Thomas College

The Department of Recreation and Intramural Programs

Event Rules     Game Rules

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Event Rules

Program Format: The format of the program will be determined once teams have signed up. A "season" of play is intended to occur prior to a tournament. The length and design of the "season" will be determined once teams have signed up to play. Games will follow an alternating schedule with Soccer. Games will be scheduled Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays

Teams: Each team should designate a captain. The captain is the team's representative on the field. While anyone on the field may request a time-out, only the captains may address the officials on matters of interpretation. Each team may carry up to 10 players. 7 players may play at one time. A minimum of 5 players must be present to avoid a forfeit.

Captain's Responsibilities: The team captain must meet with the Director prior to the start of the season to confirm their roster, confirm that all players on their team are eligible to play, and to pick-up a hard copy of the event rules. The captain's will review the rules and sign a waiver indicating they have read the rules, will impart the rules to their teams, and will be held responsible for team behavior during the event. Should a conflict arise during a game, it is the team captain's responsibility, along with the staff, to help manage the conflict. Only captain's may address the officials on matters of rule interpretation. Should team behavior be deemed inappropriate during or after a contest then the team captain will be called in to meet with the Director, along with any individual team members identified, to determine if the team, or individuals, will continue in the event.

Eligible Players: Players must have a liability form signed and on file with the Front Desk before being allowed to play. All players must show their ID at the front desk and be a current student, faculty, or staff member.

Forfeits: Game time is forfeit time. There will be no grace period. Games will start within 5 minutes of the scheduled time, or the game will be a forfeit and the offending team will be recorded for a loss.

The Court: Games are held on the Intramural Field, as weather permits.

Rescheduling: As a rule, games will not be rescheduled. Team members should call their captains for scheduling information, check the webpage often, or contact the Director directly.

Equipment: Footballs and flags will be provided by the staff. Other protective gear must be provided by individuals participating in the event. No metal cleats are allowed. All shirts must be tucked in, and are not permitted to hang over the flag belt.

Sportsmanship: Players are expected to display good sportsmanship toward fellow competitors, officials, and other staff. Any display of poor sportsmanship will be met with disciplinary actions which will likely include the removal of an offending player from the game and/or the program as a whole. Players ejected from a game must meet with the Director of Recreation and Intramural Programs before being allowed to play in another game.

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Game Rules

1. Absolutely - No tackling

2. If there is a tackle or unnecessary roughness, the player(s) will be removed from the game and perhaps from the league for the rest of the season.  The result will be an automatic first down for the opposing team

3. Referees have the final say on all calls - only the captains may confer with the referee if there is a disagreement with a call.

4. Fighting will result in the team's forfeit of the game, team/player suspension, and perhaps the team's removal from the league. Fighting will not take place, if it does, the season of flag football will come to an end

5. The games will run up to 45 minutes in length. There will be 2-20 minute halves with a 3 minute half time. Referees will call a 2 minute warning at the end of the second half.

6. Substitutions may be made between downs with the referee's consent

7. Touchdowns are worth 2 points

8. MERCY RULE: If a team is 19 points or more ahead when the Referee announces the two-minute warning for the second half, the game shall be over. If a team scores during the last two minutes of the second half and that score creates a point differential of 19 or more points, the game shall end at that point.

9. In the case of a tie at the end of a regulation game, a 7 minute overtime will be played. If the game is still tied after the overtime period then the game will be counted as a tie towards your record

10. 7 players on a team may play at once. If a team has fewer than 5 players then it will be considered forfeited game

LINE OF SCRIMMAGE: The offensive team must have a minimum of 4 players set on the line of scrimmage at the snap. Players in motion do not count as players on the line of scrimmage. Once the center has placed his hands on the ball no offensive player may enter the neutral zone. Following the ready for play whistle and until a legal snap, no defensive player may encroach, touch the ball, stand in, or in any other way interfere with the offensive team. Penalty - Dead Ball foul, encroachment, 5 yards from succeeding spot.

BACKWARD PASSES AND FUMBLES: Any ball that is fumbled during a down will be dead by rule once it has touched the ground. A backward pass or fumble may be caught or intercepted by any player inbounds and advanced. A player may not intentionally throw a backward pass out of bounds to conserve time or to avoid being downed. This will be penalized as an Illegal pass: loss of 5 yards, loss of down and the clock will start on the ready for play. Once a ball has touched the ground the ball is considered dead.

