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Home , Arena football, Forfeit (sport), Goal (sports), Out of bounds

Revised 2/2017

Arena Rules

GENERAL INFORMATION 1. All participants must meet the eligibility requirements listed in the Intramural Policies and Procedures handbook. Each player must be an FIU student or current FIU Faculty/Staff with a Wellness and Recreation Center membership. All expired memberships must be updated before the individual may play in any game. Participants must have their Panther ID at every game. Any games in which an ineligible player signs in will be considered a forfeit. 2. All intramural participants must personally sign the Waiver Release and are responsible for their own medical expenses. 3. Teams are responsible for keeping their players and spectators under control. Misconduct of players, coaches, managers or spectators can result in penalty, or forfeiture of the game. Spectators must also remain within the area designated by the IM Sports staff. 4. Alcoholic beverages, smoking, and pets are prohibited from all intramural contests. 5. IM Sports Officials/Supervisors will have absolute authority during the contest and can make decisions on any matter or question not specifically covered in the rules.

RULE 1. COURT AND EQUIPMENT SECTION 1. ART. 1…Teams may use their own football, as long as both team captains agree on the ball, or footballs provided by FIU IM Sports. ART. 2…Men’s games shall use a regular sized football. ART. 3…Co-Rec games may use a junior or youth, or a regular sized football. SECTION 2. BALL SPOTTERS ART. 1…Two ball spotters will be used to mark the scrimmage lines. Orange will designate the offensive scrimmage line and yellow the defensive scrimmage line. ART. 2…There will always be a 1 yard neutral zone between the spotters. SECTION 3. COURT MARKINGS ART. 1…The boundaries of the court that runs North to South shall be the boundaries of the football court. Only one game of will run at a time. ART. 2…The shall be designated by the black basketball court lines and the white goal line. SECTION 4. TEAM AREA/SPECTATORS

RULE 2. PLAYERS, SUBSTITUTES, AND EQUIPMENT SECTION 1. TEAM, CAPTAIN ART. 1…Each team consists of four (4) players, one of whom is the captain. NOTE: A team must have three (3) players present and signed in with the supervisor at game time in order to begin the game and avoid a forfeit. If, at the scheduled game time, a team does not have three (3) players, the captain of the opposing team will have two choices. The captain may choose to either take the win or allow for a 10-minute grace period to be granted in an attempt to ensure that the game is played. The 10-minute grace period will be deducted from actual game time. During this grace period, the team with the minimum number of players present will be awarded 6 points for each minute or portion of the minute of the grace period that elapses. If, at the end of the grace period, the team still does not have the minimum number of players, then the game will be declared a forfeit. Timeouts may not be used during the 10-minute grace period. ART. 2…The captain is the representative of his/her team and may address an official on matters of interpretation or to obtain essential information, if it is done in a courteous manner. ART. 3…If a player is bleeding, he/she will be removed from the contest immediately. If a player has blood on his/her clothing, he/she will be removed from the contest upon detection. The blood may or may not be his/her own blood. Even a player who has someone else’s blood on their clothing will be removed from the contest. The player is ineligible to re-enter the contest until the contaminated clothing has been removed. Before any player re-enters the contest, all bleeding must be stopped and any open wound or laceration covered. ART. 4…Any player who exhibits signs, symptoms, or behaviors consistent with a concussion shall be immediately removed from the game and shall not return to play until cleared by an appropriate healthcare professional. SECTION 2. ROSTERS ART. 1…Roster size is limited to 20 players. Players be added to the roster throughout the regular . Rosters will be frozen upon completion of a team’s first playoff game. NOTE: All players must show a valid, physical Panther ID to participate. SECTION 3. UNIFORMS Team jerseys must: a. Include the team member’s number. b. Be the same color for all team members. NOTE 1: No two team members may wear the same number. NOTE 2: Teams may check out jerseys from IM Sports. SECTION 4. TEAM MEMBERS’ EQUIPMENT, APPAREL The referee shall not permit any team member to wear equipment or apparel which, in his/her judgment, is dangerous or confusing to other players or is not appropriate. ART. 1…Illegal guards, casts, or braces. a. A guard, cast, or brace made of hard and unyielding leather, plaster, pliable (soft) plastic, metal or any other hard substance may not be worn on the elbow, hand, finger, wrist, or forearm; even though covered with soft padding. b. Knee and ankle braces are permitted but all exposed hinges must be covered. Most over sleeves recommended by manufacturers are acceptable. These braces may be padded or unpadded. ART. 2…A headband no wider than 2 inches and made of nonabrasive cloth, elastic, fiber, soft leather or rubber may be worn. Rubber/cloth (elastic) bands may be used to control hair. Headwear with a bill or knot are illegal. ART. 3…Equipment which is unnatural and designed to increase a player’s height or reach or to gain an advantage. Equipment shall not be modified from its’ original manufactured state and shall be worn in the manner the manufacturer intended it to be worn. ART. 4…Jewelry shall not be worn. Medical-alert medals are not considered jewelry. A medical-alert medal must be taped and visible. ART. 5…All players must wear close-toed sneakers. No cleats are allowed. ART. 6…Players may wear soft, pliable gloves. ART. 7…Players may carry a playbook inside their clothing, as long as it is not made of an unyielding material and is not visible. If a playbook is taken on the field, it must be kept by a player. Players may also wear a soft, pliable wrist/forearm band that contains plays. ART. 8…Players may wear a face shield molded to the face with no protrusions to protect against a facial injury. SECTION 5. SUBSTITUTIONS ART. 1…Players are allowed unlimited substitutions only during periods. ART. 2…If a team begins the game with three (3) players, a late arriving player may substitute into the game during the next dead ball period.

