Crescent Football League Rulebook – (August ’24 - subject to amendments)
Waivers- ALL players must sign waivers before playing.
Rules Part 1:
The Game, Field, Players, and Equipment
The Game:
· Games will be played between two registered teams consisting of 6 players per team at any given time on the field with an official-sized football. The team with the most points scored after regulation or overtime (see overtime rules) will be awarded the victory. Each game will be played under 2 officials. Each team is required to designate one captain to the officials before the game that speaks for the entire team in dealings with the officials.
· Captains or designee from each team must be present for the coin toss.
Field:
· The Field will be rectangular shaped. Dimensions are 70 by 35 yards. All players, substitutes, trainers, coaches, or any team personnel are subject to the rules written here and governed by the officials. Cones will mark the back of the ned zones, the front of the end zones, the 5-yard line, the 15-yard line and mid-field on either side.
· Field Dimensions: 70*35
Players:
· Each team’s roster can have a maximum of 12 players and a minimum of 6 players. • Age limit is set at a minimum of 18 years old. If a player is under 18 parental permissions must be given in the signed form.
· To get more information contact the CFL governing body. It is 6-on-6 flag football which means at any given time (offense, defense, special teams) there can only be 6 players on the field. Substitutions are allowed at any time except during an ongoing play. Having more than 6 players on the field when the play is ongoing will be a penalty of 5 yards and a re-do of the down.
· No substitutions are allowed once a team breaks the huddle, unless permitted by an official
Team Areas:
· Each team will have one side of the field to use as their designated “Team Area”. Team Areas are between the two 10 yard lines.
· Standing anywhere not designated as your “Team Area” will result in a 5-yard flag at the officials' discretion
Equipment:
· Each player must always wear their team’s designated jerseys/shirts during their time on the field. All jerseys/shirts must be tucked in.
· Shoes with metal, ceramic, screw-in, or detachable cleats are not allowed.
· Any slippery or sticky foreign substance on any equipment (other than the football) or exposed part of the body is not allowed.
· Towels attached to the waist are not allowed.
· Each player must wear a flag belt at the waistline with three (3) flags attached (one on each side of the body and one on the back).
· Wrapping, tying, to the belts in any way, or intentionally removing a flag during a play is illegal and will result in a 10 yard penalty and an unsportsmanlike warning (two unsportsmanlike penalties results in an ejection and potential further disciplinary action.
· Officials can do random checks to ensure flags are not improperly secured and can check a player after a score.
· Helmets, padded uniforms, jewelry, or any type of metal or other potentially dangerous object protruding from one’s uniform is not allowed, no foreign object on the field including pumps.
Rules Part 2: Definitions
· Live Ball and Dead Ball: A live ball is a ball in play while a down is in progress. A dead ball is that period in between downs when the ball is not in play.
Start of Game and Punts.
· Team with better record will choose heads or tails during a coin toss.
· The winner of the coin toss has the following options - take ball in first half, play defense in a particular direction in first half, or defer choice to the second half. If coin toss winner defers to the second half, the other team can either take the ball or choose to play defense in a particular direction in the first half. The team selecting in the second half can either take the ball on offense or play defense in a particular direction.
· There are no kick-offs. Offenses will start at their own 5-yard line and will have four downs to score or advance beyond midfield for a first down and obtain a new set of downs. A first down down may be obtained only once by crossing midfield. A team on offense can elect to punt on fourth down or attempt to obtain a first down. A punt will be marked by officials where the ball goes out of bounds, not where is lands. If a team fails to convert on fourth down, the other team takes over possession on offense.
· On a punt, the receiving team must have at least one player withing three yards of the line of scrimmage. An attempt to block a punt is allowed but any contact with the punter results in a first down and a 10 yard penalty for the punting team for "roughing the passer".
· Punts out of bounds will be marked at where the ball went out of bounds and punts into the end zone will be started at the 5 Yard line. On a punt, if the receiving team touches the ball and the ball then drops to the floor the new line of scrimmage will be where the ball lands provided it landed behind the player; if ball lands ahead of the player touching the ball, then the ball is marked where the ball is touched.
Loose ball or Fumbles:
· There are no loose balls and/or fumbles in the CFL. Any ball that hits the ground after a successful completion is considered a dead ball and the official will mark the new line of scrimmage where the ball lands unless the ball lands ahead of the receiver then the ball is marked where receiver had last possession.
