THE RULES OF  Frost Football
WHATS DIFFERENT???

• ONLY 3 downs instead of four

• You are allowed to kick a ball on the ground and any kicks or punts CAN be recovered by YOUR OWN team. Kickoffs can ALSO be recovered by the kicking team as long as it goes 10 yards.

• Touchback is at the 5 yard line

• Endzones are 20 yards deep

• Touchdowns that are scored by a person that ran ALL the way from their half of the field are worth 6 points. Normal Touchdowns are worth 4 points

• There are different rules for the 2 point and 1 point conversion. They can be found in the sections below  (if you were with us last year you already know these rules)

• Fumbles or kicked balls that go out of bounds are kicked back into play by the team that did NOT touch the ball last (like a corner kick in soccer)

• Yellow and Red Cards

• IMPORTANT: Penalty changes. When a penalty happens the play is immediately dead.

  • If the DEFENSE commits a penalty, the Offense gets the ball at the spot where the penalty happens and First Down OR 10 yards forward and First Down.

  • If the OFFENSE commits a penalty, then it is loss of down and the Offense has to go 10 yards backwards.

LESS IMPORTANT CHANGES:

• Rules changing the Kickoff Setup (see the sections below for details)

• Safety's are worth 3 points

• Yellow & Red Cards

• The list of penalties (see sections below for details)

• Replay Reviews and only 2 timeouts per team per game

• Games are only 20-25 minutes

• The clock is continuous (like in soccer)

TEAMS

Rostering, Substitution, & Injury

A team may have a maximum of 6 players on the field during play. 

Unlimited substitutions are available as long as it is in between plays and the referee is given notice.

FIELD

Field Measurements

The full field should be of 90 yards in length by 53 ⅓ yards in width.

• The two endzones on either side of the field should be 20 yards in length. Each half endzone is 10 yards in length.

AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE FIELD CAN BE FOUND HERE:

GAME CLOCK & TIMING

Play Clock Rule

After a play ends, the team that is supposed to snap the ball has 20 seconds to spot the ball and 10 seconds to snap the

ball after spotting it. Exception: The ball has been lost or has exited past the sidelines of the field.

Time Outs

Each team has a maximum of 2 timeouts per game which are at max each 40 seconds.
NO timeouts are allowed in the last 4 minutes before lunch/nutrition/break ends.

Game Time and Regulation Time

For Regular Games: ONE 20 minute half

Timing Rules and Added Time

The game clock counts downwards. The game clock should NEVER EVER STOP EXCEPT for major game disruptions. These disruptions are:

• Injuries: Time lost for the assessment or removal of injured players.

• Disciplinary Sanctions: Time used for issuing yellow or red cards.

• Medical Timeouts: Time needed to handle injuries or medical issues.

• Reviewal of Game: Referee Reviews

• Goal Celebrations: Delays while players celebrate.Time-wasting

• Other major game disruptions or delays.

ANY OTHER EVENTS, THE REFEREE CLOCK SHOULD NEVER STOP

DOWNING A PLAYER

Downing a Player

A player is considered down when they meet one of the following:

Wrapped Up: When a player is completely “wrapped up” by another player’s arms and their movement is completely restricted.

Down by Contact: When a player hits the ground with a body part that is NOT their hands or feet because another player made contact with them.

Conceding: When a player gives themselves up voluntarily (for example: kneeling or giving a signal to the referee).

Out of Bounds: When a player has no body parts in bounds. 

OUT OF BOUNDS

A Player is out of bounds when they are connected to the ground and do not have any body parts in bounds. If they have any body part in bounds they are still in bounds. 

On scrimmage plays, a player is not onside if they have a body part PAST the line. Offensive players are allowed to have their body or feet ON the line, but NOT over

BALLS THAT GO OUT OF BOUNDS | THE OB KICK

For fumbled balls and kicked balls that go out of bounds, the team that did NOT touch the ball last before it went out gets to kick the ball from the spot that it went out of bounds (Like a corner kick in soccer). If the ball goes out of bounds again the kick should be redone.

