. If the defaulting team’s captain has given notice 48 hours before the game to the league supervisor, the forfeit fee will be waived. The team having won by default can use the field to practice or to play a friendly game.
3. In the event of a default, the score will be 21-0, favouring the team with the appropriate number and composition of players.