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Pacific Flag Football League Rule Book

Overview

Pacific Flag Football LLC (PFF) is a recreational 7-on-7 adult flag football league designed to provide a safe, inclusive, and competitive environment for individuals who identify as she/they. The league prioritizes sportsmanship, community, and fun while maintaining structured and fair gameplay. Every individual (player, officials, staff, volunteers, and spectators) is expected to contribute to a positive community built on respect, sportsmanship, and fair play.

This rulebook establishes the procedures and rules for both the league and gameplay. Where situations are not explicitly addressed, league administration retains authority to interpret rules consistent with recreational integrity and player safety.

Code of Conduct 

Refer to the website for the full Code of Conduct policy. 

Unsportsmanlike, violent, or dangerous behavior, including but not limited to fighting, abusive language, threatening or disrespecting players/officials/league administration, will result in immediate ejection and potential league ban

Teams are responsible for their supporters. Inappropriate behavior may result in team penalties, including forfeitures, ejections, or bans

Substance Policy

The league maintains a zero tolerance alcohol & drug policy. Under no circumstance is any alcohol and drug substance permitted before or during league activities. Failure to abide will result in immediate ejection and potential league ban

Roster & Eligibility

  1. Roster Size: minimum of 12 players, maximum of 16
  2. Minimum of 6 players needed per game
  3. A team is able to recruit substitute players during regular play games only if one of their registered players is absent and if roster size falls below 12, contingent upon:
    1. Substitute player signing all required waivers and agreements before start of game, 
    2. Substitute player paying $10 fee if they are not currently a registered player, and
    3. Opposing team captain agreement
    4. No substitutes allowed during Playoffs
  4. If a team cannot meet the minimum player requirement, their team will forfeit
    1. Gameplay may still take place but regardless of score, forfeited team will not win any points towards season standings

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Uniforms & Equipment

  1. Uniforms
    1. Tops or bottoms, including but not limited to shirts, sweatshirts, pants, shorts, with pockets or belt loops are not allowed or must be taped before start of game. Failure to do will result in ejection from game
    2. All players must wear same colored shirts unless otherwise determined by league administration
    3. Shirts must be tucked in during game play
    4. No metal cleats, jewelry, hard-brimmed hats, helmets, or casts are allowed. Beanies are allowed
  2. Equipment
    1. Flag belts will be provided to all players and must be worn outside of clothing. Tying belts is prohibited for pull-away flag belts.
    2. Each team is to provide their own ball
      1. Junior sized balls are allowed

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Gameplay Rules

  1. Field dimensions will be determined by the total number of teams registered for the season
    1. 9+ registered teams: Games will be played sideline to sideline of a regulation football field (~53yds) with a width of ~25yds // <8 registered teams: Games will be played the length of a regulation football field (~60yds) and half of its width (~26yds)
    2. At the start of each game, team captains meet with game officials for the coin toss to determine who starts with the ball. The visiting team calls the toss
    3. The winner of the coin toss will determine if they want offense or defense first. The loser will determine choice of direction
    4. Possession and direction changes at start of second half 
    5. Ball will start at 10 yard line: 1) at the beginning of each half, 2) after touchdowns, 3) after safeties
      1. No kick-offs
    6. The offense has 4 downs to either reach a first down marker, at which point the down counter resets, or reach the end zone
      1. If a team fails to reach the first down marker or score, the result is a turnover and ball possession changes. Starting point will be at the dead ball spot
      2. On 4th down, team must clarify intent on whether they will play the down or “punt” the ball
        1. Punting results in opposing team getting possession at they 10 yard line

 

Scoring 

  1. No mercy rule
  2. Touchdown: 6 points 
  3. Conversion: 1 point from 5 yard line or 2 points from 10 yard line
    1. Once the ball is placed at the designated yard line, the team cannot change their decision unless they want to use one of their timeouts. If a team has 0 timeouts, the decision cannot be changed. 
    2. Interceptions on conversions can be returned
  4. Safety: 2 Points
    1. A safety occurs when the ball carrier is declared down in their end zone, if they, at any point during the play, had possession of the ball beyond their own goal line then. A ball carrier is considered down if any of the below occurs while having retreated into their end zone:
      1. Their flags are pulled
      2. Their flags fall off and player is touched by opposing team
      3. Ball is fumbled
      4. Player goes out of bounds
    2. If a ball is snapped lands in or beyond their end zone, it is considered a safety

 

