Force Flag Football
Official Adult League Rulebook

ARTICLE 1 — League Philosophy

  • Force Flag Football operates under an Olympic-style non-contact model designed to:
  • Maximize speed, skill, and athleticism
  • Provide safe, low-injury competition
  • Create a professional, referee-governed environment
  • Prepare athletes for regional, national, and Olympic-format tournaments
  • Force Flag Football is committed to fair play, safety, and elite competition.

ARTICLE 2 — Team Structure

  • 5 players on the field
  • Maximum 10 players per roster
  • Minimum 4 players to start
  • All players must be registered and verified before competition
  • Positions are flexible; all players are eligible receivers.

ARTICLE 3 — Field Dimensions

  • Field: 50 yards long x 25 yards wide
  • End zones: 10 yards
  • No-Run Zones: 5 yards from each goal line

ARTICLE 4 — Equipment

  • Mouthpieces required
  • Soft shell helmets permitted
  • Flags must be worn on the hips and fully visible
  • No pockets, towels, hoodies, or anything that obstructs flags
  • No metal cleats

ARTICLE 5 — Game Format

  • Two 20-minute halves
  • Running clock
  • Final 2 minutes of second half uses stop-clock
  • Two timeouts per half
  • Halftime: 3 minutes

ARTICLE 6 — Offensive Rules

  • The ball must be snapped to the quarterback
  • Quarterback must throw from behind the line of scrimmage
  • One forward pass per play
  • Laterals allowed behind the line
  • All players are eligible receivers
  • The quarterback may scramble only if: A defender rushes OR the quarterback pump-fakes

ARTICLE 7 — No-Run Zones

Running plays are prohibited when:

  • The offense is inside the opponent’s 5-yard line
  • The offense is inside their own 5-yard line
  • An interception return enters the 5-yard line
  • QB sneaks are illegal in no-run zones.

ARTICLE 8 — Defensive Rush

  • Defenders must start 7 yards from the line
  • Rushers must be clearly identified
  • Once the QB leaves the pocket or hands off, any defender may rush
  • No leaping, diving, or lowering the shoulder at the QB

ARTICLE 9 — Flag Pulling & Tackling

A legal tackle is a clean flag pull
No contact allowed
No:

  • Grabbing clothing
  • Arm wrapping
  • Pushing
  • Body contact
  • If a flag falls off, the defender must touch the runner with one hand

ARTICLE 10 — Scoring

  • Touchdown: 6
  • PAT from 5 yards: 1
  • PAT from 10 yards: 2
  • Safety: 2
  • No kicking is permitted.

ARTICLE 11 — Possession & Downs

  • 4 downs to cross midfield
  • After crossing midfield → 4 downs to score
  • Failure results in turnover on downs at the spot

ARTICLE 12 — Turnovers

  • Interceptions are live and returnable
  • No fumbles (dead ball at the spot)
  • Ball belongs to defense where runner is flagged

ARTICLE 13 — Blocking

  • No blocking is allowed
  • No picks or rub routes involving contact

ARTICLE 14 — Defensive Restrictions

  • No bumping receivers
  • No jamming
  • Defenders must allow free release
  • Playing the ball, not the body

ARTICLE 15 — Penalties

Standard penalties are 10 yards unless noted:

  • Holding: 10 yards
  • Illegal contact: 10 yards + automatic first
  • Flag guarding: 10 yards
  • Illegal rush: 5 yards
  • Delay of game: 5 yards
  • Unsportsmanlike conduct: 10 yards + ejection
  • Two unsportsmanlike penalties = ejection

ARTICLE 16 — Overtime

  • Each team receives one possession from midfield
  • One play per possession
  • After first overtime, all conversions must be 2-point attempts

ARTICLE 17 — Mercy Rule

  • A 28-point lead in the second half ends the game.

ARTICLE 18 — Player Conduct

  • Trash talk is allowed
  • Taunting, threats, or fighting result in immediate ejection
  • Zero tolerance for physical confrontation