· A backward pass or a lateral pass that hits the ground, the new line of scrimmage shall be where the ball first touched the ground.
· There will be no stripping off the ball by the defense from the ball carrier. Any attempt to dislodge the ball from the ball carrier forcibly will be considered a personal foul (unsportsmanlike conduct - 10 yards).
· No ball swatting, stripping, or attempt to dislodge the ball is allowed; any attempt to do so will be considered an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Receptions and Interceptions:
· Reception by a wide receiver from a quarterback consists of securing the ball from the air with two (2) feet down in bounds. A ball that hits the ground without the receiver having full control of it first or without establishing two feet in bounds will be ruled as incomplete.
· An interception is when a defender catches a passed ball from the quarterback or a backward pass from a runner during a play before it hits the ground. The defender also must secure possession of the ball before it hits the ground and has both feet in bounds. Once the ball is intercepted, the defense will be treated as the offense and the offense as the defense.
· In the rare case where both an offensive player and a defensive player come down with the ball, the benefit of the doubt will go towards the offense with no interception rewarded. This is at the discretion of officials.
· Once the ball is passed the line of scrimmage no player is allowed to throw the ball forward but only laterally or behind them. Any forward pass after the ball has crossed the line of scrimmage, the play will be ruled dead and the new line of scrimmage will be where the ball was last before the runner threw it forward. The down, in this case, will not be repeated.
· Once secure possession of the ball is confirmed and both feet are inbounds, the play results in a touchdown.
· No diving towards the end-zone is allowed and will result in a five yard penalty from the start of the dive attempt
Juggle Rule:
· Should a player juggle an attempted pass and have their flag removed between the initial contact with the ball and the time the ball is secured, the defenders then must down the offensive player with one hand touch rule.
Blocking:
· No blocking at any time is allowed in the CFL
· Players may set non-moving picks for their teammates. A moving pick is a ten yard penalty from place of infraction.
To Begin a Play:
· The Quarterback must present the ball at or in front of the line of scrimmage to initiate the start of any down.
· A QB cannot have the ball behind the line of scrimmage and yell “HIKE” to initiate a play. A play only starts once the ball is crossed by the QB at or in front of the line of scrimmage and the QB brings it back behind the line of scrimmage. The QB will then have 5 seconds (counted out loud by the nearest official as Mississippi one, Mississippi two, and so on) to either forward pass to a receiver or make a lateral or backward pass to a runner.
· After 5 Mississippi has been counted by the official the defense can go after the QB’s flag, the QB may scramble behind,d the line of scrimmage but may not cross it.
· If the QB passes laterally or backwards behind the line of scrimmage the defenders can cross the line of scrimmage only after the other offensive player has touched the ball.
. There are no backward laterals allowed prior to a forward throw
. · If either team goes up by 12 points (2 TD’s) they must switch QBs. If they go up by another 2 TD they would be required to do so again. The officials will enforce this.
· If any defensive player crosses the line, it is a 5-yard penalty and do-over down unless the play results in a completed pass. Then the offense has the option of declining the penalty.
. The defender playing giver must stay in line with the cone and cannot move more than 2 yards downfield, failure to do so will result in a five yard penalty.
Downs and Distance:
· Each possession will start at the 5-yard line unless there was a turnover in which case the ball will be placed at the spot where the player was downed last.
· For each possession, the offensive team has 4 downs to get to midfield. Failure to do so results in the opposing team taking over the ball at the spot of the turnover. • If the offensive team successfully crosses midfield, the team will then be given 4 downs to get to the end zone.
· Failure to score after 4 downs are over results in a turnover on downs and the opposing team will take over at the spot where the ball was downed last.
· The offensive team has an option to “punt” the ball after 3 downs if they choose to do so (read Start of Game and Punts above).
· After each down or after each play is whistled dead, the offense is given 30 seconds before they start the next play. The offense can start their play anytime within that 30 seconds if the officials are set and give the go-ahead whistle.
Removing The Flag:
· When a defender cleanly and legally removes a flag from an offensive player with the football the play is whistled dead.
· The defensive player may not hold, push, or knock down the ball carrier (see Penalties).
· Once the play is over the defender may place the flag on the floor where the play happened or hand it back to one of the offensive players.
