Full rules & regulations can be downloaded at the bottom of the webpage. Any rules not covered by the Holland Recreation Flag Football rule book will automatically defer to MHSAA rules and procedures.
ROSTERS & WAIVERS: All team members must sign a waiver/roster form prior to playing. Only players on a roster are eligible to participate in league games. Team rosters/waivers will be filled out at the field on the first night of league play. Any roster changes or substitute players must sign a waiver/ roster at the courts prior to their first game.
CHECK-IN: Players must check in with Holland Recreation staff each night of play prior to taking the field. If a player does not check-in, then their attendance at that game will not count towards the three (3) games needed for playoff eligibility.
PLAYER ELIGIBILITY: Players must compete in three (3) regular season games to be eligible for playoffs. Players will be expected to check-in at the courts each night to ensure the needed regular season games have been played. Teams who participate in playoffs with a player who is not on their roster will be subject to forfeiting the match.
SUGGESTED ROSTER MAXIMUM: 14 Players *Teams may have more players on their roster, but only fourteen championship shirts will be given at the end of the season.
EJECTIONS: All individuals who are ejected from a game will automatically be suspended from the their next scheduled game. More severe suspensions or league ejections may be enforced at the discretion of the league coordinator.
FORFEITS/NO SHOWS: Teams are expected to be at the field at their scheduled game time. Teams that fail to arrive will lose by forfeit. A "no show" is defined as a team that is scheduled to play but does not show up with no warning given to league administrators. Teams that no show more than once in a season or forfeit more than twice will not be eligible for playoffs and may be removed from the league at the discretion of the league coordinator. Forfeits and no-shows are poor team etiquette, and should be avoided at all cost.
TEAMS PER LEAGUE: Players are allowed to play on only ONE team in Holland Recreation’s Adult Flag Football program regardless of the night each team plays on.
DIVISIONS (if needed): Teams will be broken into divisions within the first four (4) weeks of play, provided there are enough teams playing on a given night to warrant doing so.
PLAYER AGE: Players must be 16 years of age to play. If a player is under 18, please contact the Holland Recreation office as waivers must be completed for minor players. High School students are not eligible to play on a team if they are currently participating in an MHSAA sport.
GAME FORMAT: Two (2) twenty-minute halves (running clock).
PLAYERS ON FIELD: Games will consist of seven (7) players on the field at a time. Games may begin with (6) or more players.
MERCY RULE: Should a team be trailing by 30 points at any time in the second half, the referees shall end the game immediately. There will be no exception to this mercy rule.
FLAG PULLING: A legal flag pull takes place when the ball carrier is in full possession of the ball. Defenders can dive to pull flags, but cannot tackle or intentionally hold or restrict the progress of the ball carrier when pulling a flag.
FLAG GUARDING: Flag guarding is an attempt by the ball carrier to obstruct the defender’s access to the flags by stiff arming, dropping of head, hand, arm, or shoulder, or intentionally covering flags with the football or jersey. Diving, leaping, hurdling, or jumping to advance the ball is considered flag guarding. Play will be dead at the spot of the foul and will result in a 5-yard penalty from the spot of the foul and loss of down unless the ball carrier exceeds the first down mark by more than 5 yards. Stiff arming is illegal and is subject to an unnecessary roughness penalty if severe. This rule is at the official’s discretion for the safety of the players.
FUMBLES: There are no fumbles. When the ball carrier loses control of the ball and it touches the ground the play is ruled dead and the ball is spotted at the point it touched the ground as long as the spot is at or behind the ball carrier’s forward progress.
OVERTIME: If both teams are tied after regulation, the game will go into overtime. Each team has (4) downs to score from the 20-yard line of the field closest to the end zone. Both teams get equal chances to score. In regular-season games, if no winner is determined after two (2) overtime periods the game will be considered a TIE. In tournament play or playoffs this will be repeated until a winner is determined. Teams must go for two (2) after the second overtime.
TIMEOUTS: Two (2) timeouts per half. One (1) timeout total for all overtime sessions.
FOOTBALL: Teams must bring their own ball for offense.
UNIFORMS: Teams will be required to wear like color shirts or jerseys. Opposing teams may not wear similar colored shirts. Bring a light and dark-colored shirt. If team colors conflict, the away team will wear provided mesh jerseys.
TOURNAMENT SEEDING: Based on overall season record.
AWARDS: Awards will be presented to the team with the best record. One award will go to regular-season champions and a separate award will go to playoff champions.
FIGHTING AND UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT ZERO TOLERANCE:
Fighting and unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated. Players ejected by the referee for striking an opponent or official may face criminal charges. A player ejected for striking (i.e. throwing a punch) another player will be suspended INDEFINITELY. There will be no exceptions to this rule. Verbal abuse & inappropriate language will not be tolerated. Such abuse, when deemed appropriate, will be grounds for game ejection and possible league suspension. Taunting and over excessive celebration will also be grounds for a personal foul or ejection. Penalty will be 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. Any player ejected from a game will automatically be suspended for the next playable game. Player must leave playing field and surrounding area.