Middle Tennessee Flag Football Tournament

MTFFT RULES AND REGULATIONS (Revised 4/17/15) MTFFT will be regulated by the official rules of the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) with the following alterations and clarifications. Game officials have the authority to rule on any situation not specifically covered in these rules. I. Team Requirements: A. Eligible players must… 1. be faithful members of the sponsoring church’s youth group/ministry or, in the case of adult sponsors, faithful members of the sponsoring congregation. 2. maintain exemplary Christian attitudes. 3. not have any injury or medical condition that will inhibit normal game play. 4. be named on the official team roster by final registration on the morning of the tourney. B. The Official Team Roster shall consist of… 1. no more than 20 total players. 2. no less than 6 players. a. churches may combine with another congregation if necessary to have a team. b. MTFFT or RCA may be able to provide extra players or “free agents”. 3. eligible non-adult players are in grades 6-12 and/ 18 years of age or younger. Adults are considered 18 years or older & out of high school. 4. a minimum of one female player. 5. If these requirements are unable to be met by one team or both, the game can be played based on an agreement on equal (same # of girls/adults) amount of players from both teams determined prior to the game at the coin toss by Captains/Coaches/Youth Ministers. Anyone found breaking this rule once, will receive a 15 yard penalty, a second violation will result in the entire team being ejected without a refund. In the spirit of sportsmanship and fair play please honor this agreement. 6. Each team will provide one adult to ref at least one game. C. Uniforms & Equipment 1. Team Uniforms shall consist of… a. shirts of matching color tucked into the trousers leaving the flag belt exposed. b. shorts or pants with zipped pockets or no pockets. 2. Players may NOT wear… a. shoes with metal cleats or removable cleats unless the screw is part of the cleat. b. brimmed hats or visors. Toboggans and bandanas will be permitted. c. jewelry, unless worn for medical information purposes. If medical alert jewelry is worn, it must be taped down with cotton tape to prevent injury d. uniforms soiled with excessive blood or other bodily fluid. The player must leave the playing field and will not be allowed to return until the soiled items are replaced. Bringing extra uniforms is highly recommended. D. Each team must provide its own football labeled with the name of the sponsoring church or ministry. This football must be standard adult size. (ex. Nike 1000/1001, Wilson TDY and Rawlings Legacy) E. Flag Belts. 1. Triple Threat one piece flag belts will be provided for each team by MTFFT. 2. Flag belts must be worn around the waist outside of clothing and must be fully exposed. 3. Flag belts must be clipped on as designed, and may not be tied wrapped or laced through any part of the uniform or the flag belt itself. 4. If a player scores a Touch Down or extra point attempt he must stop and raise his/her arms to be de-flagged by the referee who will verify that the flag belt was legally secured. F. Sportsmanship. 1. MTFFT will not tolerate unsportsmanlike conduct including but not limited to… a. profane language. b. taunting or intimidating other players. c. arguing with or “back talking” players, referees or tournament officials. 2. After each play, it is the offensive player’s responsibility to retrieve the ball and take it back to the huddle. 3. If a defensive player pulls a flag, he must immediately return it to the offensive player. 4. Consequences for Unsportsmanlike Conduct. we will have zero tolerance for those who exhibit behavior in opposition to the spirit of this tournament. The rule is: 1st offense – Any player/parent/adult flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct will be ejected from the game and the tournament. When an individual is “ejected” from the tournament the individual is not allowed to be at the field where their team is playing for the remainder of the tournament... (No Refund) 2nd offense – In the event that the same team is flagged for a second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during any part of the tournament, the game will end in forfeit and the entire team will be ejected from the tournament (No Refund).We believe that it is important to remember that football is just a game and we should strive to live like Christ in everything that we do. G. Line of Scrimmage 1.The offensive team must have at least 3 on the line. 2.The person snapping the ball is no longer required to snap the ball between his/her legs. He/She may choose to stand to the side of the ball. The ball must still be snapped from the ground to the quarterback in continuous motion. 