FOOTBALL RULES
                                  AND
                            INTERPRETATIONS
                              2025 EDITION




                   Original material © IFAF 2011-2025
                        ISBN: 97 8-1-326-72442-9









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 13);


  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 2025.
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 send them to
jim.briggs@americanfootball.sport
by email.

    

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

    

    
Amir Brooks (Great Britain),
Dan Cass (Great Britain),
Eva Cloots (Belgium),
Edo Cohen (Israel),
John Cooper (Great Britain),
Robert Cornwell (Great Britain),
Erik De Boeck (Belgium),
Frank Eissa-Barroso (Great Britain),
Will Fazackerley (Great Britain),
Dan Harries Davies (Great Britain),
Perttu Hautala (Finland),
Jonathan Husband (Great Britain),
Radek Janhuba (Finland),
Mark Looi (Australia),
Andrew Lovell (Great Britain),
Ali May (Great Britain),
Gerry Mellough (Great Britain),
Paul Mercer (Australia),
Richard Moger (Great Britain),
Dave Moore (Great Britain),
Cedric Palmans (Belgium),
Peter Parsons (Great Britain),
Euan Paterson (Great Britain),
Jack Rogers (Great Britain),
Hubert Romanczyk (Poland),
Mark Schofield (Great Britain),
Paul Sutton (Great Britain),
Begum Kubra Tokyay (Turkiye),
Liam Wooton (Great Britain),
Ozan Emre Yazici (Turkiye)

    

    
Cover image by Kyle Hemsley Photography www.kylehemsley.co.uk

    


    

    

    
Table of Contents

    

    
Rules changes..........................................................4
Points of emphasis.....................................................7
The Football Code.....................................................10
Rules and Interpretations.............................................13
  Rule 1 -- The Game, Field, Players and Equipment....................15
  Rule 2 -- Definitions...............................................32
  Rule 3 -- Periods, Time Factors and Substitutions...................52
  Rule 4 -- Ball in Play, Dead Ball, Out of Bounds....................76
  Rule 5 -- Series of Downs, Line to Gain.............................82
  Rule 6 -- Kicks.....................................................86
  Rule 7 -- Snapping and Passing the Ball............................102
  Rule 8 -- Scoring..................................................119
  Rule 9 -- Conduct of Players and Others Subject to the Rules.......129
  Rule 10 -- Penalty Enforcement.....................................153
  Rule 11 -- The Officials: Jurisdiction and Duties..................162
  Rule 12 -- Instant replay..........................................163
Summary of penalties.................................................168
Officials' Signals...................................................177
Appendix A -- Guidelines for Game Officials for Serious On-Field Player Injuries180
Appendix B -- Guidelines for Game Officials and Game Management To Use Regarding Lightning181
Appendix C -- Concussions............................................183
Appendix D -- Field Diagrams.........................................185
Appendix E -- Equipment: Additional Details..........................192
Index of Rules and Interpretations...................................200

    

    

    
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