Flag football

Flag football is a version of American football that is popular across the United States and Europe.

Basics of the Game

The basic rules of the game are similar to those of the professional game, but instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier ("deflagging") to end a down. In most organized play, players wear a belt with flags attached (the number of flags vary from league to league) around the waist.

Like touch football, flag football was designed in an effort to minimize injuries that playing tackle football could bring. Over the years, however, contact leagues have emerged, where offensive and defensive players can block in certain zones or downfield, adding to the myriad styles of the game.

Variations of the Game

Thanks in large part to their being no dominant sanctioning organization for the sport, the game has mutated into literally dozens of variations: 9-man, 8-man, 7-man, 5-man and 4-men on a side; with kicking and punting and without; with point-after conversions (including some with 1, 2, and 3 point tries) or without; and field sizes that vary from full NFL size (120 yards long by 53 1/3 yards wide) to fields a third that size.

An important distinction is whether linemen are allowed to catch passes ("Eligible Linemen") or, as in the NFL, are not allowed to do so ("Ineligible Linemen"). Flag (and touch) football may also be divided into "contact" or "non-contact", depending on whether or not blocking is allowed; if allowed, blocking is usually restricted to the chest.

Organized flag football leagues follow a number of sets of rules, with variants including:

9-man ineligible (with contact),
8-man eligible (with or without contact),
7-man eligible (with or without contact),
6-man eligible (with or without contact),
5-man eligible (with or without contact),
4-man eligible (with or without contact), and
4-man "Air It Out" style.

Competitions

The sport has a fierce amateur following and several national and international competitions each year, including a World Cup of Flag Football featuring teams from the United States, Mexico and several other nations. The NFL has also at times sanctioned "Air It Out" competitions aimed primarily at its fans in which tournament-winning teams were allowed to compete against retired NFL All-Pros.

The largest cash prize in the history of flag football ($25,000) was awarded in February 2006 by ZFOOTBALL.

National Associations

American football

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Basics of the Game

Variations of the Game

Competitions

See also

National Associations