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Summary of the rules of play used in the Denver Gay & Lesbian Flag Football League The official rule book of the National Gay Flag Football League, which is the basis of the DGLFFL rule book, is available for download at the bottom of this page. (still to be attached) Field - Size of field: 70x35 yard (plus two 10-yard end zones)
Game timing - Length of game: two 30 minute halves, plus 5 plays at end of each half.
Game start (and start of halves) - Officials and Captains meet at mid-field 3 min. before start of game.
- Teams must start with a minimum of 6 people and maximum of 7, but may continue with fewer players.
- Officials will do a coin-toss Heads or tails
- Winner can choose, receive, kick, or goal to defend
- Coin-toss loser chooses remaining options
- Kick from the 30 yard line to start the game, four players from the receiving team must be between receiving team’s 30-yard line and midfield (see section 2.9.1)
Second Half - Whoever received 1st half kick-off becomes kicking team
- Teams trade sides of field
Play clock - Ball must be snapped no later than 30 seconds from when official spots ball, that is indicated by ready-for-play whistle of official
- For the first 28 min of each half, the clock will run continuously, except that the clock will stop for player’s time-outs, official’s time-outs, penalties, and the 2-minute warning of each half. Time will be kept by one of the official’s.
- There will be a 10-minute intermission between each of the halves.
- After the clock expires, each half will be extended by five more plays.(see section 3.1.5 and 3.2.3)
Clock: 2-min warning - Officials notify captains of 2 min. warning; clock stops
- Clock runs continuously during final 2 minutes, except for timeouts, penalties, and after a 1st down
- After penalty or 1st down, clock starts once ball is spotted and the ready-for-play signal has been given by the official, not after the ball is snapped
Last 5 plays: general - Extra point plays don’t count as 1 of the 5
- Plays in which defensive fouls are accepted don’t count
Rules of the Box (see section 2.8.1) - The Box is a 5 yd deep and 10 yd wide box centered at the spot of the ball, extending from the line of scrimmage towards the goal line behind the defense. This box is marked by cones placed by the officials before the start of each play.
- Any defensive player can cross the line of scrimmage OUTSIDE the box once the pass rusher has crossed from 5 yards back
- Any defensive player can cross the line of scrimmage INSIDE the box only if:
- QB has moved laterally 5 yards from spot of snap, or
- QB has crossed line of scrimmage, or
- Ball leaves possession of QB
- The QB cannot cross the line of scrimmage in possession of the ball through the box unless the QB has moved 5 yards laterally from where the ball was snapped prior to crossing the line of scrimmage.
Running plays - Only one per possession
- Also allowed during extra-point plays
- A running play occurs when the ball is passed laterally, or backwards, and the ball is not subsequently passed forward. The ball does not have to be advanced passed the line of scrimmage for the play to be considered a run. A QB sack is not a run.
Blocking: - Contact only between waist and shoulders
- Blockers hands and forearms must be in front of, or to side of person, being blocked
- Contact with open hands only
- Hands must be in advance of elbows
- Hands can’t move forward faster than body
- Hands and arms must stay within frame of body
- Blocking below waist is illegal
Ball carrying / deflagging - Defender cannot hold, tackle or knock down ball carrier
- If ball carrier loses his/her flags they must be touched between the shoulders and waist with one hand, the runner is considered to be deflagged.
- Ball carrier cannot hurdle(JUMP), flag guard or stiff-arm ( see section 2.16.1)
Rushing: - Rusher cannot charge any Offensive player
- When encountering blocker, pass rusher must:
- Clearly change direction in effort to move around blocker
- Stop prior to making contact with blocker
- If in that effort, blocker moves back in front of rusher, there is no foul
- Rusher must follow same rules as blocker above
In and out of bounds - Touch the line = out of bounds
- Touch cones or sideline markers = in
- Legal catch = one foot required to land in bounds
Extra points - From 10 yard line for 2 point (offense’s choice), or
- From 5 yard line for 1 point
- If defense takes possession, ball is instantly dead
Kicking (see section 2.9.1) - Fair catches are allowed (see section 6.3.1)
- 4th down punts award to receiving team at spot they go out of bounds
- Ball is dead if it hits ground
- By contrast, kickoffs that go out of bounds, receiving team has a choice:
- Take possession at their 30 yard line
- Elect for re-kick after a 10 yard penalty is enforced
Contact against receivers - Defense can make contact in “expanded neutral zone” (w/in 5 yards of line of scrimmage)
- Contact must stop when ball leaves passer’s hand, except for unavoidable contact
Tie game - 3-min intermission before overtime
- Coin toss like at game start
- Each team guaranteed one possession and one timeout
- Each possession starts at other team’s 20 yard line
KEY PENALTIES - For all penalties, officials inform team captains
- Outside “team box” (2 yards behind sideline, and no closer to end zone than 10 yards): 5 yards
- Altering flags or uniforms for unfair advantage: 10 yards
- Failure to wear proper equipment during down: 5 yards
- Delay of game: team charged timeout, or 5 yards if no timeout remains
- Encroachment: 5 yards
- False start: 5 yards
- Illegal formation: 5 yards
- Illegal motion: 5 yards
- Pass interference: 10 yards and automatic 1st down
- Holding or illegal use of hands: 5 yards
- Illegal blocking: 10 yards
- Illegal deflagging: 10 yards
- Clipping: 10 yards
- Tripping: 10 yards
- Personal foul: 10 yards
- Roughing passer: 10 yards
- Illegal run: 5 yards and loss of down
- Illegal forward pass: spot of the illegal pass and loss of down
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