Girls Flag Football Rules

NCPL Girls Flag Football Rules

Official Playing Rules  •  Updated to current CIF / NFHS mechanics

  GAME FORMAT

1.  Length.  Pool games are 20 minutes with a running clock. The last 2 minutes are stop time. Championship and 3rd-place games (finals) are 30 minutes with a running clock and stop time in the last 2 minutes.

2.  Timeouts.  One 30-second timeout per 20-minute game. Two timeouts in the finals. Unused timeouts do not carry over.

3.  Clock.  Clock stops for timeouts, injuries, and scores in the last 2 minutes. A 25-second play clock starts when the ball is spotted. Delay of game is a 5-yard penalty.

4.  Players.  7 v 7. A team may start with 6 to avoid forfeit and may continue with 5. All offensive players are eligible receivers.

5.  Field.  30 yards × 40 yards, with a midfield line. Four downs to reach midfield; four new downs to score. Failure on 4th down is a turnover at the spot.

6.  Start of possession.  No kickoffs. After a score, safety, or start of the game/half, offense starts at its own 5-yard line.

7.  Fourth down.  Offense may play 4th down or declare a “punt” before the snap. A declared punt is not kicked. The receiving team takes over at their 5 yard line.

  RUNNING, PASSING & RUSH

8.  Running.  The ball may be run anywhere on the field. There are no “no-run zones”. The quarterback may run on any down, with no limit per series.

9.  Passing.  There is no 7-second pass clock. Intentional grounding is a foul: 5 yards from the previous spot and loss of down.

10.  Rush.  Any number of defenders may rush from 1 yard off the line of scrimmage. Rushers do not need to raise a hand or start 7 yards back.

11.  Screens.  Non-contact screen blocking is allowed. A player may occupy space and force a defender to go around. No initiating contact, grabbing, holding, leaning, or extending arms to impede a player.

12.  Contact.  No tackling and no excessive contact. Incidental contact on a legal flag pull is not a foul.

  SCORING & TIEBREAKERS

13.  Touchdown.  6 points.

14.  Try (extra point).  1 point from the 3-yard line or 2 points from the 10-yard line, run or pass. Defense cannot score on a try. An interception or other turnover on a try ends the try.

15.  Interceptions.  Live and returnable on regular plays. If the interceptor is flagged in her own end zone, it is a touchback and her team starts at its 5.

16.  Tiebreaker.  Each team gets 4 downs from the 10-yard line to score. If still tied, each team gets 4 downs from the 5-yard line. No extra point after an overtime score unless needed to break the tie.

  FORMATION & EQUIPMENT

17.  Snap.  Only the center must be on the line of scrimmage. Side snaps are legal. The player receiving the snap should start about 2 yards behind the center. No center sneaks and no handoff back to the center.

18.  Equipment.  Mouthpieces required. No metal cleats. Pop flags only; flags may not match the color of the shorts. Jerseys tucked in. Flags must hang freely and may not be covered.

19.  Flag pull.  The ball carrier is down when her flag is pulled, or when any part of her body other than a hand or foot touches the ground. Flag guarding is a 10-yard penalty from the spot.

  PLAYOFF SEEDING

20.  Reseed.  The final 6 teams are reseeded 1–6 by: (1) overall win-loss record; (2) point differential (points scored minus points allowed); (3) points scored; (4) head-to-head, if applicable; (5) coin flip.

These rules keep the tournament’s short-field, short-game format and adopt current CIF / NFHS play mechanics: running anywhere, unlimited QB runs, free rush from 1 yard, no 7-second clock, legal screens, and CIF try distances.