Flag football is one of the fastest growing youth sports, currently on its way to becoming a college sanctioned sport. Tackle football fields over 1 million high school student-athletes each year. No matter which way you look at it, our love for football runs deep.

While extensive research is being conducted to better understand football safety, it’s still a game that comes with many physical and emotional benefits. Need proof? Here are five great benefits for kids who play football:   

1. Health benefits: Football is a fast moving game with a lot of variety. Players run, jump, quickly change direction, and stop and start, which improves cardiovascular health. Practice drills, complex running routes and defensive techniques all encourage speed, strength, and stamina. And these activities also engage motor skills, specifically hand and eye coordination. Plus, a recent study found that playing football has positive effects on bone strength.   

2. Teamwork: Youth football teaches kids accountability, leadership, and the impact of positive sportsmanship. Every position has a purpose and to execute a play successfully, each individual needs to fulfill their responsibility, while working together—a skill that’s valuable both on and off the field.

3. Discipline: Learning routes, repetitive drills, and executing proper technique take a high level of discipline—and football players do it time and time again. Each practice is laying the foundation for a strong work ethic that kids will use throughout their lives. And this is one of the biggest benefits of football.   

4. Mental toughness: Sports are a great platform to build mental toughness. Whether it’s making a mistake on the field or needing to comeback from a major upset, setbacks are bound to happen. And to move forward, players must learn how to persevere. Football provides a lot of opportunities to improve mental toughness, from remaining calm under pressure to focusing during chaotic situations.     

5. Socialization: Football teaches kids how to effectively communicate and work well with others. After all, one player can’t do everything. They rely on each other—what a better way to make long-lasting friendships? Layer this with learning to respect and receive direction from authority (aka coaches) and you have a range of socialization skills.

Flag football has a lot to offer, from co-ed leagues to competitive tournaments. Here are five important benefits for kids playing flag football:

1. No Contact: Flag football is a non-contact sport, meaning there’s no tackling, diving, blocking, screening or fumbles allowed. Therefore, players aren’t required to wear any heavy equipment, such as helmets and shoulder pads. This creates an approachable atmosphere where kids can learn how to play and develop their skills without the aspect of physical contact.   

2. Accessibility: Flag football is an incredibly inclusive sport and opens the doors to many players, including female athletes. In fact, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) plans to launch the first college sanctioned women’s flag football league in the spring of 2021. 

3.  Learn the fundamentals: There’s a common myth that flag football doesn’t prepare kids for tackle football—and that simply isn’t true. The basic fundamentals taught in flag football directly transfer to tackle, including catching, throwing, formations, routes, and defensive skills. For example, the way defensive players are required to square up their body and align their head and knees is the exact positioning needed to physically tackle an opponent.

4. Easy commitment: With most leagues only meeting once per week, many families happily squeeze flag football into their packed schedules. Typically, teams practice for about 45 minutes before their game, and then the game itself is usually an hour or less. Of course, some high-level competitive leagues offer more playing time, if that’s something you’re looking for.  

5.  It’s fun!: Plain and simple, flag football is loads of fun. With fewer players on the field, there’s more engagement and a faster speed of play. Games are quick, competitive and every drive counts, especially in tournaments. It’s the version of football you loved playing in your backyard—why ever stop?

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More kids are playing flag football than ever before. And we can see why—it’s engaging, inclusive, and ridiculously fun. 

The best part is: anyone can learn how to play flag football. You don’t need a certain build, skill set or prior experience. Both girls and boys from 5 to 14 years old can sign up to play!

FLAG FOOTBALL FIELD

A flag football field is shorter than a standard tackle field at 25 yards wide and 64 yards long, with two 7-yard end zones and a midfield line-to-gain. To prevent power football in tight spaces, no run zones are located 5 yards before the end zone and on each side of the midfield line-to-gain. If the ball is spotted on or inside the no run zone, the offense must use a pass play to get a first down or touchdown.

BASIC FLAG FOOTBALL RULES

When learning how to play flag football, it’s best to start with the basics. In NFL FLAG football leagues, teams play 5 on 5 and each game consists of two halves, usually 15 to 25 minutes long. Tournament games are typically shorter with two, 10 to 12 minute halves. The clock only stops for halftime, timeouts (each team has 3), or injury, making games quick and competitive. Each player has a specific role on the field and every play counts. 

The most important rule in flag football is that there’s no contact allowed, including tackling, diving, blocking, screening or fumbles. Instead of physically tackling an opponent to the ground, players wear flags that hang along their sides by a belt. Defenders “tackle” the ball-carrier by removing one or both of their flags.

While this rule is designed to keep players safe, there are several other rules that limit contact among players, including:  

• The quarterback isn’t allowed to run with the ball, unless it was handed off first. They can run behind the line of scrimmage, but they can’t gain yardage. 

