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SPORTSKLUB FLAG FOOTBALL

Official Rules & Player Guide

Fall Season 2026

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Welcome to SportsKlub.

SportsKlub isn't just another flag football league.

It's a community.

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Our goal isn't simply to crown a Power Bowl Champion. Our goal is to create the best place in Orillia to hang out —where players of every age, ability and experience level feel welcomed, included and excited to come back next week.

Some players have competed their entire lives.

Others are throwing a football for the first time.

Every one of them belongs here.

 

If you're looking for a league where winning is everything, there are great competitive leagues available elsewhere. 

If you're looking for a place where friendships come first, competition stays respectful, and everyone gets a chance to contribute...

Welcome to SportsKlub.

The SportsKlub Standard

Every player agrees to six simple principles.

 

1. Safety Comes First

  • No championship, touchdown or highlight is ever worth another player's safety.

  • If you have to choose between making the play and protecting another player...

  • Protect the player.

 

2. Include Everyone

  • Everyone deserves touches.

  • Everyone deserves encouragement.

  • Everyone deserves meaningful playing time.

  • Your greatest play of the season might be helping a teammate score their very first touchdown.

 

3. Play With Integrity

  • SportsKlub is proudly self-officiated.

  • Call your own penalties.

  • Be honest.

  • Accept your opponent's calls respectfully. Do not argue. 

  • The game only works when everyone chooses integrity over winning.

 

4. Respect Every Player

  • Celebrate great plays.

  • Help new players.

  • Encourage beginners.

  • Leave the chirping somewhere else.

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5. Remember Why We're Here

  • Football is the reason we gather. Friendship is the reason we come back.

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6. Leave the Field Better Than You Found It

  • Introduce yourself to someone new.

  • Shake hands.

  • Help clean up.

  • Make someone excited to return next week. That's what SportsKlub is all about.

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Field

  • Field dimensions: 65 yards x 30 yards

  • End zone extends from the yellow line to the concrete walkway along the fence.

 

Team Size

  • Games are played 5 vs. 5

  • Games may be played 4 vs. 4 only when attendance requires it.

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Game Format

Games consist of:

  • Coin toss

  • Four quarters

  • Eight offensive possessions per team (two each quarter)

  • Two-minute halftime

  • The visiting captain calls the coin toss. The winner chooses: receive first, or receive first possession of the second half. The other captain chooses field direction. Teams switch ends at halftime.

 

Contact 

  • SportsKlub Flag Football is a contact-free sport.

  • Players should never intentionally put their hands on another player. The only contact that should occur is incidental contact while attempting to pull an opponent’s flag.

  • There is no blocking, pushing, grabbing, holding or initiating contact with another player. When defending a pass, players must make a play on the ball without making contact with the receiver.

  • Play the ball. Pull the flag. Avoid contact.

 

Quarterbacks

  • Each player may quarterback a maximum of four drives during each game. 

  • A quarterback drive begins when that player receives the snap.

  • A quarterback drive ends when that offensive possession ends.

  • Quarterbacks may not change during a drive.

  • If trick plays or laterals occur, any quarterback who took a snap under centre or throws a ball forward owns the drive (multiple players can be attributed for a single drive). 

  • The passer does not need every inch of their body behind the line before throwing, but their entire body—including their back foot—must be completely past the line for the pass to be illegal. If a back foot is still touching or behind the line, the throw is legal. Once a player's entire body crosses the line of scrimmage, they cannot run back behind it and throw a legal forward pass. The position of the player when the ball leaves their hand determines the penalty.

 

Snaps 

  • Every play begins with a snap or legal handoff. 

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Laterals

  • Backward laterals are permitted at any time.

  • The offense may throw one forward pass per play.

  • Once the ball crosses the line of scrimmage:​

  • no forward pass is permitted.

  • If the quarterback legally hands the ball off behind the line of scrimmage, defenders may immediately pursue the new ball carrier.

 

Starting a Drive​

  • Every offensive possession begins at the team's own red dashed line (5 yards from the goal-line). On the first play of a new drive, the offense must confirm that the defense "is ready" before snapping the ball. 

 

Downs​

  • The offense has: Three downs to reach midfield.

  • Upon reaching midfield:​ a new set of three downs is awarded. If a first down cannot be reached after second down, the offense may: attempt third down

or

  • voluntarily surrender possession, with the opposing team staring its next drive from their own red dashed line (5 yards from the goal-line). If third down fails, the opposing team begins from where the previous play ended.

 

Running Rules

  • Inside the opposing 5 yard line: The offense must throw forward to score.

  • Inside 5 yards from half (inside the yellow dashed lines at the West Orillia Sports Complex): The offense must throw forward to earn a first down.

 

Pass Rush

  • Only defenders counting aloud may rush.

  • The count is: Steamboat One, Steamboat Two, Steamboat Three, Steamboat Four, Steamboat Five.

