FOOTBALL RULES
                                  AND
                            INTERPRETATIONS
                              2024 EDITION




                   Original material © IFAF 2011-2024









                                Foreword




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:



    


  1. 
national federations may adapt Rule 1 to meet local needs and
circumstances, provided no adaption reduces the safety of the players
or other participants;


  2. 
competitions may adjust the rules according to (a) the age group of the
participants and (b) the gender of the participants;


  3. 
competition authorities have the right to amend certain specific rules
(listed on page 12);


  4. 
national federations may restrict the above so that the same regulations
apply to all competitions under their jurisdiction.

    
These rules apply to all
IFAF organised competitions
and take effect from 1st March 2024.
National federations may adopt them earlier for their domestic
competitions.

    

    
Prof Jim Briggs, Editor
on behalf of the IFAF Rules Committee
Andy Fuller, Managing Director
Pierre Trochet, President

    

    
Those who find it necessary to write to the editor for interpretations
of rules or play situations will receive prompt replies if they number
their questions and email them to
jim.briggs@americanfootball.sport.

    

    
The editor would like to thank the following people who assisted in the
production of this edition of the rulebook:

    

    
Sergio Avila (Mexico),
Jeff Batzler (Sweden),
Nic Bevan (Great Britain),
Tom Blakeson (Great Britain),
Amir Brooks (Great Britain),
Alan Christopher (Great Britain),
Daniel Coles (Great Britain),
Erik De Boeck (Belgium),
Steve Egan (Great Britain),
Will Fazackerley (Great Britain),
James Ford-Bannister (Great Britain),
Ignacio Galasso (Argentina),
Flavio Garlaschi (Italy),
David Gutteridge (Great Britain),
Daniel Harries Davies (Great Britain),
Perttu Hautala (Finland),
Thomas Hofbauer (Austria),
Jonathan Ireland (Great Britain),
Radek Janhuba (Finland),
Mark Looi (Australia),
Andrea Lopez Rubio (Spain),
Andrew Lovell (Great Britain),
Ben Lovell (Great Britain),
Alistair May (Great Britain),
Gerry Mellough (Great Britain),
Paul Mercer (Australia),
Richard Moger (Great Britain),
Dave Moore (Great Britain),
Emma Payne (Great Britain),
Juan Perez-Canto (France),
Elisey Rodriguez,
Alexandre Roger (France),
Hubert Romanczyk (Poland),
Michal Rosival (Czechia),
Owen Samuels (Great Britain),
Mark Schofield (Great Britain),
Ian Sneddon (Great Britain),
Paul Sutton (Great Britain),
Marcin Szczepanski (Poland),
Pete Thom (Great Britain),
Frank Thomson (Great Britain),
Simon Waterfield (Great Britain),
Ozan Emre Yazici (Turkey)

    

    

    


    

    

    
                           Table of Contents

    

    
Rules changes..........................................................4
Points of emphasis.....................................................6
The Football Code......................................................9
Rules and Interpretations.............................................12
  Rule 1 -- The Game, Field, Players and Equipment....................14
  Rule 2 -- Definitions...............................................30
  Rule 3 -- Periods, Time Factors and Substitutions...................50
  Rule 4 -- Ball in Play, Dead Ball, Out of Bounds....................73
  Rule 5 -- Series of Downs, Line to Gain.............................79
  Rule 6 -- Kicks.....................................................83
  Rule 7 -- Snapping and Passing the Ball.............................99
  Rule 8 -- Scoring..................................................116
  Rule 9 -- Conduct of Players and Others Subject to the Rules.......126
  Rule 10 -- Penalty Enforcement.....................................149
  Rule 11 -- The Officials: Jurisdiction and Duties..................158
  Rule 12 -- Video judge.............................................159
Summary of penalties.................................................164
Officials' Signals...................................................173
Appendix A -- Guidelines for Game Officials for Serious On-Field Player Injuries176
Appendix B -- Guidelines for Game Officials and Game Management To Use Regarding Lightning177
Appendix C -- Concussions............................................179
Appendix D -- Field Diagrams.........................................181
Appendix E -- Equipment: Additional Details..........................188
Index of Rules and Interpretations...................................192

    

    

    
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