Rules for Fourth Grade
In the second year of Tackle Football, participants are expected to illustrate their understanding of the game by adhering to rules which are more similar to high school football.
1. Field Dimensions a. All games will be played on a field limited to 40 yards by 80 yards. Games will be held on Saturday mornings between the hours of 9AM and 12PM. 2. Game Management a. Periods will be fifteen minutes of running time. The last two minutes of the fourth quarter will be Stop Time. The clock will stop for penalties, injuries, and team changeovers. b. There will be a two-minute intermission between quarters, and a six-minute halftime. Players may meet with coaches on the sidelines between quarters. c. Each team will have three timeouts per half. One coach may be on the field during the timeout, or the team may congregate at the team bench area. Unused timeouts from the first half do not carry over to the second half. d. The officials will administer a coin toss prior to the game with the visiting team calling heads or tails. The winner of the coin toss has the option of taking the ball at the 20 yard line, playing defense, or defending a goal. After a safety, the offense will start at the 25 yard line. e. Any game ending in a tie will remain tied. No overtime periods will be played. f. All decisions of the officials are final with no appeal. 3. Coaches on the Field a. A maximum of two coaches will be allowed on the playing field for each team during the game. b. A minimum of one coach shall be on the sideline in the team box at all times. c. After a coach has left the huddle and the team is set, the coach shall remain fifteen yards behind the team’s line of scrimmage.
d. The on-field coaches shall limit their involvement to their own team, and only during the dead ball period. Once the teams have left the huddle, the on-field coaches shall refrain from coaching until the next dead ball period.
e. During a punt, the on-field coach shall leave the field of play once their team is in position to kick or receive the ball.
f. The team bench shall be determined by the field layout. One coach and two players may follow their team along the entire sideline. At least one coach must remain with the team in the designated bench area.
g. Players may ask for the coach’s help on penalty enforcement decisions.
4. Playing Time
a. It is a requirement that all players shall have equal playing time.
i. To accomplish this goal, quarters will be broken in half to allow for substitutions; each half-quarter will be 7:30 long. ii. ALL SUBSTITUTIONS WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE END OF EACH HALF-QUARTER. No substitutions shall be made during each half-quarter other than for injury or disciplinary reasons.
iii. Game officials will notify the teams when the half-quarter change has arrived. At that time, all players on the field must leave the field and all players on the sideline will enter the game and remain until the end of the next half- quarter, except where roster numbers require a player to play more than one consecutive half-quarter.
iv. No player shall play more than two consecutive segments (15 minutes).
v. Coaches should strive to give every participant equal playing time. If an uneven number of participants exists, coaches shall plan substitutions so that, over the course of a game, the player with the least amount of playing time and the player with the most amount of playing time are no more than one half-quarter apart. 5. Rules for Offense a. Nine players—five linemen, a quarterback, two backs, and an end. b. All teams must use a straight-T formation. c. All linemen must be in a two- or three-point stance. d. Offensive gaps will be one yard between center and guard and two yards between guard and tackle. e. Ends may only block defensive players to their outside and therefore may not “crack back” on any defensive player to the inside. f. Teams may not use a split end. g. On passing plays, an end may run a pass route and catch a pass. h. No motion is allowed. i. The quarterback must either be under center or in the shotgun formation. j. Only plays from the 4th Grade Playbook may be used. k. All teams will use a Peewee-size football. l. The only fumble which may be advanced is a fumble during the quarterback and center exchange. Only the quarterback may advance that fumble and may continue the play. Any other fumble by any player is dead at the point of recovery and given to the team in possession of the fumble. i. Example 1—The quarterback fumbles the snap, picks it up, and hands off to the running back, who runs for a touchdown. The play is not dead and results in a touchdown. ii. Example 2—The quarterback hands off to the running back, who fumbles. The defensive team recovers the ball. The play is dead at the spot of the fumble and the defensive team now has the ball with a first down. iii. Example 3—The quarterback fumbles the snap and the defense recovers. The play is blown dead, and the offense retains possession, unless the fumble occurred on fourth down. m. The longest version of the snap count shall be: Down-Ready- Set-Hike. The offense may not go on a second “Hike.” Teams may utilize a silent count. 6. Weight Restrictions a. Running: Players tasked with carrying the ball will be an average of 95lbs or less. b. Passing: Players designated as receivers will be an average of 105lbs or less. 7. Punting a. In a punting situation, the team on offense shall declare their intention to punt. b. On a declared punt, the defense shall not rush the punter. c. The receiving team may drop back a maximum of three players to receive the punt. d. The kicking team shall not run downfield to cover the punt. e. The kicker shall be at least five yards from the line of scrimmage when the ball is punted. f. After the ball has been punted, the receiving team shall start their possession first-and-ten from the spot at which their receiver catches the ball or causes the ball to be declared dead. The receiving team may not advance a punted pall. If the receiving team does not cause the ball to be declared dead, the ball shall be spotted first-and-ten for the receiving team at the point it was the farthest from the previous line of scrimmage. g. No punt shall be spotted inside the 5 yard line and any touchback will come out to the 20 yard line. 8. Rules for Defense a. Nine players—five linemen, two linebackers, and two corners. b. Teams must play a 4-3 defense and may use a 4-2 modification only if the center is left uncovered (except when a goal-line situation is presented). c. Defensive linemen must be in a three- or four-point stance. d. Special rules for linebackers: i. Linebackers and corners must be at least two yards off the line of scrimmage. ii. No blitzing or fake blitzing is allowed. iii. Linebackers must wear red skullcaps during the entire series of downs. iv. Linebackers and corners may NOT cross the line of scrimmage until the ballcarrier is outside of the end. e. Goal-line Defense: i. At the defensive 10 yard line or less, the defense may bring the linebackers up to the line of scrimmage. While on the line of scrimmage, linebackers must be in a three- or four-point stance. f. Defensive tackles must be lined up head-up to the offensive player across from them. g. No stunting is allowed. h. Stripping of the ball is not allowed. i. If a defensive player strips the ball from a ballcarrier, the ball becomes dead at that spot with the offense retaining possession. ii. There is no foul for stripping. iii. If the ball comes loose through normal contact, this is a fumble and not stripping. 9. Discipline a. If a player is ejected during the first half of a game, that player will be removed from the field of play and will remain with the team at the sideline. They will not be allowed to play in the remainder of that game. b. If a player is ejected during the second half of a game, that player will be removed from the field of play and will remain with the team at the sideline. The player will miss from the moment of ejection through the end of that game and will also sit out the first half of the team’s next game. c. If a coach is ejected, the coach must leave the facilities for the remainder of the game and will not be allowed at the field for the team’s next game. d. Parents are hereby advised that unexcused absences are treated differently from excused absences and may result in consequences for the player. Except in cases of emergency, the parent should always provide advanced notice of an absence along with the reason for that absence.