Flag football guides
Practical, no-fluff guides for the people who coach, officiate, run, and follow flag football — whether you're planning Saturday's practice, calling a game, scheduling a season, or watching your kid's match from the bleachers.
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Free tools
Free, no-login tools for building schedules, tournament brackets, playbooks, league rules and referee cards.
Schedule maker tool
Enter teams, fields and game times and get a fair round-robin season schedule with byes. Print it or download a CSV. No sign-up.
Make a schedule → Free toolPlay maker tool
Drag players onto a 5v5 or 7v7 field, draw routes, and print wristband play cards at true size on regular paper. No sign-up.
Draw a play → Free toolFlag football rules quiz
Watch an animated play and make the call. Every answer shows the penalty, the referee signal and the IFAF rule behind it. No sign-up.
Take the quiz → Free toolHouse rules builder
Start from IFAF or NFL FLAG-style rules, pick your league’s changes (blitzes, mercy rule, overtime, girl plays) and print a League Amendments sheet. No sign-up.
Build your rules → Free toolReferee pocket card
Every IFAF penalty with its yardage, spot and signal, the game essentials and your house rules on one 4×6 card. Print, cut, laminate.
Make your card → Free toolTournament bracket maker
Enter teams and fields and get pools, a seeded bracket with byes and a game-day schedule with times and fields. Print it or download a CSV. No sign-up.
Make a bracket → Free playsFlag football play library
24 free 5v5 and 7v7 plays with diagrams, the QB’s read, coaching points and an IFAF rules check. Add any of them to the play maker.
Browse the plays →Coaching
Plays, practices, drills, and defense — everything a volunteer coach needs to get a team ready for Saturday.
How to coach flag football
A beginner's guide for new coaches: learn the rules, run good practices, install a playbook, set a defense, and manage game day.
Read the guide → Start hereFlag football plays for beginners
A simple 5v5 and 7v7 playbook: the core route concepts, five plays that actually work, and how to call them on game day.
Read the guide → CoachingFlag football practice plan
A ready-to-run 60-minute practice template for youth and beginner teams: warm-up, skill drills, install, and a scrimmage.
Read the guide → CoachingFlag football drills for kids
Ten simple beginner drills for youth practices: flag pulling, catching, routes, handoffs, zone defense, and small-sided games.
Read the guide → CoachingHow to get youth players to listen
Players won't learn their plays? A 12U–14U reset: shrink the playbook, rep more, set fair accountability, and give player leaders real jobs.
Read the guide → CoachingFlag football offense strategy
A simple 5v5 game plan that moves the ball: spacing, the quick passing game, motion, reading the defense, and scoring in the red zone.
Read the guide → CoachingFlag football routes
Every route on the tree — what the numbers mean, how deep to run each one, and their other names (go, fly, streak) — plus which routes beat man or zone.
Read the guide → CoachingFlag football trick plays
12 trick plays checked against the IFAF rulebook, with diagrams, what's legal in 5v5, 7v7 and beach, youth ratings, and the 10 tricks that get flagged.
Read the guide → CoachingBest defense for 5v5 flag football
Why a 3-2 zone is the safest default for beginner 5v5 teams, plus responsibilities, rush rules, adjustments, and man coverage tips.
Read the guide → CoachingHow to pull a flag in flag football
The tackle of flag football, done right — break down, watch the hips, and grab the flag not the body. Technique, mistakes, and drills.
Read the guide → CoachingFlag football positions explained
Every 5v5 role — quarterback, center, receivers, rusher, defensive backs, and safety — with each job and its key rules, based on NFL FLAG.
Read the guide → CoachingFlag football wristband play sheet
What a wristband play sheet is, why teams use them, and how to build and call from one — with sizing tips for youth teams.
Read the guide → CoachingHow to laminate wristband cards
Which pouch thickness fits a wristband window, a quick method and a fully sealed method, and what to use if you don’t have a laminator.
Read the guide → CoachingFlag football play makers and playbook apps
Free and paid tools compared: what each costs, and which ones draw defense, simulate plays against it, analyze plays, and print wristband cards.
Read the guide →Rules & refereeing
How the game works and how to call it — rules, penalties, signals, scoring, and field setup.