3.There will no longer be kickoffs to begin each half. The offense will begin with the ball spotted at the 5 yard line. 4.Regarding punting…. a. The offense must declare a punt, there are no fakes b.There will be no actual kicks, the ball will automatically be placed at the 5 yard line on the defensive side of the field when the offense declares a punt. 5.It is not illegal for a player to jump or dive to advance the ball. However, all other rules regarding hurdling and contact apply if a player chooses to dive or jump. II. Field Dimensions: Official MTFFT playing fields shall… A. be a total length of 55 yards and the width will be from sideline to opposite hash on the regular playing field. B. contain an end zone at each end of the playing field, 10 yards deep, marked by a goal line (regular at the ends and at 45 in the middle) spanning the width of the field. C. be lined the width of the field at 15 yard intervals (representing 1st downs) from goal line to goal line. D. contain extra point lines of 1 point (3 yard line), 2 points (5 yard line) and 3 points (10 yard line). E. Contain an X at each team’s 5 yard line. III. Game Time A. Game Clock 1. The first two games played (by each team) will consist of two fifteen minute halves. After that the games played will consist of two twenty minute halves. 2. In each half, the clock will count down continuously from 20 minutes to two minutes, and will only be stopped by touchdown, injury or Time Out. 3. A “Two Minute Warning” will be announced at the two minute mark and the clock will stop. The clock will resume at the beginning of the next play. 4. During the final two minutes of each half, the clock will stop for penalties, incomplete passes and when a player holding the ball touches out of bounds. The clock will resume at the beginning of the next play. 5. From the time the referee spots the ball at the end of each play, the offense will have 25 seconds to begin the next play. 6. The beginning of each play will begin with the center snapping the ball to the quarterback. B. Time Outs 1. A Time Out may be called by any referee or player on the field of play. 2. Officials may call a timeout at their discretion for any reason including... a. injuries. b. uniform or equipment discrepancies. c. conferences with players or coaches. 3. Each team may use a maximum of 6 Time Outs per game. 4. When Time Out is called, the clock will stop for a period of 45 seconds. 5. The clock will resume, a. during the first 18 minutes of each half, when the 45 second Time Out expires. b. during the last two minutes of each half, at the beginning of the next play marked by the snap of the ball. IV. Team Formations A. Each team may have no more than 8 players on the field once the play has begun. B. Each team may have no less than 4 Players on the field once the play has begun. C. If a team is unable to play 4 players at any point in the game, that team must forfeit the game, and the opposing team will be declared the winner. D. The Offensive team must have at least 3 players on the line of scrimmage at the beginning of each play. E. The player receiving the snap must line up 3 yards behind the line of scrimmage. F. No more than 2 offensive players may be in motion when the ball is snapped. G. Offensive players in motion, may move laterally parallel to or away from the line of scrimmage. V. Coin Toss. A. The winner of the pregame coin toss will have a choice of options for the first half or may defer his choice to the second half. The options for each half shall be… 1. to choose whether his team will start on offense or defense. 2. to choose the goal line that his team will defend. B. The captain not having the first choice of options for the half shall exercise the remaining option. VI. Kick Offs & Punts A. There will be no Kick offs at the beginning of each half. The ball will spotted on the 5 yard line. B. Punting…. 1. On 4thdown, the offensive captain must declare his intentions to go for a first down or punt. No fake punts will be allowed. 2. The ball will be placed on the opponents 5 yard line with no actual kick. 3.The receiving team will then start their offensive series. VII. Fumbles and Muffs A. No fumble will result in a touchdown or safety. Any fumble falling into the End Zone will be spotted on the one yard line. B. All fumbles, dropped laterals and dropped snaps will be dead at the spot they first touch the ground. VIII. Offensive/Defensive Guidelines A. An offensive player attempting to block… 1. must use screen blocking having his hands behind his back and 2. will not be allowed to make contact with defensive players in anyway. 3. not dive, cut or leave his feet in any way. 4. When being blocked it is the defenders responsibility to not make contact with the blocking offensive player. B. An offensive player running the ball… 1. may not guard the flag belt by using his hands, arms or the ball to deny the opportunity for an opponent to remove the flag belt. 2. may not initiate contact and must move around defending players who are attempting to pull his flag belt. 3. may not hurdle or jump over another player. C. Defensive players… 1. must move around the offensive player without making contac

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