  • No defender may cross the line of scrimmage before "Steamboat Five."

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Flag Pulling and Downed Ball Carriers 

  • A play ends immediately once a defender completely removes one flag, or when any part of the ball carriers body, other than their hands or feet, touches the ground. The ball is to be spotted where the ball carrier's front foot was planted when flagged, going out of bounds, or downed.

  • Ball carriers may not: stiff-arm. guard their flag, jump to avoid a pull, spin to avoid a pull, or dive​​

  • If forward progress has clearly stopped and multiple defenders have surrounded the runner, players are encouraged to safely give themselves up rather than forcing unnecessary contact.

 

Blocking

  • ​SportsKlub Football has no physical contact or blocking. Offensive players may position themselves but may not: push, hold, extend their arms, initiate contact.

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Jump Balls

  • Players may not: run through another player, undercut another player, initiate body contact, collide while attacking the football. Winning a jump ball is never more important than protecting another player.

 

Interceptions

  • Interceptions are dead immediately.

  • The intercepting team begins its next possession where the interception occurred.

  • Interceptions are not returnable.

 

Fumbles

  • Fumbles are dead immediately.

  • The offense retains possession where the ball was last touched.

  • No fumble may be advanced.

 

Scoring

  • Touchdown = 6 points

  • Convert = 1 point from the opponents 5 yard line or 2 points from the opponents 10 yard line. 

 

Safety

  • If the offense is downed in its own end zone: the defense is awarded 2 points, the offensive drive ends, and the defending team begins its next possession from its own 5 yard line. 

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Overtime

  • Each team receives one offensive possession.

  • If still tied after each team possess the ball: another overtime begins. Repeat until a winner is determined.

 

Playing Time

  • Every player deserves meaningful playing time.

  • Captains are expected to ensure equal participation whenever possible.

  • Teams with ten players are encouraged to rotate one offensive unit and one defensive unit.

  • Substitutions occur between drives only.

  • Players may leave during a drive only because of: injury or illness. 

 

Uniform 

  • Players are expected to wear their official team-issued jersey each week. Wearing your team jersey helps us recognize and support our team sponsors while allowing game managers, scorekeepers and media staff to easily identify players during games.

 

Captains

  • Captains are leaders of the league — not just their own team. They are responsible for: welcoming new players, communicating with teammates, encouraging inclusion, ensuring fair playing time, helping explain rules, reinforcing SportsKlub values. 

  • The best captains make everyone feel like they belong.

 

Game Managers

  • SportsKlub does not use referees. Players are expected to continue self-officiating with honesty and respect.

  • Each game has two Game Managers.

  • The Game Manager's responsibilities are to: film each play, keep score, track downs, answer rule questions, monitor safety, help resolve disagreements respectfully, and reviewing game footage to make a final ruling (only when players cannot reach agreement). 

 

Penalties

  • SportsKlub relies on honesty, respect and sportsmanship rather than whistles. Players are expected to call their own fouls and be fair when doing so. When a foul is called, players should respect the call and move on — even if they disagree.

  • The goal is simple: be honest, respect each other and keep the game moving.

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Offensive penalties

  • Offside - Loss of 5 yards, re-do down. 

  • Flag Guarding, Jumping, spinning - Play is dead at spot of the foul. 

  • All other Penalties - Loss of down. Offense loses five yards from previous line of scrimmage.

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Defensive penalties

  • Replay down, offence gains five yards from previous line of scrimmage.  

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Repeated dangerous or reckless behaviour

  • May result in: warning, removal for the remainder of the drive, removal from the game, further review by SportsKlub leadership. 

 

Playoffs

  • Each team plays: 12 regular season games.

  • ​Playoff format: 6th vs 5th, 4th vs 1st, 3rd vs 2nd. 

  • The winners of the 4th vs 1st and 3rd vs 2nd  semifinal games advance to the Power Bowl Championship. Players from the remaining teams participate in the SportsKlub Pro Bowl, an All-Star style exhibition before the championship game.

 

Bowl Games 

  • The top two winning teams with the highest point differential from Round 1 of the In-Season Bowl Games will meet in the Bowl Game championship. The remaining teams will be reseeded for Round 2. In-Season Bowl Games count toward regular season standings. 

 

Before Every Game

Remember:

✔ Compete safely. 

✔ Celebrate often.

✔ Encourage constantly.

✔ Include everyone.

✔ Be honest.

✔ Protect each other.

 

Our Promise

 

SportsKlub isn't trying to create the best football players.

We're trying to create the best football community.

 

Years from now, we hope you remember the friendships, the laughs, the Bowl Games, the photos, the inside jokes, the heartbreaking losses, the thrilling victories, and the people who became lifelong friends.

 

The score will eventually be forgotten.

The memories won't.

 

Welcome to SportsKlub.

 

Now let's go have some fun. 🏈

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