· Offensive players may not guard their flags by slapping or striking the defenders (see Penalties.)
· In the case of the flag falling accidentally or pulled down before the offensive player has possession of the ball the “one hand touch” rule will apply.
Scoring Chart:
Touchdowns = 6 points
Extra Points = 1 point if successful from the 5-yard line
Extra Points = 2 points if successful from the 15-yard line
Safety = 2 points for the team on defense and subsequent possession on offense
Interception return to the other end zone on an extra point attempt results in two oints for the intercepting team.
Periods:
· Games consist of two halves of 25 minutes each with running time until the two-minute mark. Game clock can be stopped by calling time-out by either team or official time-out.
· Halftime recess is three minutes.
· The clock runs continuously each half until the two minute warning unless stopped by a time-out by team participants or the referee(s).
· Each half will have a two-minute warning timeout. After the two-minute warning till the conclusion of the game, the clock will stop at each incomplete pass, when a ball carrier goes out of bounds, or on a change of possession(2nd half only)
· Each team is allocated three time-outs per half. Time outs are 45 seconds and unused time-outs cannot be carried over to the next half of play
Overtime Rules:
· If a game ends in a tie at the end of regulation during the regular season, each team will get one possession from midfield to score.
· There will be a coin toss.
· The winner of the coin toss will have the options of offense, defense, or left/right direction
· If the team that wins the coin toss decides to choose a direction the other team will go that same way when they get the ball.
· If the team who wins the toss decides to take the ball, they will take the ball at midfield and the other team will choose direction.
· The receiving team will have 4 downs to score
· In the playoffs, same rules as in regular season, but teams will alternate possessions until a winner is determined. Each team will get an equal number of possessions.
Forfeits:
· Games can be started with a minimum of 5 players.
· There will be a 5-minute grace period for each team if the players don’t show up on time.10 minutes in the clock starts with the team present having choice of coin toss in both halves. After 15 mins the game is ruled a forfeit unless the other team agrees to extend the waiting period.
· If a team forefeits without a 24 hour notice to the league, then that team will lose all timeouts in the next game and their next opponent will get to receive the ball both halves and select direction.
Mercy Rule:
· When a team is up 25 points at the two minute warning, the game ends via mercy rule
Playoff Eligibility:
· Officials/captains will take a team picture before each game to verify attendance
· Players must appear in at least 4 games to be eligible for playoffs (8-game regular season).
· Injured Player Eligibility: If a player is injured and cannot participate, they can receive attendance credit by being at their team's game.
Playoffs:
· Every team will make the playoffs
Rules Part 3: Penalties
Infractions and Penalties (Not exhaustive and subject to review by CFL)
1. Offensive Offsides: All offensive players must be behind the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped. Penalty 5 yards.
2. No defensive player may touch any offensive player behind the line of scrimmage before the Mississippi 5 count. Encroachment penalty 5 yards.
3. Defensive Pass Interference: No defensive player may pull, tug, push or otherwise interfere with a wide receiver’s body while the receiver is trying to make a catch (Ball in the air). Penalty spot of the foul and re-do down. If the infraction occurs in the End zone ball will be placed at the 1-yard line and redo down.
4. Offensive Pass Interference: No offensive player may pull, tug, push or otherwise interfere with a defensive player trying to make an interception. Penalty 10 yards and re-do of down.
5. Defensive Holding: No player can pull, push, hold, or otherwise interfere with other players’ routes or running. Penalty 5 yards and re-do down. The penalty may be declined. If the official determines the defensive holding prevented a player from scoring, then the official may award a TD on such a play to the offense.
6. Unnecessary Roughness: No player may hold, push, or knock down any ball carrier. Penalty 10 yards and replay the down and a possible suspension from the game depending on severity.
7. Once the ball is passed the line of scrimmage no ball carrier may pass the ball forward. Ball carriers may pass laterally or backwards. There is a 10 yard penalty and loss of down for an illegal forward pass.
8. If an infraction occurs by the defensive team during a PAT (point after touchdown) attempt, the play will be replayed with penalty yards. (see Amended Rules)
9. If an infraction occurs by the offensive team during a PAT attempt, the play will be replayed with penalty yardage attached. (see Amended Rules)
10. Putting a ball in play before officials deem it ready to play. Penalty 5 yards.
11. The team is not ready to play in the second half. A penalty of 10 yards will be added to the opposition’s next possession if available.