Flag football rules, settled
Can the QB run? Can you spin, jump or dive? Short answers to 12 sideline arguments, each with the IFAF rule and an animated play.
Settle an argument → Start hereFlag football rules explained
Formats, scoring, downs, no-run zones, rushing the passer, and common penalties — the shared framework behind every league's rulebook.
Read the guide → Start hereHow to referee flag football
A beginner's guide to officiating: the role, pre-game setup, the most common calls, and managing the clock and downs without losing the play.
Read the guide → Rules & refereeingFlag football penalties and referee signals
The common calls new officials see most: flag guarding, illegal contact, false starts, illegal rushes, pass interference, and delay.
Read the guide → Rules & refereeingFlag football 7v7 rules
Roster and field size, downs, rushing, and no-run zones — plus the main ways 7v7 differs from 5v5.
Read the guide → Rules & refereeingHow to keep score in flag football
What a touchdown, extra point, and safety are worth, how downs work, and how to track the score cleanly on paper or in an app.
Read the guide → Rules & refereeingHow long is a flag football game?
Most games run about 40–50 minutes — two halves plus a short halftime. What sets the length, and why it varies by league and age.
Read the guide → Rules & refereeingHow many players are on a flag football team?
Flag football is usually 5v5 on the field, with rosters of about 7 to 12. The count for 5v5, 7v7, and 4v4, plus how subs work.
Read the guide → Rules & refereeingFlag football field dimensions
The NFL FLAG 5v5 field is 30 × 70 yards with two 10-yard end zones and no-run zones — plus how 7v7 and youth fields differ.
Read the guide → Rules & refereeingFlag football scoreboard apps: what to look for
The features that actually matter on game day — flag-specific rules, live sharing, multi-ref sync, a play log with undo, and league tools.
Read the guide →Running a league
Start a league, build the schedule, pick a playoff format, and keep a season running smoothly.
How to run a flag football league
Choose a format, build a conflict-free schedule, assign referees, keep standings accurate, and run a playoff bracket — without a pile of spreadsheets.
Read the guide → Start hereHow to start a youth flag football league
Demand, budgets, insurance, fields, registration, coaches, refs, and the season itself — a step-by-step launch plan with a 12-week countdown.
Read the guide → Running a leagueFlag football schedule maker
The round-robin math, how to build a season schedule by hand, the conflicts that break spreadsheets, and what a generator should automate.
Read the guide → Running a leagueHow to make a flag football tournament bracket
Choose a format, count games, seed teams, handle byes, schedule fields, publish rules, and track winners live.
Read the guide → Running a leagueSingle elimination vs round robin
How each format works, the trade-offs, the game-count math, and the hybrid most leagues actually use to crown a champion.
Read the guide → Running a leagueFlag football league management software
Registration platforms, spreadsheets, or a flag-specific game-day system — an honest comparison of what each does well and what it costs.
Read the guide → Running a leagueHow to run a church flag football league
Co-ed formats, welcoming rules, volunteer refs, near-zero budgets, and scheduling around services — a league built for fellowship first.
Read the guide → Running a leagueHow to run intramural flag football
Divisions, co-rec rules, student referees, forfeit and sportsmanship policies, and packing dozens of games onto shared fields.
Read the guide →Parents & fans
New to the sport, signing up a kid, or watching from the bleachers — start here.
Flag football vs tackle football
An even-handed comparison for parents — safety and concussion risk, cost, the skills each builds, and how to decide for your kid.
Read the guide → Start hereYouth flag football age groups
How age divisions work, what changes as kids move up, coed and girls' divisions, and placing your child in the right group.
Read the guide → Parents & fansFlag football equipment
What you actually need to play — flag belts, cleats, mouthguards, and what's optional — plus what your league usually provides.
Read the guide → Parents & fansHow to watch a game live online
Use a 6-character watch code to follow any ReadyRef game live in a browser — score, clock, downs, and play-by-play, no app and no account.
Read the guide → Parents & fansFlag football in the 2028 Olympics
The sport makes its Olympic debut at LA 2028 — men's and women's 5v5, six teams a side. The format, schedule, and how teams qualify.
Read the guide → Parents & fans150+ flag football team names
Funny, cool, intimidating, and kid-friendly team name ideas — plus pun formulas and tips for picking one that sticks.
Read the guide →