RULE 3. TIMING, COIN TOSS, AND SECTION 1. TIMING ART. 1…Games will consist of two (2), twelve (12) minute halves. ART. 2…Halftime shall be no longer than two (2) minutes. ART. 3…The clock will run continuously for the first eleven (11) minutes of the 1st and 2nd half unless stopped by a team or officials’ timeout. At the first dead ball at or inside one (1) minute before the end of the 1st and 2nd half, the Referee shall stop the clock and administer the One Minute Warning. The clock will restart on the next . ART. 4…During the last one (1) minute of the 1st and 2nd half the clock will stop for: a. Incomplete – starts on the snap b. Complete forward pass – starts on the snap c. Scoring play – starts on snap d. Team timeout – starts on snap e. Officials’ timeout – starts on Referee’s ready for play f. Change of – starts on snap g. Team attempting to conserve time illegally – starts on the ready h. Team attempting to consume time illegally – starts on snaps i. Inadvertent whistle – starts on the ready ART. 5…A half must be extended by an untimed if during the last timed down there was a that is accepted other than unsportsmanlike fouls. A half must also be extended if during the last timed down there was a double foul, an inadvertent whistle, or a penalty enforcement which results in a safety. ART. 6…Each team is entitled to two (2), sixty (60) second timeouts for the game. ART. 7…If the clock is stopped for an injured player, then that player must be replaced for 1 down. SECTION 2. DELAYS ART. 1…The ball must be put into play no more than twenty-five (25) seconds after the Ready- for-Play signal has been given. ART. 2…A team may not put the ball in play until it is declared ready-for-play. SECTION 3. COIN TOSS ART. 1…Before the start of the game, the Referee will conduct a captain’s meeting during which a coin toss will be done. The captain winning the toss shall have the choice of: a. choosing offense or defense b. choosing which goal to defend c. choosing to defer selection to the second half ART. 2…The captain not having the first choice of options for a half shall exercise the remaining option(s).

RULE 4: BALL IN PLAY, DEAD BALL,

ART. 1…A dead ball becomes live when it is legally snapped. SECTION 1…BALL DECLARED DEAD ART. 1…A live ball becomes dead: a. When it touches the floor. b. When it goes out-of-bounds. c. When a legal forward pass is completed. d. When the defense intercepts the ball. e. A or safety is made. f. A forward pass strikes the ground or is caught simultaneously by opposing players g. When a backward pass or strikes the ground or is caught simultaneously by opposing players, or when a snapped ball hits the ground. h. When an official sounds his/her whistle inadvertently during a down. SECTION 2…OUT OF BOUNDS ART. 1…A player, whether in possession of the ball or not, is declared out-of-bounds when any part of the person is touching anything, other than another player or game official, who is on or outside the sideline or end line. ART. 2…A loose ball is out-of-bounds when it touches anything, including a player or game official, who is out-of-bounds.