12. Illegal use of hands, illegal removal of flags, striking, kneeing, elbowing, meeting with knees, striking with open hands, etc. Penalty 10 yards.
13. If off-setting penalties occur during any play, the play will be replayed.
14. No roughing the passer. Penalty 10 yards and replay down. If excessive ejection.
15. Ball carrier cannot grasp a teammate or be pushed or pulled by a teammate. Penalty 10 yards from the spot of the foul.
16. Defensive players may not hold, grasp, or obstruct ball carriers’ forward progress when trying to pull down a flag. 10-yard penalty from the end of the run and replay the down
17. No offensive player may touch the ball once out of bounds. You cannot come back in play if you step out of bounds. Penalty ball 5 yards and loss of down.
18. Unsportsmanlike conduct- No exaggerated celebrations, no exaggerated taunting, no threatening remarks, no fighting, etc. Penalty 10 yards and possible suspension from the game and league.
19. If a player doesn’t have a jersey they may wear a matching colored shirt. No jersey or matching colored shirt will result in a 5-yard penalty on the first possession of the game.
Offensive blocking - 5 yard penalty
Flag shielding - 5 yard penalty
Giver downfield - 5 yard penalty
Offensive holding - 5 yard penalty
Defensive / Offensive Passer interference - 15 yard penalty
Defensive holding- 10 yard penalty
Personal foul - 15 yard penalty
2nd personal foul - ejection
Passing over the line of scrimmage – 5 yards and loss of down
Putting a ball in play before officials deems so – 5 yards
Tackling- 10 yard penalty
Too many players on field – 5 yard penalty
Delay of game – 5 yard penalty
1. Push Out of Bounds in the End-zone: · If a receiver is in the end zone in the air or is at any time deliberately pushed out of bounds, it will be ruled pass interference and can lead to an unsportsmanlike penalty.
2. Holding to get the Flag:
· When an infraction occurs, the Official will notify the captain of his choice to either accept or decline. If declined or in the chance of off-setting penalties no down or distance is lost. The captain’s choice cannot be revoked.
· When two infractions occur in the same play the offended Captain has the choice to accept whichever penalty.
· If there is a live ball penalty and a dead ball penalty both can be assessed at the same time.
· If there are offsetting penalties the down is replayed. If there is an offsetting penalty and there is a change of possession (i.e., interception) the team that gained possession last will get the ball. · Unsportsmanlike penalties are ALWAYS enforced and there can be multiple infractions at any given time. Rules Part 4: Prohibitive Acts Any unsportsmanlike conduct is strictly prohibited. Prohibited acts include:
3. Abusive or insulting language to anyone.
4. Any acts of unfair play.
5. Managers, coaches, or substitutes on the field of play other than when stated above or given permission to.
6. A substitute or any other person interfering with a play while the ball is still alive.
7. Delaying the game in an excessive manner.
8. Pulling or removing a player’s flag intentionally without them having the ball. h) Tripping, or blocking.
9. No player should be thrown to the ground or pushed aggressively.
10. No player shall contact an opposing player during a play or on a dead ball except when necessary and deemed legal.
11. The ball carrier CAN NOT deliberately run into an offensive player.
12. No Stiff arms or prohibiting defensive players from pulling flags down by slapping or any aggressive method.
13. Any aggressive language/behavior/threats to a player, official, league member, or spectator of CFL. Officials and Their Responsibilities: · All officials have concurrent jurisdiction over the game, infractions, and plays. All officials will carry a whistle. The official at the line of scrimmage will countdown the 5 Mississippi’s after the ball is snapped. · Both officials must whistle loudly and clearly to prevent rough play once the play is dead. • When an official notes an infraction a flag must be thrown and use the proper guidelines to administer the penalty unless declined by the offended Captain. All Unsportsmanlike conduct penalties will be enforced.
· An official may eject players based on the guidelines above and if the player performs any of the prohibited acts. · The Officials must keep track of accurate time via a Stopwatch.
