First-season flag football coach checklist

Before the season

• Get your league's rulebook and read it once. Note the field size, how many rushers are allowed (if any), and whether coaches may stand on the field. Our rules guide explains the usual NFL FLAG style rules.
• Ask what the league requires of coaches (often a background check) and finish it before the first practice.
• Read how to coach flag football once. It explains the why behind this list: what to teach first and how to install plays.
• Ask what the league provides: flags, footballs, jerseys, cones.
• Find out the ball size for your age group.
• Send parents a short welcome message: practice times, what to bring (water, a mouthguard if required, shoes), and how you will contact them about weather.
• Collect any medical notes and emergency contacts the league asks for.
• Find one or two parents to help at practice. One extra adult doubles how many kids get reps.
• Pick three to six plays for the first weeks. Start from your age group's plays.
• Learn the words. Skim the glossary and the route tree so you can explain every play in one sentence.

Your first practice

Keep the kids moving, and keep talking short. A simple order that works:

1. Names and a quick game. Learn names while everyone moves. Any tag game with flag belts works.
2. Flag pulling. Partners take turns walking, then jogging, while the other pulls a flag. Teach "eyes on the belt".
3. Snaps and handoffs. Every kid snaps and every kid takes a handoff. Two hands, ball tucked.
4. Two routes. The flat and the slant, with cones at the break. Every kid catches.
5. One play. Walk it, jog it, then run it. Point instead of drawing for young kids.
6. Short scrimmage. End with a game. It is why they came.

Want it laid out minute by minute? Use our first practice plan, and pick more from the drill library.

Water breaks often, lots of praise, and give every kid a turn at every job. At the youngest ages, fun is the goal, and learning comes from reps inside the games.

Every week at practice

• Warm up with flag pulling. It is the defense.
• Rehearse the huddle and lining up, not just the plays.
• Run each play in your playbook at least a few times.
• Practice the no-run-zone pass so it is automatic.
• Rotate positions, especially QB at young ages.

Game day

• Arrive early. Check in, find your field and sideline, and put belts on everyone.
• Check mouthguards and shoes, and remove jewelry if your league requires it.
• Meet the referee: ask about the rusher, the no-run zones and anything league-specific.
• Have your first few plays scripted and a no-run-zone play ready.
• Bring the wristband cards (print them from the playbook builder) and a spare set.
• Fill in a rotation card (below) so every kid gets fair turns on offense and defense.
• Hand the card and a pencil to one parent to track who played each series.
• After the game: shake hands, then one thing that went well and one thing to practice. Keep it short.

Game-day rotation card

Copy this onto an index card before the game. It is built for 7 players with 5 on the field: two kids sit each series, nobody sits twice in a row, and everyone sits two or three times. Swap in your own names, and if you have 6 or 8 players, keep the same idea: spread the sits evenly and never back to back.

S1 to S8 are series (one team possession each), counting offense and defense separately if your league lets you substitute between them. Substitutions are allowed during any dead ball in NFL FLAG rules.¹ Next game, start with F and G on the field so the extra sits even out over the season.

Tracking play time

• One parent puts a tally mark next to each name for every series played.
• Mark who played QB and center too, so those turns rotate fairly.
• Check the card at halftime and fix any gaps in the second half.
• Keep the cards. After three games you will see who is short on turns before anyone has to ask.

Why fair play time matters, and how to run a game day that stays calm, is in the how to coach flag football guide.

Gear bag

• Flag belts in two colors for scrimmages, plus spares.
• Footballs in the right size for your age group.
• Cones to mark the field, the no-run zones and route break points.
• A dry-erase clipboard, whistle, first aid kit, spare mouthguards and water.
• Wristbands and printed play cards.

Our coaching gear list covers what to look for in each item.