RULE 4: SERIES OF DOWNS, NUMBER OF DOWN, AND TEAM POSSESSION AFTER PENALTY

SECTION 1…PUTTING THE BALL IN PLAY ART. 1…The ball will be put in play using the following procedure: a. Start of the first or second half on their line. b. After a touchdown – team’s own goal line. c. After a safety – team’s own goal line. d. After a change of possession – spot of the or previous spot e. After a failed 5th down attempt – previous spot SECTION 2…SERIES – HOW STARTED, HOW BROKEN, RENEWED SERIES OF DOWNS ART. 1…A team shall have 5 consecutive downs starting on their own goal line to advance to the end zone. Any down may be repeated or lost by penalty. SECTION 3…ZONE LINE TO GAIN ART. 1…The zone line to gain in any series shall be the goal line. SECTION 4…FOUL BEFORE CHANGE OF TEAM POSSESSION ART. 1…Following a penalty between goal lines which occurs during a down and before any change of team possession during that down, the ball belongs to Team A. SECTION 5…FOUL AFTER CHANGE OF TEAM POSSESSION ART. 1…Following a penalty for a foul committed after team possession has changed during that down, the ball belongs to the team in possession when the foul occurred. The down established by that penalty shall be first down with goal line-to-gain. SECTION 6…PENALTY DECLINED ART. 1…If a penalty is declined the number of the next down shall be whatever it would have been if that foul had not occurred.

RULE 5: SNAPPING, HANDING, AND PASSING THE BALL

ART. 1…All plays must be started by a legal snap. ART. 2…The offensive team is responsible for retrieving the ball after each down. ART. 3…The offensive team shall have a 25 second after the Ready-for-Play whistle has been blown. ART. 4…The passer has 10 seconds from when he/she receives the snap to throw the ball. SECTION 1. ENCROACHMENT ART. 1…The defense is not allowed to the passer. They can attempt to knock a pass down at the but cannot cross the line of scrimmage to do so. ART. 2…After the ready-for-play whistle has been blown, no defensive player may enter into the neutral zone for any reason, the ball, or contact opponents/interfere with them in any way. SECTION 2. FALSE START ART. 1…No offensive player shall make a false start. This includes simulating a charge or start of play. The ball does not have to be snapped for this to occur. SECTION 3. THE SNAP ART. 1…The snapper, after assuming the position for the snap and adjusting the ball, may neither move nor change the position of the ball in a manner simulating the beginning of a play. ART. 2…The ball must be snapped in one continuous motion, not necessarily between the center's legs. ART. 3…The player receiving the snap must be 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage. The receiver of the snap may not be directly under the center. ART. 4…The center may not snap a ball to him/herself. SECTION 4. MOTION ART. 1…Only one offensive player may be in motion at the time of the snap. This motion must not be toward the opponent’s goal line(forward). SECTION 5. SHIFT ART. 1...If two or more players go in motion before the snap, then this is considered a shift and all players must come set for one full second prior to the snap. SECTION 6. HANDOFFS, BACKWARD PASS, & ART. 1…A passer may pass the ball backwards or lose player possession by a fumble anytime. ART. 2…Fumbles are dead when the ball touches the ground. The ball is put into play by the fumbling team at the point where the ball first touched the ground. ART. 3…A backwards pass or fumble that goes out of bounds between the goal lines belongs to the offensive team at the out of bounds spot. A backwards pass or fumble by the offense into its own end-zone will result in a safety. ART. 4…Players may not hand the ball at any time. SECTION 7. LEGAL OR ILLEGAL FORWARD PASS ART. 1…All players are eligible to touch or receive a pass. A forward pass may be thrown provided the passer’s feet are behind the line of scrimmage when the ball is released. Only one forward pass may be thrown per down. ART. 2…The passer has 10 seconds to throw the ball from when he/she receives the snap. ART. 3…A forward pass is illegal if: a. The passer’s foot is beyond the line of scrimmage when the ball is released. b. A passer catches his/her own untouched forward pass. c. If a player catches an illegal forward pass, the ball continues to be in play until declared dead. SECTION 8. COMPLETED OR INTERCEPTED PASSES ART. 1…A forward pass is caught or intercepted when: a. The player comes down with at least one foot in bounds while maintaining control of the ball through contact with the ground. b. The player makes the catch when kneeling or prone inbounds. ART. 2…A simultaneous catch by players on opposing teams shall result in an immediate dead ball with the offense maintaining possession at the spot of the simultaneous catch. ART. 3…When a forward pass touches the ground or anything out of bounds, it becomes dead and is ruled an . ART. 4… When a legal forward pass is completed, it is ruled dead. Players may not advance the ball by running. SECTION 9. FORWARD PASS INTERFERENCE ART. 1…During a down in which a legal forward pass crosses the line of scrimmage, whether the pass is catchable or uncatchable, contact which interferes with an eligible receiver/defender is pass interference, unless it occurs when 2 or more eligible players make a simultaneous and bona fide attempt to reach the ball. ART. 2…Hindering an opponent’s vision without making an attempt to play the ball is pass interference, even though contact may not be made.