Here is the list of types of kicks and passes during play that are allowed and the requirements of them:

Forward Pass - Forward passes can be done on any play and there is no limit to how many you can do. To do a forward pass you must either be behind the line of scrimmage or in your own endzone. If a ball is thrown from within the team’s endzone and it is incomplete it is a safety.

Lateral Pass - A pass lateral or behind the thrower. Can be done as many times on any play. Laterals are considered fumbled balls.

Punt / Place-Kick / Drop-Kick -  When a player kicks the ball via a Punt, Place-kick, or Drop-Kick. Can be done as many times on any play. If it goes out of bounds without anyone touching the ball, the ball will be returned to the kicking team, five yards back from the spot of the kick.

Open-Field Kick - Player kicks or bats the ball while its on the ground and live.

KICKED OR LATERALED BALLS THAT GO OUT OF BOUNDS WILL RESULT IN A OUT OF BOUNDS KICK (you can see what that means in the "Downing Players, Fumbles, Out of Bounds Kick" section above.

SCRIMMAGE PLAYS

Downs and First Down

The Offense receives 3 Downs. The 1st Down Line is placed 10 yards away. 

A team can receive first down in any of the following ways:

• The offense has possession of the ball and it is downed past or at least touching the designated 1st Down Line.

Scrimmage Play Rules

Any combination of Forward Passes, Laterals, Punts, Place-kicks, or Drop-kicks may be used as long as they abide by the rules set in ⮞VIII  - Kicks & Passes during all Plays.

Offensive and Defensive Positions allowed during Normal Scrimmage Play

Offensive Positions

1 Designated Passer

person with the ball behind the line of scrimmage who intends to throw the ball (a Quarterback). A passer is not a passer if they have the ball and are running with intent to gain yards or if they are not behind the line of scrimmage.

Up to 3 Blockers

someone who is allowed to block Defensive Blitzers for the Passer. (can transition to a linemen at any time and can receive a pass at any time). 

Please see the Rules on Blocking/Blitzing in the section below.

Unlimited Receivers

someone who is eligible to receive a forward pass but cannot block against Defensive Blitzers for the passer (not allowed to transition to a linemen).

Defensive Positions

Up to 2 Blitzers

someone who rushes the Passer. A blitzer can become a DB at any time.

Please see the Rules on Blocking/Blitzing in the section below.

Ulimited other Defensive Positions

Located anywhere on the field. CANNOT pass the line of scrimmage at any time.

BLOCKING, BLITZING, AND OFFSIDES

For a player to be an eligible Offensive Linemen, they must be within the bounds of the tackle box at the time of the snap. If a player is not in the tackle box at the time of the snap OR if they go beyond the line of scrimmage after the snap, they are now considered a receiver. Blockers can become receivers at any time but receivers can NEVER become blockers.

NO Defensive Players whatsoever may cross the line of scrimmage before one of the following events happen:

• 3 full seconds (3 mississippi’s) after the play is live.

• The Ball-Holder begins a throwing, punting, or kicking motion (does not matter if it is a fake motion).

• The ball is handed off, passed, lateraled, or bobbled/fumbled (does not have to touch the floor)

• The snap was a bad snap (the snap was not caught and it was a fumble or the ball touched the ground).

• The Passer/Ball-Holder begins to run towards the line of scrimmage

NO Offensive Players are allowed to touch the Blitzers until the Blitzers rush. Any of the penalties in the above section fall into the Offsides, False Start, Illegal Motion, Illegal Setup, or Illegal Linemen Upfield Penalties.

Passing & Kicking

For Forward Passes, the Passer must have at least one foot behind the line of scrimmage or inside their own endzone at the time of the throw.

Kicks, Punts, Drop-Kicks, and Place Kicks are allowed at any time.

All Passing & Kick Rules apply here. Any player can recover a kick.

KICKOFFS

Should be done to start a game, after a safety, or after a Point After Touchdown.