· The Officials must also keep track of accurate scores at all times. The officials have sole authority and general oversight over the games. · The officials are also in charge of making sure of the field dimensions and putting down the cones. Amended Rules that supersede any rule above: · Flag Shielding: 10 yds. a penalty from spot and Loss of Down. · Dead Ball Unsportsmanlike Penalty after a touchdown: Offensive Penalty Infraction the ball will now be placed on the 15-yard line if going for 1 Pt Conversion and on the 25-yard line if going for a 2 Pt Conversion. · If a defensive team causes a penalty on a dead ball after the touchdown the 1-point conversion will be played from the 2.5-yard line (half the distance). If the offense decides to go for 2 the ball will be placed at the 7.5-yard line. · Ejections for Unsportsmanlike Behavior: Two Unsportsmanlike Penalties on the same player will result in an automatic ejection from the game and the playing field. Depending on the severity of the unsportsmanlike conduct, 1 penalty can also result in an ejection. The player ejected will be reviewed by the league officials to make a final decision on further suspension or ejection from the league. At any time, we Deem a player to try to enforce physical harm on another player it will be the judgment of the Officials to penalize that player up to an Automatic Ejection. Such examples can be tackling, lowering a shoulder, pushing a player out of Bounds, Stiff Arms, tripping, Blocking, or running off a sideline to interfere with an ongoing play. The Officials have the right to eject any player as the result of an unsportsmanlike penalty at any time in the game. (In addition to stopping the game due to a team’s sideline behavior) · Pass Interference on the defense: Spot foul replay down unless it crosses over the 1st down then it is a 1st down. If the spot is in the endzone the ball will be spotted on the 2-yard line · Pass Interference on the Offense: 10 Yard penalty from line of scrimmage replay down. · Roughing the Passer: 15-yard penalty and repeat the down. · Using the Ball as a Blocking Device: The ball carrier is NOT allowed to use the ball in any manner to create separation or block between the defender and the ball carrier’s flag. · Extra Point Attempt: If a defender intercepts the ball on an extra point attempt the play is ruled dead. There are no returns · Encroachment: It is a defensive penalty. Before the ball is hiked, the defense goes offside. It will be considered encroachment and will be an automatic 5-yard penalty. The offense CANNOT decline or accept. It will be a replay of the down OR if the offense crosses over the 1st down marker, then it will be a 1st down. · Kickoff: Teams will start at the 5-yard line at the beginning of the game. There is no kickoff to start the game. · Blitzing: Defenses will be able to blitz once every 4 downs. Defenses can blitz on any down. As soon as the referee completes saying “Mississippi 2” the “Blitzer” can cross the line of scrimmage. The blitzer doesn’t need to say blitz. That is the referees responsibility. · Giver: The defensive linemen will be able to drop into coverage unrestricted after the offense hikes the ball but must be within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage before the actual snap · Any ineligible player will not be eligible to participate in a game until eligibility is proven. The commissioner and the committee have discretion. No exceptions to this rule. It is imperative that we protect the players and the league’s integrity. · Punting: When a team punts the receiving team will have an opportunity to return the ball. If the ball hits the ground and no one touches it between the time when the punter punts, it and it hits the ground that ball will be considered live for the receiving team if the punting team touches it, it will be considered dead. If the ball is punted and touches any player on the receiving team and then hits the ground, then it is considered dead at that spot where it hits the ground. · Roster Adds/Drops/Trades: A team can add/drop/trade players until week 4. Week 4 is defined as the game played on the Saturday of week 4. The rosters will be locked on that Saturday at 11:59 pm. The next day will be considered Week 5. However, once the roster is set at week 1 any adds/drops/trades will need to be communicated with the commissioner’s office so that the proper transaction takes place. · No Automatic First Down: There is no penalty in the CFL that will result in an automatic first down. The only time a penalty will result in a first down is if the penalty carries the ball over mid-field. This is not considered automatic it is just a result of the penalty. · No Diving: A player cannot dive or jump to get into the endzone or reach the 1st down by jumping or diving. It will be a 5-yard penalty and loss of down.
· Spot of Ball: The ball will be spotted where the hips are at the time of the flag being removed. (See: Receptions and Interceptions) · QB Throwing the Ball Near the Line of Scrimmage: We will use the NFL rule of the body can be across the LOS when the ball is being thrown if one part of the QBs body is at or behind the LOS it is a legal throw. · Injury Timeout: In under two minutes in either half, the team that has an injured player will be charged with a timeout. If the team with the injured player does not have a timeout, then 20 seconds will be deducted from the game clock. The game can end because of the 20-second run-off. · Infractions can affect player eligibility in subsequent games and seasons