RULE 6. SCORING AND MERCY RULE SECTION 1. MERCY RULE ART. 1…If a team is ahead by 19 or more points at or inside the 1 minute warning of the second half, the game is over. SECTION 2. TOUCHDOWN ART. 1…It is a touchdown when a loose ball is caught by a player behind the opponent's goal line in the end zone. ART. 2… are worth 6 points. SECTION 3. SAFETY ART. 1…A Safety shall be worth 2 points. ART. 2…It is a safety when: a. An offensive player commits any foul for which the penalty is accepted and measurement is from a spot in his/her own end zone. b. A player passes, fumbles, snaps, or bats a loose ball from the field of play to or across his/her goal line and the ball becomes dead there in his/her possession. SECTION 4. INTERCEPTION ART. 1… are worth 3 points. ART. 2…The defense may not advance an interception. The defense’s possession shall start at the spot of the interception with 5 downs to to .

RULE 7: CONDUCT OF PLAYERS AND NONPLAYERS SECTION 1. UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT ART. 1…No player or nonplayer shall commit the following acts: a. Refuse to comply or abide by the decision of an official or disrespectfully addressing an official. b. Use words similar to offensive audibles or cadences prior to the snap c. Intentionally kicking at the ball. d. Spiking the ball e. Participating while wearing illegal player equipment. f. Using profanity, taunting, insulting, or vulgar language or gestures. g. Leaving the team area and entering the field to participate during a fight. PENALTY: Unsportsmanlike Conduct. If on the offense, Loss of Down. If on the defense, replay down. Additionally, any player who participates in a fight shall be disqualified. SECTION 2. UNFAIR ACTS ART. 1…No player or nonplayer shall use verbiage or commit any act not in accordance with the spirit or fair play for the purpose of confusing the opponent. SECTION 3. UNSPORTSMANLIKE FOUL ACCUMULATION ART. 1…If a player commits his/her 2nd unsportsmanlike foul in a game, the player shall be ejected from the game. ART. 2…If a team commits 3 unsportsmanlike foul in a game, the team shall forfeit the game.

RULE 8. PERSONAL FOULS

SECTION 1. NON-CONTACT ART. 1…No physical contact is allowed between players. ART. 2…Picks, screens, and blocking is prohibited. SECTION 2. RESTRICTIONS ART. 1…No player or nonplayer shall: a. Punch, strike, strip, steal or attempt to steal the ball from a player in possessions. b. Contact an opponent either before or after the ball is declared dead. c. Make contact of any nature with an opponent which is deemed unnecessary. d. Contact an opponent who is on the ground. e. Throw the receiver to the ground. f. Deliberately drive or run into an opponent. g. Fight an opponent PENALTY: If on the offense, loss of a down. If on the defense, replay down and result of the play. If the foul is flagrant, the offender will be ejected. SECTION 3. ILLEGAL PARTICIPATION ART. 1… It is Illegal Participation when: a. There is more than the maximum allowed number of players participating at the snap. b. If an injured player, for which the officials stop the clock, is not replaced for one down, unless the halftime or overtime intermission occurs. c. If an offensive player goes out of bounds and returns inbounds during the down to participate.

RULE 9. FOULS ART. 1…All fouls by the offense will result in the following defensive team options: a. Replay down b. Take the result of the play c. Take the result of the play and lose a down ART. 2…All fouls by the defense will result in the following offensive team options: a. Replay down b. Take the result of the play ART. 3…If the offensive team commits a penalty in its own end zone and the penalty is accepted, a safety shall be awarded. ART. 4…If there is a foul by the offensive team on a touchdown, acceptance of the penalty nullifies the score. ART. 5… It is a double foul if both teams commit fouls on the same play. The penalties offset and the down is replayed.

RULE 10. OVERTIME PROCEDURES ART. 1…Regular season games that are tied at the end of regulation time will be recorded as a tie. ART. 2…Playoff games that are tied at the end of regulation time shall resume with a 3 minute overtime period. The team with the most points at the end of the overtime period shall be declared the winner. If the game is still tied, this process will be repeated until a winner can be declared. ART. 3…The officials will conduct a coin toss. The winning captain shall have the option of offense, defense, or choosing the side of the field they would like to defend. The losing captain will have the remaining choice. ART. 4…Each team is entitled to one time out for the entire overtime.

RULE 11. CO-REC RULE VARIATIONS ART. 1…Each team will consist of 4 players. The minimum number of players necessary to start a game is 3. The acceptable combinations for Co-Rec are 2 men/2 women, 2 men/1 woman, 1 man/2 women. ART. 2…A regular, intermediate or youth size ball may be used.