Youth flag football rules, explained

Most youth flag leagues in the US start from NFL FLAG style 5 on 5 rules. This page walks through them the way a new coach needs them: what happens on a play, what is not allowed, and how teams score.

The basics

• Five players per team on the field. On offense, every player can catch a pass, including the center.
• No tackling. You stop the ball carrier by pulling a flag off their belt (a flag pull).
• No blocking, no screening and no contact.¹ Players get open by running routes and using decoys, not by pushing.
• The QB cannot run the ball past the line of scrimmage.² Runs happen by handing off or pitching to someone else.
• Games are two halves. NFL FLAG lists halves of 15 to 25 minutes depending on the league, with one 60-second timeout per team per half.²
• NFL FLAG rules require every player to wear a flag belt and a mouthguard.³ Many other leagues do too.

The field

NFL FLAG's rules page lists a field 30 yards wide and 70 yards long, with a 10-yard end zone at each end.² Its rulebook gives two layouts: 25 by 70 yards with 10-yard end zones, or 25 by 64 yards with 7-yard end zones.⁴ Local fields vary, so measure yours or ask. Either way, the field has three lines that matter:

• Midfield is the line to gain. Cross it and you earn a new set of downs.
• The no-run zones sit 5 yards before midfield and 5 yards before the goal line you are attacking.⁴ Every play snapped inside one must end in a forward pass.
• The goal line. Get the ball across it for a touchdown.

Downs and the line to gain

1. A team starts each drive at its own 5-yard line.²
2. It gets four downs (four plays) to cross midfield.
3. Once past midfield, it gets three downs to score a touchdown. If it does not score, the other team takes over at its own 5-yard line.⁵
4. If the offense does not cross midfield, the other team takes over where the last play ended. A coach can instead declare a punt on fourth down, and the other team starts at its own 5-yard line.⁵

Midfield is the one ordinary line to gain before the end zone. Defensive penalties can award additional first downs. Plan for steady gains while tracking the current down and line to gain.

No-run zones

When the ball is snapped inside a no-run zone, the offense cannot run it across the line of scrimmage. The play must end in a forward pass.⁴ You can still hand off or fake, as long as someone throws a legal forward pass. A ball spotted on or inside the zone counts,⁶ so the 1-point try from the 5-yard line is a pass play too.

Each drive meets two no-run zones: the one before midfield and the one before the goal line it is attacking. The shaded zone just past midfield belongs to the team going the other way. NFL FLAG's own guidelines drop the no-run zones for 8U and younger league play,⁷ so ask whether your division uses them.

Coaching tip: mark the no-run zones with cones at practice, and teach the kids one pass play they run every time the ball is in one. Several of our run plays, like Crossbuck, remind the kids that inside a no-run zone the play turns into a pass.

The rusher and the 7-yard rule

The rusher is the defender who chases the QB. The short version of the NFL FLAG rules:

The rusher's path, what counts as impeding the rusher, roughing the passer, one rusher against two and the rules for young divisions are all on the flag football rushing rules page, with diagrams.

The quarterback and passing

• The center snaps the ball between the legs to the QB. The QB cannot run it across the line.²
• The QB has 7 seconds to throw (the pass clock). If no pass is thrown in time, the play is dead and the down counts.⁹
• Handoffs and pitches are legal behind the line of scrimmage only.¹ After one, the 7-second clock goes away⁹ and the QB can go out for a pass.
• Only one forward pass per play, thrown from behind the line and going past it.⁹ A player who took a handoff can throw it,¹ which is why plays like the halfback pass are legal.
• Every player is an eligible receiver.¹⁰

No blocking, no flag guarding

Flag football has no blocking at all.¹ Offensive players who are near the ball carrier have to stop once the ball crosses the line.¹ Ball carriers may not protect their flags with a hand, the ball, an elbow or a stiff arm; that is flag guarding.¹¹ Runners also may not run straight into a defender who is standing set (charging). A ball carrier who dives, jumps or hurdles a player ends the play right there.¹²

What this means for coaches: you clear space with routes. When a play diagram has a receiver running deep on a run play, that player is pulling a defender away, and they need to run full speed to do it.

How a play ends

Under NFL FLAG style rules the whistle blows when:

• a defender pulls the ball carrier's flag, or a flag falls off (the ball is spotted where it was at that moment);
• the ball carrier steps out of bounds, or a knee or arm touches the ground;
• a pass hits the ground (an incomplete pass);
• the 7-second pass clock runs out;
• someone scores.

There are no fumble recoveries.² A dropped ball or bad snap is dead where it hits the ground, and the next play starts from there.

Scoring

These are the NFL FLAG rulebook values.¹³¹³ There is no kicking. After a touchdown, the offense picks a 1-point or 2-point try and runs one play.

Common penalties

Penalty yards change between leagues. In NFL FLAG style rules, defensive penalties usually move the ball forward and give an automatic first down, and offensive penalties usually move the ball back and cost a down. These are the ones new teams run into most:

Rules for the youngest players

NFL FLAG publishes recommended rule changes for its youngest divisions, so kids can learn. For regular season league play they include:

• No rushing the passer at 8U and younger unless there is a legal handoff in the backfield.¹⁴
• No no-run zones at 8U and younger, so teams may run anywhere (8U tournaments keep them).⁷
• A coach on the field: at 8U before the snap only, at 7U and 6U after the snap too, at a safe distance.⁷
• At 7U and 6U, defenders line up at least 5 yards off the ball, or 3 yards inside the 5-yard line.⁷
• At 7U and 6U, a snap that hits the ground is a do-over once per down.⁷

Local leagues pick and choose from these, so ask before your first game. Our 6U plays and 8U plays are picked to work either way.

How 7v7 differs

7 on 7 flag football is less standard than 5v5. Leagues, tournaments and high school programs each write their own rules. Things that usually change:

• Seven players per side, so the offense usually has five receivers plus a back, and the defense adds more short and deep defenders.
• A bigger field, and some leagues use more than one line to gain.
• The rush can be different: some 7v7 formats allow one rusher from about 7 yards, some allow none.
• Some leagues let the QB run once the rusher crosses the line of scrimmage, and some adult leagues allow limited blocking. Youth 7v7 flag almost never allows blocking.

If your league plays 7v7, read their rulebook closely and then look at our 7 on 7 flag football plays.

Quick answers

Content updated October 5, 2026