FORWARD PASSES AND INTERCEPTIONS: If a player is in the air attempting to catch a ball, the player must contact the ground with at least one foot in-bounds with the ball in their possession prior to going out of bounds, unless contact by an opponent causes the player to first touch out-of -bounds. If possession of the ball is lost simultaneously when they hit the ground, it is not a catch. If a forward pass is caught simultaneously by members of opposing teams, the ball is dead at that spot and belongs to the team that snapped the ball.

PASS INTERFERENCE: Any contact that, in the view of the official, interferes with the attempt to catch a pass (offensive or defensive player) is pass interference unless, in the view of the official, it occurs when two or more eligible receivers make a simultaneous and bona fide attempt to reach, catch, or bat a pass. It is also pass interference if an eligible receiver is de-flagged or touched prior to touching the ball on a pass thrown beyond the offense's line of scrimmage. If the pass interference by the defense is intentional and/or unsportsmanlike, the defense may be penalized an additional 10 yards.

SAFETY: If a player carries the ball across the goal line they are defending and the ball becomes dead while in their team's possession, it is a safety. If a team commits a foul in the end zone where the spot of enforcement is designated as the spot of the foul, it will be declared a safety. A team recording a safety will receive one point, and the ball shall be snapped by the scoring team at their own 20-yard-line, unless moved by penalty.

Exception- Momentum Rule - When a player intercepts a forward pass or catches a scrimmage kick between their five yard line and their goal line and their momentum carries them into the end zone where the ball becomes dead, the ball will belong to the receiving team at the spot of the catch or reception.

PERSONAL FOULS: The result of nearly any personal foul is a 10 yard penalty. If a player commits more than 2 personal fouls in a game, then they will be ejected from the game and the team may field a substitute player. Any act listed below or any other act of unnecessary roughness is a personal foul. Players shall not :
- Punch, strike, strip, steal, or attempt to steal the ball from a player in possession.
- Trip an opponent.
- Contact an opponent who is on the ground.
- Throw the runner to the ground.
- Hurdle another player.
- Contact an opponent either before or after the ball is declared dead.
- Make any contact with an opponent that is deemed unnecessary.
- Deliberately drive or run into a defensive player.
- Clip an opponent.
- Position themselves on the shoulders of a teammate or opponent to gain an advantage.
- Tackle the runner. (warrants ejection - results in an automatic first down for the opposing team)

SCREEN BLOCKING: Legally obstructing an opponent without using any part of the body to initiate contact. Screen blocking shall take place without contact. The blocker shall have their hands and arms at their sides or behind their back. A screen blocker cannot use their hands, arms, elbows, legs or body to initiate contact. If they do use contact it will be called a Personal Foul.
Screen blockers may not:
- Take a position closer than a normal step when behind a stationary opponent.
- Make contact when assuming a position at the side or in front of a stationary opponent.
- Take a position so close to an opponent that they cannot avoid contact by stopping or changing direction.

STIFF ARMING: Stiff arming is not allowed; a personal foul will be called, and if warranted an unsportsmanlike conduct or ejection will result.

OBSTRUCTING THE RUNNER: A defensive player shall not hold, grasp, or obstruct the forward progress of the runner when attempting to remove the flag belt.

THE FLAG BELT: All shirts must be tucked in, and are not permitted to hang over the flag belt. Should a player loose their flag belt legally or illegally during a down and should that player gain possession of a live ball, that player will be considered down when a legal tag (one hand touched by the defense between the shoulders and knees, including the hand and arm) is made. When a player scores they must immediately raise their hands and allow an official to remove their flag belt. This is done to insure that the flag belt has not been illegally secured. If the belt has been illegally secured the score is disallowed, the player ejected and a 10 yard Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty will be administered from the previous spot. Players must have possession of the ball before they can legally be de-flagged. It is illegal for a defensive player to intentionally pull a flag from an offensive player who is not in possession of the ball. In cases where a flag belt is removed illegally, play should continue with the option of the penalty of the play (Penalty: Personal foul, 10 yards

GUARDING THE FLAG BELT: Runners shall not flag guard by using any part of the body or ball to deny the opportunity for an opponent to pull or remove the flag belt. Flag guarding includes but is not limited to:
- Swinging the hand or arm over the flag belt to prevent an opponent from de-flagging.
- Placing the ball in possession over the flag belt to prevent an opponent from de-flagging.
- Lowering the shoulders in such a manner that flag guards.

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