Outdoor Games
How to play Flag Football
Move the ball through passes and handoffs to score touchdowns while defenders end plays by pulling flags. Blocking and tackling are prohibited.
What you need
Football, flag belts, mouthguards, cones and a marked field; use league-approved footwear and equipment
Set up the game
- Put five on each side. The public NFL FLAG field is 30 yards wide and 70 total yards long, including two ten-yard end zones. Mark midfield and no-run zones five yards before midfield and either end zone.
- Use a coin toss; there is no kickoff. The first offense starts on its five-yard line. Agree your league’s half lengths; the public tournament introduction uses two twelve-minute halves.
Playing Flag Football
- Snap the ball to begin a down. The initial snap receiver cannot run across scrimmage with it. Pass within seven seconds unless a permitted handoff/backward exchange changes that restriction.
- Run with a legal handoff or complete a forward pass caught beyond scrimmage. In a no-run zone the advance must be a pass play.
- Defenders end the play by pulling the carrier’s flag. Do not tackle, screen, block, dive or guard flags. A grounded ball ends play; do not scramble for a fumble.
- The offense has four downs to cross midfield, then three to score. It may declare a punt before its fourth midfield attempt, giving opponents their five-yard start; a failed fourth attempt instead gives possession at the spot.
- A touchdown scores six. Choose a one-point try from five yards or two-point try from ten; a safety scores two. More points at the end wins; follow the event’s declared overtime for ties.
Midfield changes the remaining downs
Your offense starts at its five and reaches midfield on its third play. You now have three scoring attempts under this format; you do not keep an unused fourth midfield attempt as a bonus. If the ball is next spotted in the end-zone no-run area, choose a legal pass instead of calling a short handoff run.
Read the actual league sheet
NFL FLAG’s public pages contain older wording alongside updated backward-pass explanations. This guide does not require laterals for a beginner play: use a direct snap, legal handoff or legal forward pass. Before entering a league, obtain its specific passing, dead-ball, rushing, penalty and clock rules rather than assuming every five-a-side competition matches this overview.
Beginner decisions
- Send receivers to distinct depths and widths. Five players crowding one short area lets a single defender cover several targets.
- Practice the snap and first pass without defenders before adding a rush. An uncontrolled exchange can end the down before a receiver has a chance to separate.
Common rule mix-ups
- Using teammates as blockers for a runner.
- Treating every down as a new four-down series rather than remembering the midfield and scoring limits.
Questions about this game
Who may rush the passer?
Under the public rules, designated rushers start seven yards back; a legal handoff or permitted backward exchange can release other defenders. Confirm the league’s current rush procedure.
Can the ball carrier hide a flag?
No. Using a hand, ball or body action to prevent a legal flag pull is flag guarding.
Sources and edition notes
NFL FLAG five-on-five youth public rules, reviewed 14 October 2026. League timing and tournament rules can differ; this is not tackle football or IFAF flag.
Sources and stated format checked October 14, 2026. This records a document check, not a claim of hands-on testing.
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