Original material © IFAF 2011-2022
The rules are revised each year by IFAF to improve the sport's level of safety and quality of play, and to clarify the meaning and intent of rules where needed. The principles that govern all rule changes are that they must:
IFAF statutes require all member federations to play by IFAF rules, except in the following regards:
These rules apply to all IFAF organised competitions and take effect from 1st March 2022. National federations may adopt them earlier for their domestic competitions.
Rules changes..........................................................4 Points of emphasis.....................................................7 The Football Code.....................................................11 Rules and Interpretations.............................................14 Rule 1 -- The Game, Field, Players and Equipment....................16 Rule 2 -- Definitions...............................................31 Rule 3 -- Periods, Time Factors and Substitutions...................51 Rule 4 -- Ball in Play, Dead Ball, Out of Bounds....................72 Rule 5 -- Series of Downs, Line to Gain.............................78 Rule 6 -- Kicks.....................................................82 Rule 7 -- Snapping and Passing the Ball.............................97 Rule 8 -- Scoring..................................................114 Rule 9 -- Conduct of Players and Others Subject to the Rules.......124 Rule 10 -- Penalty Enforcement.....................................147 Rule 11 -- The Officials: Jurisdiction and Duties..................156 Rule 12 -- Video judge.............................................157 Summary of penalties.................................................161 Officials' Signals...................................................170 Appendix A -- Guidelines for Game Officials for Serious On-Field Player Injuries173 Appendix B -- Guidelines for Game Officials and Game Management To Use Regarding Lightning174 Appendix C -- Concussions............................................176 Appendix D -- Field Diagrams.........................................178 Appendix E -- Equipment: Additional Details..........................185 Index of Rules and Interpretations...................................192