TURKEY BOWL RULES Turkey Bowl is a double elimination tournament. FLAG FOOTBALL – not touch or tackle! Play hard and respect the refs. Have fun & compete fairly! GAME TIME: • Before each game, teams meet at midfield to ask the ref questions & pray together. • Two halves: 10 minutes each. Halftime: 2 minutes • Total game time: 22 minutes • 25 seconds are allowed to run each play. • The clock runs continuously and stops only for injury. • **Length of playing time may change. FIELD LOCATIONS: • Fields are marked #1 - #9. • Fields #1 - #5 are on the field across the boulevard from the baseball fields. • Fields #6 & #7 are on the baseball field closest to Airline Highway. • Fields #8 & #9 are on the baseball field closest to the Student Building. TEAM SIZE / ELIGIBILITY: • SEVEN players from each team on the field at a time. • If a team has more than seven players, they will sub additional players. • If a team has less than seven players, they will play shorthanded. • No player can be added to a team once they have played in a game for another team. • All players must: o Be present for registration at 9am at Istrouma in order to play. o Receive a wristband from the registration team. o Attend church & lunch/orientation at Istrouma. • If a player comes to registration, attends church and then plans to leaves campus, they must notify our Turkey Bowl staff at registration (Micah/Jamie/Daniel/Christine). o No player who leaves campus after lunch will be allowed to rejoin their team after 3pm. • If a team has a “coach”, the coach must check-in at registration & receive a wristband. No team may have more than three coaches. FLAGS: • Flag styles should match on every field. Both teams should wear the same style flag. • Should team have more than seven people, players will need to exchange flags when making substitutions. • *If you are carrying the ball and your flag comes off (for ANY reason) the play is down where the flag came off • *If a player has no flag at the beginning of a play, they are not eligible to touch the ball. If they do, it is a loss of down. REF POSITIONING: • Backfield: behind the QB and the offense • Sideline: places cone at initial line of scrimmage. Moves cone to new line of scrimmage • A ref sets the ball each play. Play cannot begin without a ref setting the ball FIELD SIZE: • We have three different field sizes. Approximate field dimensions: o 40 yards long (60 yards in total length) – mostly middle school girls games o 50 yards long (70 yards in total length) – middle school guys/girls & high school girls games o 60 yards long (80 yards in total length) – middle school/high school guys games o ALL end zones are approximately 10 yards long. SCORING/FIRST DOWNS: • First downs are achieved by reaching the NEXT set of cones or striped white lines • 4 downs/tries to get a first down. • TOUCHDOWN is 6 points • Play following touchdown is worth 1 point (Ball set at the hashmark). • SAFETY is 2 points. • Safety is the result of: o Offense tackled (flag pulled) or forced out of bounds in their own end zone o Ball becomes dead in own end zone by way of defense (Ex: ball fumbled in end zone or out of bounds) o Offense commits a penalty in their own end zone • Following a safety, the scoring team receives the ball by kick off. ON OFFENSE • Minimum of 3 players must be on the line of scrimmage at every snap. • The ball must be snapped to start each play. Dropping the ball during the snap will be a fumble and result in loss of down (ball to be marked at spot of fumble). • Only one player may be in motion at the time of snap. RUSHING THE QUARTERBACK: • All defenses will observe a FIVE second rush rule o The ref behind the QB counts off with his hand raised. Ref drops his hand when a defensive rush is allowed • QB can NEVER run past the line of scrimmage with the ball. KICKING/TURNOVERS: • “Punting” option takes the ball 20 yards the other way on 4th down (not an actual kick). • A “fumble” is down by fumbling team at spot. It is not a turnover. • “Kickoff” can be kicked/thrown. *NO “onside” kicks allowed o Normal football rules with 1 exception. On kick-off there can be 1 forward pass! o If a kickoff goes out of bounds without touching a player first, the receiving team takes possession at midfield. • For a “touchback” the ball is placed at the hashmark o If the ball hits the ground, it is dead at the spot and there is no return. OVERTIME: • In the event of a tie, each team will be given ONE play from the hashmark • If a team scores on their one play, they will then attempt an extra point play. • This pattern continues until a winner is determined. PENALTIES: *Referees will make all calls for penalties. Offensive Penalties • Illegal Motion – 5 yards from the line of scrimmage and replay down o More than one player in motion at the time of snap. • Illegal Formation – 5 yards from the line of scrimmage and replay down o Having less than three players on the line of scrimmage. • Illegal Pass – 5 yards from the line of scrimmage and loss of down o Passer crosses the line of scrimmage before passing the ball. • Illegal Run – 5 yard penalty from original line of scrimmage and loss of down o QB runs the ball beyond the line of scrimmage without handing off, pitching or passing. • Intentional Grounding – 5 yards from line of scrimmage and loss of down • Delay of Game – Loss of down o Not snapping the ball within 25 second play clock. • Illegal Block – 5 yards from the spot of the foul and loss of down o Holding, initiating contact or blocking without hands at players side. • Pass Interference – 10 yards from line of scrimmage and loss of down • Flag Guarding - 5 yards from the spot of the foul and loss of down o Intentional or unintentional use of the arm, football or body (positioning body and running backwards) to prevent the flag from being pulled. • Stiff-arming – 10 yards from spot of foul and loss of down Defensive Penalties • Illegal Pass Rushing – 5 yards from line of scrimmage and replay of down o Defensive player(s) cross the line of scrimmage during the 5-second pass count. • Encroachment – 5 yards from line of scrimmage and replay of down o Defensive player(s) cross the line of scrimmage before the snap of the ball. • Illegal Contact – 10 yards from the spot of foul o Pulling or holding jersey, pulling or holding shorts/pants or any other illegal use of hands. • Illegal Flag Pull – 10 yards from the line of scrimmage o Removing flag of player that is not in possession of ball. • Pass Interference – 10 yards from line of scrimmage and automatic first down General Penalties • Diving – 10 yards from the spot of the foul o Offensive players can never dive to advance the ball. o Defensive players may dive to pull a flag as long as no illegal contact is made. • Illegal Contact – 10 yards from the spot of the foul o Right of way is given to a moving offensive ball carrier that is advancing the ball. § Defensive players must avoid contact with the offensive ball carrier while attempting to pull their flag. o Right of place is given to a standing/set defensive player who is in position to make the flag pull on an offensive ball carrier. § Offensive players must avoid contact with the defensive player while advancing the ball and avoiding the flag pull. o **Ejection for intentional harm • Attitude – 5 yards from the line of scrimmage o Arguing, bad language, excessive smack talk • If any penalty would result in yardage placing the ball in either end zone, then the penalty will be half the distance to the goal. PARENTS / SPECTATORS: • All spectators must stay on the side of the field opposite of the team bench. o Spectator sideline = bleacher side. • If a spectator feels something needs attention, please find one of our Turkey Bowl staff. • Spectators should not engage with the ref or the players on an opposing team. MASTER BRACKETS located at the concession stand .