2013 Jsppl Rules and Regulations Revised

VOLUME VIII February 21, 2015

PLAYERS Each team will have seven players on the field. A minimum of five players is required to play a game without a forfeit. Teams will select TWO captains for each team.

FIELD ● The field is 80-yards long, 40- yards wide, has two 10-yard end zones and is marked off by three 20-yard first down lines. ● The first down lines will be each 20-yard line and the 40-yard line. ● At the start of each half the ball is spotted at the offense’s 20-yard line.

TIME ● There will be TWO halves of 25 minutes each. A running clock will be used except in the last two minutes of each half. In the final two minutes, the clock will be stopped on all dead balls (incomplete passes, a player running out of bounds). In the event of a fumble the clock will remain running. ● A referee will keep the official time. ● A team has 30 seconds to put the ball in play once the official has spotted the ball. ● Each team may use two timeouts (two-minutes) per half. ● There will be a 10-minute break after the first half.

EQUIPMENT ● Coaches must verify each player on the field is wearing the proper equipment. Improper equipment is a 15yd penalty and player must leave the field for one play ● Each player must wear their team’s jersey/shirt to each game, and the jersey has to be tucked in. ● Jewelry must be removed. ● Mouth guards are required ● No caps or visors allowed. ● Players may wear sneakers/cleats, but NO metal spikes. ● Players can only wear shorts/pants with no pockets. ● Flags must be worn correctly so each flag is hanging from each hip. NO rolling or tucking of flags in belts or pants. ● Gloves are recommended. Nails should be kept at sport length or may be asked to be taped. ● Only tethered sport sunglasses or goggles allowed

SCORING Touchdown = 6 points, Extra Points = 1 or 2 points: after a touchdown team may choose to go for 1 point from the 3-yard line or 2 points from the 10-yard line.

● All scores require the ball and the players’ flags to cross the goal line for the score to count.

● After a score the official must pull at the flag to make sure the flag was properly worn. If flag fails to be pulled off, the ball is placed at the original spot and the down is played over.

COIN TOSS ● The winner of the toss gets to choose possession or direction of field. The teams will switch sides in the second half.

OVERTIME ● There will be a second coin toss. The winner of the toss gets to choose offense or defense first. ● Each team will get four chances to score from the 10-yard line unless the defense scores; or intercepts a pass or fumble in the air, in which case they would take over on offense and attempt to score to win the game. ● Teams will alternate possessions upon tie after one overtime period (i.e.; team A has first possession then team B. If still tied team B would get first possession in 2nd overtime period. ● After two overtime possessions with no winner, teams will go for two points after touchdowns.

PLAYOFFS ● There will be eight playoff spots in a reseeding single elimination tournament. ● The top six teams at the end of the regular season will make the playoffs Tiebreakers are 1. Head-to-head. 2. Point differential. 3. Points scored. 4. Points allowed. 5. Coin toss. ● The remaining four squads will meet in single elimination seeded play ‘in’ games for the two remaining playoff spots. ● Players must attend a minimum of 3 games in order to be eligible to compete in the playoffs. CANCELATIONS ● If a game needs to be postponed because of rain and field conditions all effort will be made to call coaches and players in advance. League administrators in conjunction with the Head Official will rule on postponements. Once coaches are notified they were be asked to call players. ● If a team knows in advance that they will have to forfeit a game (less than 5 players) they must contact the League President. ● The team forfeiting will receive the average of their opponents score toward its points against. The opposing team will receive the average of forfeiting team’s points against for points for. The team that forfeits will receive zero points in its points for, and the winning team will receive zero points for its points against. If there is a forfeit Week 1, then the score will be 6-0.

CONDUCT ● FIGHTING WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. A player that strikes anybody will be immediately expelled from the league and proper action will be taken. ● Players must act appropriately when conducting themselves in public when wearing league attire or in establishments of sponsors. ● Players must act appropriately on all leagues Web sites, including Facebook. ● All players and coaches will speak to the officials with RESPECT. Only designated captains and coaches may discuss calls with officials. Subjective calls cannot be argued. A player or coach may not make contact with an official. It will be an automatic 15-yard penalty and could be grounds for expulsion from the game. ● Only players and officials are allowed on the field. A coach may ask the official to come to the sideline to discuss a call. ● Coaches will get 2 discussions with the officials per game for further discussion of the previous play. If coaches’ discussion reveals a rule was misused or penalty was inaccurate, the coach will retain that said discussion. ● Any unnecessary roughness will be a 15-yard penalty and could be grounds for being expelled from the game. Anyone that is kicked out of a game could also have to sit out the following game following a Rules Committee review. ● This is a NO CONTACT league so there will be no shoving, holding, tripping, or pushing. ● A player will be thrown out of a game when receiving three excessive contact penalties, which is when the officials deem a player has used excessive bodily contact. ● Unsportsmanlike actions will be a 15-yard penalty. The officials can also kick a player out of the game if they feel it is warranted. Two unsportsmanlike penalties in a game is an automatic ejection and the player misses the next game. ● Alcohol and smoking are NOT permitted at the fields. ● Each team is responsible to clean up their area following their games. The teams playing in the final game are asked to help clean up the field and put equipment away.