Timing, Overtime Play, & Timeouts

  1. Regular Play
    1. 50 minute games: Two 23-minute halves, with a 4-minute halftime
    2. Running clock except for timeouts, injuries, or a challenge
      1. Official may stop the clock at their discretion
    3. 25 second play clock, starts when ball is spotted
      1. Official will administer a 10 second countdown
    4. No overtime in regular play
  2. Overtime Play
    1. Playoffs only
    2. Conversion style. Teams have a choice going for 1 point starting at the 5 yard line or 2 points starting at the 10 yard line. Each team gets a turn. The team with the most points wins.
      1. Teams line up on the same end of the field
      2. If the first round ends in tie, another round will occur with the team that was on offense first is now on defense first. Repeat this until there is a winner. 
      3. All regular play rules and penalties are in effect
      4. No timeouts
  3. Timeouts
    1. 2 timeouts per half (no carryovers)
      1. 60-second timeouts (35 second game stoppage, 25 second play clock)
        1. Official will administer a warning for 25 second play clock countdown after 35 seconds
    2. A team is allowed to use a timeout to question an Official’s rule interpretation ( a “challenge”). If the official’s ruling is correct, the team is charged a timeout. If the rule is interpreted incorrectly, the timeout is not charged and the proper ruling will be enforce
      1. Only team captains are allowed to challenge
      2. A team with no time outs remaining cannot challenge a rule interpretation, though officials can come together independently and reverse a call by unanimous decision

 

Live Ball/Dead Ball

  1. Live Ball
    1. The ball is considered live at the snap and remains live until end of play or an Official’s whistle blows the ball dead
    2. Once the ball is deemed live, offense can snap the ball anytime before the play clock ends. Offense does not need to wait for defense to be in position prior to snapping the ball
    3. A player who gains possession of the ball is considered inbounds as long as one foot comes down in the field of play
    4. The Official will indicate the line of scrimmage by spotting the ball before each play and signal ready for play with a short whistle
    5. Offense is responsible for getting the ball to the Official after each play
  2. Dead Ball
    1. A play is ruled dead when:
      1. The ball hits the ground
        1. Fumbles are not allowed
        2. If the ball hits the ground as a result of a bad snap, the ball is then placed 5 yards from line of scrimmage
      2. The ball carrier’s flag is pulled
        1. If ball carrier flag falls off without being pulled, defense can touch ball carrier with two hands and the ball is dead where the ball carrier was first touched after flag falling
      3. The ball carrier steps out of bounds
      4. The ball carrier’s knee touches the ground
      5. A touchdown, conversion point, safety, timeout, injury, or challenge occurs
      6. Official inadvertently blows whistle
        1. In the case of an inadvertent whistle, the offense has two options:
          1. Take the ball where it was when the whistle blew, and the down is consumed
          2. Replay the down from the original line of scrimmage
    2. Ball is spotted at the furthest point ball reached, not where flags were pulled.

 

Ball Movement, Running, Handoffs, Passing, & Receiving

  1. Ball Movement
    1. The ball carrier’s feet cannot leave the ground. Diving, jumping, or leaping to advance the ball is not allowed and is considered flag guarding
    2. Spinning is allowed, but player’s feet cannot leave the ground to avoid a flag pull
    3. Ball carriers may leave the ground if there is a clear indication that they have done so to avoid collision with another player without a flag guarding penalty enforced
    4. Unlimited laterals are allowed beyond the line of scrimmage
  2. Running
    1. Quarterback is allowed to run the ball once during each possession 
    2. If quarterback passes the line of scrimmage with ball in hand, it is considered a QB run
    3. If quarterback crosses line of scrimmage when there are no QB runs allowed, it’s considered an illegal QB run, play will result in a 5 yard loss and loss of down penalty 
  3. Handoffs
    1. The quarterback can hand off the ball behind the line of scrimmage only. Handoffs can be made behind, to the side, or in front of quarterback, as long as it is behind the line of scrimmage
      1. Does not count as QB run
    2. Multiple handoffs are allowed behind the line of scrimmage
      1. If QB is the eventual runner, does not count as QB run. Any handoff behind the LOS makes the running of the ball legal by any player
    3. Any player who receives a handoff is allowed to throw the ball from behind the line of scrimmage
    4. Once the quarterback has handed the ball off to any offensive player behind the line of scrimmage, all defensive players are eligible to rush
  4. Passing
    1. All passes must be thrown from behind the line of scrimmage
    2. A quarterback may throw the ball away to avoid a sack
      1. Throw must reach the LOS to avoid intentional grounding penalty (5 yard loss)
  5. Receiving
    1. All offensive players are eligible to receive the ball
    2. When ball is received, no foot can be down out of bounds
    3. At least one foot needs to be down in bounds and player needs to have full possession to be considered a fair catch
    4. In the case of simultaneous possession by both an offensive and defensive player, possession is awarded to the offense
    5. Interceptions change possession at the point at ensuing dead ball spot
    6. Interceptions are returnable in any regular play, including conversion plays, and overtime
  6. Motion Plays
    1. Only one player can be in motion at the time of the snap, and must be running parallel to the LOS; player cannot be motioning towards the line of scrimmage 
      1. Any motion towards or across the LOS will be deemed a False Start (5 yard loss, repeat down)

 