• All passes must go forward and be received beyond the line of scrimmage.

• Laterals and pitches aren’t allowed—only direct handoffs are permitted. 

• Center sneak plays aren’t allowed. 

• There are no fumbles. Instead, the ball stays in possession of the offense and is spotted where the ball-carrier’s feet were when the fumble occurred. 

• The ball is dead when: the ball-carrier’s flag is pulled, the ball-carrier steps out of bound, a touchdown or safety is scored, the ball-carrier’s knee hits the ground, or the ball-carrier’s flag falls off.

• Players can’t obstruct or guard their flags. 

For a complete list of flag football  rules, visit our  Rules page

SCORING

Every game starts with a coin toss (there are no kickoffs). The starting team begins on its own 5-yard line and has four downs—essentially four plays—to cross midfield for a first down. 

If the offense fails to advance after three attempts, they can “punt,” meaning they turn over the ball to the opposing team, which then starts from its own 5-yard line. Or they can go for a first down, but if they fail, the opposing team takes over possession from the spot of the ball. 

Once midfield is crossed, the offense has three downs to score a touchdown. A touchdown is 6 points and a safety is 2 points (1-point conversion from the 5-yard line; 2-point conversion from the 10-yard line). 

A touchdown is 6 points and a safety is 2 points (1-point conversion from the 5-yard line; 2-point conversion from the 10-yard line). A safety occurs when the ball-carrier is declared down in their own end zone. This happens when their flag is pulled by a defensive player, their flag falls out, their knee or arm touches the ground, or if a snapped ball lands in the end zone.  

RUNNING

When players run with the ball, their feet can’t leave the ground to avoid a defensive player. In other words, players can spin to avoid their opponent, but they can’t leap or dive. 

Only direct handoffs are permitted—there are no laterals or pitches. Once the ball has been handed off, all defensive players are eligible to rush. And the person who takes the handoff is allowed to throw the ball from behind the line of scrimmage. So while you’ll see a designated quarterback on the field, several plays actually rely on other teammates to pass the ball. This changes up plays, keeps the defense on their toes, and makes the game even more exciting. 

Also, under flag football rules, the quarterback can’t run with the ball unless it has been handed to him/her in the backfield. And all players who rush the passer must be a minimum of seven yards from the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped.  

Flag football rules aim to prevent power plays and avoid short-yardage situations, so you’ll find no run zones located 5 yards from each end zone and on either side of the midfield. In this designated area, the offensive team must complete a pass play. 

Lastly, if an offensive player’s flag is pulled when they’re running with the ball, their feet determine where the ball is spotted, not the flag.

RECEIVING

One rule that makes flag football unique (and that much more competitive) is that everyone can receive a pass, including the quarterback, after the ball has been handed off behind the line of scrimmage. This allows coaches to include a variety of flag football plays into their playbooks and helps players develop fundamental offense skills. Plus, it makes the game more engaging. Keep in mind that when making a catch, players must have one foot in bounds, just like tackle. 

PASSING

Flag football rules state that all passes must go forward and be received beyond the line of scrimmage. Shovel passes, which are short passes to forward receivers, are allowed, but also must be received beyond the line of scrimmage. Quarterbacks have a seven-second pass clock to get rid of the ball. And if they don’t, the play is dead. 

Additionally, center sneak play—where the quarterback hands off to the center as the first handoff of the play—is no longer allowed. 

Interceptions are allowed, but look a little different in flag football. They change the possession of the ball at the point of the interception. So if an interception occurs, the referee blows the whistle and the play is dead. Interceptions are the only change of possession that don’t start on the team’s 5-yard line. 

RUSHING THE PASSER

Players who rush the passer must stand at least seven yards off the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped, while players who aren’t rushing the passer may start on the line of scrimmage. The seven-yard rule no longer applies once the ball is handed off—all defenders are allowed to go behind the line of scrimmage at that point. A sack occurs when a defensive player pulls off the quarterback’s flag(s) behind the line of scrimmage. The quarterback, or anyone in possession of the ball, is down when their flag(s) are removed.

FLAG FOOTBALL PLAYS

To set up teams for success, coaches teach a variety of formations, routes and 5 on 5 flag football plays throughout the season. And with every player being eligible to receive a pass, including the quarterback, coaches can get creative and tailor their plays to their team’s strengths—or their opponent’s weaknesses. 

Some plays are complex, while others are more basic. Some go for long yardage, while others aim for short gains. In every scenario, these plays determine the flow of the game and teach players the basic fundamentals needed to succeed. In other words, it teaches them how to play flag football. 

That’s why we always recommend that coaches start with the basics, helping players establish a strong foundation first, and then mix and match new and more challenging plays as their team gains confidence.

See the complete list of 5 on 5 offensive flag football plays and learn how to create a winning youth flag football playbook.

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