GENERAL ● When the whistle inadvertently blows while the ball is live, the offended team has the option of taking the ball at the spot where the whistle blew or taking the play over. ● In the event a flag comes off or spins off hips inadvertently that said player will be down once touched by an opposing player. RULES

OFFENSE ● At least 4 players must be on the line of scrimmage at the time of a snap. Any one moving toward the line of scrimmage as the time of the snap will be called for offside, and the team will be assessed a 5-yard penalty. ● The snap can be made between the legs or from the side. Snaps handled cleanly from a single hop are good and NOT considered a fumble. ● Players who receive initial snap is deemed QB and can only run past line of scrimmage if more than one defender rushes. Illegal forward progress is a 5-yd penalty and replay of down. ● All forward passes must be thrown from behind the line of scrimmage. All players on offense are eligible receivers. Direction of the ball not the method of throwing determines lateral (parallel or behind thrower) and forward pass. If a forward lateral is called a 5-yard penalty is assessed from the spot of the infraction. ● NO CONTACT BLOCKING- Flag football uses screen blocking to ensure the safety of all participants. To properly screen block the following techniques should be used by the offense: ● Arms must remain at the sides of the body or behind the back. ● A screen blocker may not step into the defensive player nor the defensive player into the blocker. ● Move to a position to block the defensive players advance, if they are unable to stop and change directions and knock the screen blocker over, it is a penalty on the defense. ● An Illegal block is a 10-yd penalty and replay of down. ● A player may not stiff-arm or guard a flag. No clothing may be over the flag. A 10-yard penalty will be assessed for blocking or concealing the flag from the spot of the foul. ● NO CONTACT RUNNING- Players may not push through defenders or dive in order to gain yardage or scores. Illegal forward progress will be a 5yd penalty and replay of down ● After a score the official must pull at the flag to make sure the flag was properly worn. If flag fails to be pulled off, the ball is placed at the original spot and the down is played over. ● If a team takes longer than 30 seconds a 5-yard penalty will be assessed. If the official deems a team is purposely taking longer than 30 seconds to stall, the team will lose a down and receive a 5-yard penalty ● Intentional grounding (except spikes to stop the clock) is a 5-yard penalty and a loss of a down. ● If there is a fumble the play is to be whistled dead and the ball will be placed where the players position is at the time of the fumble ● The quarterback can only run if more than one defensive player rushes the quarterback. ● Too many players on the field will result in a 5-yard penalty and replay of down.

DEFENSE ● NO CONTACT ● Defensive players may not use their hands to gain a better advantage of getting around the screen blockers. ● Defensive players may not push through the middle of two blockers. ● Defensive players must move around the screen blockers and not into them. ● The defensive player may not push, shove, bump or grab an offensive player at any time. ● Defensive players may not rush directly at a blocker. The defensive player must go around the blocker to get to the quarterback or ball carrier. ● Illegal contact will be a 5yd penalty and replay down OR take result of play. ● There will be a 3 count made by the official at time of snap. Only after that 3 count is completed can a defender cross the line of scrimmage. There will be no free rush or blitzing prior to the 3 count being completed. Illegal rush or blitz is a 5yd penalty and replay down OR take result of play. ● Defensive passes interference. A defender may not make any contact with a receiver before the offensive player makes contact with the ball. If anyone is called for pass interference a 15-yard penalty from the line of scrimmage is walked off, and an automatic first down is awarded to the offense. If inside the 15-yard, the ball will be spotted halfway to the goal line. ● Players may not intentionally pull flag of opposing player prior to player being in possession of the ball. Unsportsmanlike flag pulling will be a 5yd penalty and replay of down.

SPECIAL TEAMS ● If a team wants to punt the ball it needs to notify the official. The defense must have 5 players within a yard of the line of scrimmage up until the snap and cannot rush punter after snap ● Teams can elect to punt or take the option of moving the ball to the next first down line. (I.e. if a team is at their own 25-yard, the ball will be spotted at the 40-yard. If the team is in the opponent’s territory the ball will be placed at the 20-yard). ● Punters can start with ball in hand at least 10yds behind line of scrimmage or may receive long snap. Snaps handled cleanly will be considered good and punter can still kick ● The receiving team may return the punt if caught in the air. ● If the ball hits the ground without the receiving team touching it, the ball is spotted where it went out of bounds, stopped rolling or touched by any player.