Rushing

  1. Rushers must start 5 yards from the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped
  2. Official to mark the rush line
  3. Any number of players can rush, as long as they start 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped
  4. Players not rushing can defend on the line of scrimmage
  5. Once a rusher passes the line of scrimmage, any other defensive player, regardless where they were lined up when the ball is snapped, can rush
  6. If the ball is handed off, the rush rule is no longer in effect, and any defender can cross the line of scrimmage
  7. Teams are not required to rush
  8. Teams are not required to identify the rusher beyond legal pre snap alignment 
  9. Players rushing the passer may attempt to block a pass. However, no contact can be made with the passer in any way. Blocking the pass or attempting to block the pass and then making contact with the passer still results in a roughing the passer penalty
  10. Only the snapper and players lined up within one yard of the snapper at the moment of the snap are allowed to block rusher snapper
    1. The offense cannot impede the rusher in any way before they get to the line of scrimmage. The rusher has the right to a clear path to the passer, regardless of where they line up prior to the snap. If the “path or line” is occupied by a moving offensive player, then it is the offense’s responsibility to avoid the rusher. Any disruption to the rusher’s path and/or contact will result in an impeding the rusher penalty. If the offensive player does not move after the snap, then it is the rusher’s responsibility to go around the offensive player and to avoid contact
    2. The offense can only block the rushers in the offensive backfield (behind the LOS)
  11. A sack occurs if the quarterback’s flag is pulled behind the line of scrimmage. The ball is placed where the flag was pulled
    1. A safety is awarded if the sack takes place in the offensive team’s end zone

 

Blocking

  1. The offense can only block the rushers in the offensive backfield (behind the LOS)
  2. Legal blocking is as follows:
    1. Contact with the front side of a defender only. Any contact to a defender’s backside will automatically result in a Block in the Back penalty
    2. No contact made with open hands, open arms, or shoulders. Penalty for doing so is will result in Illegal Contact
    3. Contact made without fully extending the arms. Contact that results in full extension will be deemed Illegal Contact
    4. Blockers cannot contact defenders on the ground. Contacting a defender on the ground with result in a Unnecessary Roughness penalty
    5. Offensive players may set screens, but not block beyond the LOS.
      1. A screen is defined as an offensive player stationary prior to any contact with arms and legs shoulder width or narrower. Any movement or extension of limbs will be deemed Illegal Downfield Block penalty

 

Flag Pulling

  1. A flag pull takes place when the ball carrier is in full possession of the ball
  2. Defenders can dive to pull flags but cannot tackle, hold or run through the ball carrier when pulling flags
  3. Attempting to strip or pull the ball from the ball carrier’s possession is not allowed
  4. If a player’s flag inadvertently falls off during the play, the defense only needs to touch the ball carrier with two hands once they have full possession
  5. A defensive player may not intentionally pull the flags off of a player who is not in possession of the ball
  6. Flag guarding is an attempt by the ball carrier to obstruct the defender’s access to the flags by stiff arming, dropping the head, hand, arm or shoulder or intentionally covering the flags
  7. Flag obstruction: All shirts must be tucked in before play begins. The flags must be on the player’s hips and free from obstruction. Deliberately obstructed flags will be considered flag guarding

 

Penalties

  1. The Officials will call all penalties
    1. Only team captains are allowed to dispute an Official’s call by using one of their timeouts. If teams do not have any timeouts left, team captains cannot dispute
    2. Only team captains can ask questions about rule clarification and interpretation during game times. Outside of game time, any player is permitted. 
  2. Officials determine incidental contact that may result from normal run of play
  3. Games and halves may not end on a penalty unless the opposing team declines it
  4. Penalties are assessed live ball, then dead ball. Live ball penalties must be assessed before play is considered complete

 

Defensive Penalties

  1. Pass Interference: automatic first down and ball is spotted where foul occurred, max of 15 yards
  2. Holding: automatic first down and ball is spotted where foul occurred, max of 15 yards
  3. Unnecessary roughness: +10 yards & automatic first down
  4. Unsportsmanlike conduct: +10 yards & automatic first down
  5. Offside: +5 yards
  6. Illegal rush: +5 yards
  7. Roughing the passer: +5 yards & automatic first down
  8. Taunting: +5 yards & automatic first down
  9. Block from the back: + 10 yards & automatic first down

 

Offensive Penalties

  1. Blocking while running with the ball carrier: -10 yards & loss of down
  2. Charging: -10 yards & loss of down
  3. Flag guarding: -10 yards & loss of down
  4. Unnecessary roughness: -10 yards & loss of down
  5. Unsportsmanlike conduct: -10 yards & loss of down
  6. Offside/false start: -5 yards, repeat down
  7. Illegal forward pass: -5 yards & loss of down
  8. Pass Interference: -5 yards & loss of down
  9. Illegal motion: -5 yards
  10. Delay of game: -5 yards
  11. Impeding the rusher: -5 yards & loss of down
  12. Illegal QB run: -5 yards & loss of down
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