Kicking Team should be behind their own <20 yard line.

Receiving Team should be behind their own 20> yard line.

They can start to move past those lines once the ball is kicked

Kick Recovery by the Kicking Team

The Kicking Team can recover a kicked ball if it:

1. Passes the 25 yard line (at least 5 yards)

2. Touches a Receiving Team player

AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE KICKOFF CAN BE FOUND HERE:

CONVERSIONS

1 point conversion

All 6 Offensive Players. All 6 Defensive Players.

Normal Scrimmage Play from 5 yard line.

2 point conversion

Offense: 1 Receiver, 1 QB. Defense: 2 Defensive Backs

Scrimmage Play from 5 yard line. QB CANNOT RUN

Defensive Conversions

If the Defense gains possession and gets the ball to the opponent endzone, they score the points for that conversion instead of the Offense.

Conversions; Extra Rules

• There is only one singular down per conversion.

• No matter who scores or what happens, the team who scored the original touchdown still has to kickoff.

• No extra players may run onto the field during a conversion at any time

Yellow Card

The Yellow Card Foul serves as a warning to a player or coach about a foul that is not major enough to result in a Red Card but not minor enough to be considered a normal foul. The Yellow Card is required to be given out for the following penalties: Unsportsmanlike Conduct, Unnecessary Roughness, Illegal Contact. Delay of Game, Roughing the Passer/Kicker/Punter, a player commits excessive numbers of fouls, a lot of major fouls, is playing carelessly and rough, arguing with an official/referee, or just delaying the game a lot. IF A PLAYER RECEIVES A 2ND YELLOW CARD, IT RESULTS IN A RED CARD AND AUTOMATIC EJECTION WITHOUT COMPENSATION.

Red Card

The Red Card Foul is a severe penalty and serves as an ejection for a player or coach due to severe or extreme actions made by them.The Red Card is required to be given out for the following Penalties: 2 Yellow Cards, player commits an extreme amount of fouls, extreme Unsportsmanlike Conduct (e.g. Spitting at a player), extremely reckless or rough play, causing an injury to a player, multiple warnings about fouling, continued excessive fouling, or any other action or sequence of actions deemed by a referee to have been along these lines. The player that recieves a red card is automatically ejected from the game and the team will NOT be able to sub in a player to replace them.

For ALL challenges, replays, or reviews listed below, after that the decision made by the Referee is FINAL and cannot be challenged, reviewed, negotiated, or argued about after whatsoever.

Reviewal Assistant Referee (RAR)

The Reviewal Assistant Referee is in charge of being on the sideline and making sure calls are correct by any means possible (e.g., by just being a second opinion or by reviewing AND recording video footage). They cannot overide the Chief Crew Referee’s decisions but can advise that they did something wrong and request the Chief Crew Referee to do a Referee’s Replay Review.

They have until the start of the next play to notify the referee of an incorrect call.

Referee’s Replay Review (Triple–R)

At any time before the next play, The Chief Crew Referee and them ONLY can trigger a Referee’s Replay Review due to:

1. they made an incorrect call or want to review a call they made (via video or by talking with the rest of the officiating crew).

2. they have been advised by the Reviewal Assistant Referee (RAR)

3. a captain or other player has notified them that they may have made the wrong call.

However, the Chief Crew Referee is not obligated and does not have to trigger a Referee’s Replay Review whatsoever. Note that more time will be added to the match in the event of a Referee’s Replay Review.

Offfield–Onfield Communications

People who wish to communicate with players from off the field (coaching) must have the Team Captain communicate that to the Referee and other Team Captain prior to the game (during the pre-game huddles and Mid-Field Meeting).

Off-field Coaches must stay off of the field during plays. If they are on the field during the snap or play, Illegal Substitution should be called.

If the Off-field Coaches wish to communicate with players via technology or communication devices, those devices must adhere to the Equipment Rules in ⮞III  - Players, Subs, Allowed Equipment and Tactics, Technical Rules