{"id":2554,"date":"2026-08-13T10:51:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T15:51:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aosweb.org\/?page_id=2554"},"modified":"2026-08-13T10:51:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T15:51:20","slug":"girls-flag-rule-changes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/aosweb.org\/index.php\/football\/flag\/girls-flag-rule-changes\/","title":{"rendered":"Girls Flag Rule Changes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Flag Football Rule Changes by Year from the NFHS<\/h1>\n

Quick Jump to Year
\n2026<\/a>
\n2025<\/a><\/h4>\n
\n

<\/a>Flag Football Rules Changes – 2026<\/h1>\n

By the NFHS on February 24, 2026<\/p>\n

1-1-2, TABLE 1-7 (1), Field Diagrams #4 (NEW) \u2013 Added a new fourth field option to be used for flag football. This option would be through state association adoption.<\/p>\n

1-1-3 \u2013 Standardized that all teams must start the game with 7 players.<\/p>\n

1-1-9, 1-3-7 NOTE (NEW), TABLE 1-7 (9) (NEW) \u2013 Added the use of instant replay during state postseason games only through state association adoption.<\/p>\n

2-18 (NEW) \u2013 Added a new definition for hurdling as it was not previously defined but yet it was listed as an illegal personal contact foul in 2025-26.<\/p>\n

2-35-10, 3-4-3l (NEW), 4-1-1, 8-3-9 EXCEPTION (NEW), 8-4-3 EXCEPTION (NEW) \u2013 The committee approved a procedure to allow for the team trailing in score to attempt a high risk play in order to maintain possession following a score.<\/p>\n

3-5-1 \u2013 Increased the total number of charged time-outs per half from two to three so as to give each team an extra opportunity to stop play each half with an additional time-out.<\/p>\n

4-1-1, 8-5-5 \u2013 Following a safety, the team whose goal line was involved shall put the ball in play by a scrimmage kick from it\u2019s own 20-yard line.<\/p>\n

9-7-4 \u2013 Further clarified what cannot be done to the ball that is in player possession.<\/p>\n

Rules Reminders:
\n1-5-1d(5)a – 4, 5 (NEW) \u2014 Committee clarifies and restricts attachments on tooth and mouth protectors, effective with the 2026 season.<\/p>\n

1-5-2d (NEW), 1-5-3c(6) \u2014 Arm sleeve specifications developed to guide manufacturers, players and coaches effective with the 2027 season.<\/p>\n

2026-27 Flag Football Editorial Changes<\/strong><\/p>\n

1-1-8; 1-5-1c(1)a – 4, 5; 1-5-1d; 1-5-1f; 1-5-3a(1)a; 1-5-3a(2); 1-5-3c(4); 2-13; 2-19-3; 2-27-5; 3-3-1; 3-4-3k; 3-4-4e; 3-5-7f; 3-5-7g; 4-1-2; 4-2-3f(3) (NEW); 4-2-2h; 5-3-1; 6-1-1; 6-1-8; 6-2-1; 6-3-1a; 7-1-2; 7-1-3a; 7-5-6; 8-3-3; 9-2-1; 9-2-2a; 9-2-3c; 9-2 PENALTY; 9-8-1g(3); 9-8-1g(4); 9-8-1h; 9-8 PENALTY; 9-9 PENALTY; 10-4-2; 10-4-2b; 10-4-2h (NEW); 10-4-4a; 10-4-5a; 10-5-3; NFHS OFFICIAL FOOTBALL SIGNALS.<\/p>\n

2026-27 Flag Football Points of Emphasis<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Screen Blocking<\/li>\n
  2. Flag Belts and Flag Pulls<\/li>\n
  3. Kicking<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    <\/a>Flag Football Rule Changes – 2025<\/h1>\n

    NFHS Flag Football Committee Develops First High School Rules
    \nMarch 11, 2025<\/h3>\n

    The NFHS Flag Football Rules Committee met earlier this year in Indianapolis to develop the first national rules for high school flag football. The 2025-26 NFHS Flag Football Rules Book will be available in print and digital form in early May 2025 and will provide rules guidance for the nation\u2019s fastest-growing emerging high school sport.<\/p>\n

    The 11-member committee, which was chaired by Tyler Cerimeli, director of athletics and officials with the Arizona Interscholastic Association, and directed by Bob Colgate, NFHS director of sports and sports medicine and editor of the NFHS Flag Football Rules Book, faced a daunting task of formulating a new rules publication from scratch.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe committee reviewed various other rules codes in place for flag football, including rules currently used in several state associations,\u201d Colgate said. \u201cAfter much discussion, while the committee decided to use some parts of other rules codes to develop the first NFHS Flag Football Rules Book, the group wanted to develop rules that best fit our game at the high school level.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Colgate said the committee agreed to use the current NFHS Football Rules Book as a starting point, taking out sections not pertaining to flag football and adding those elements specific to the growing sport of flag football.<\/p>\n

    Two of the key elements of the first NFHS Flag Football Rules Book are the number of players on a team and the size of the field. The first book will feature rules governing the 7-on-7 player game, and will provide options for size of the field, one of which will be a regulation 11-player high school football field.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe committee feels strongly that 7-on-7 is the most appropriate starting point for high school flag football, while acknowledging the potential for 5-on-5 modifications to be considered in the future,\u201d Cerimeli said. \u201cFlag football is seeing tremendous and rapid growth across the country. The committee has created a rules book that we believe will foster that growth and is reflective of the specific needs of high school flag football.\u201d<\/p>\n

    While the NFHS Flag Football Rules Book is being written for both boys and girls competition, the growth of the girls game the past several years drove the urgency for national playing rules.<\/p>\n

    Currently, 14 state associations have sanctioned girls flag football, another state is voting on sanctioning in April and 18 states are involved in independent\/pilot programs at some level. States that have sanctioned the sport for girls include NFHS member associations in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. The Louisiana High School Athletic Association is voting in April to possibly become the 15th state to sanction girls flag football.<\/p>\n

    State associations with independent\/pilot programs include Connecticut, District of Columbia, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

    And the number of participants in girls flag football more than doubled from 2022-23 to 2023-24. A total of 42,955 girls participated in flag football in 2023-24 compared to 20,875 the previous year \u2013 a 105 percent increase.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe NFHS is excited about this new sports opportunity \u2013 particularly for girls,\u201d said Dr. Karissa Niehoff, CEO of the NFHS. \u201cFlag is a sport of inclusivity. It can be played in any season (weather dependent), is fast-paced and offers an opportunity for young people to play and others to coach or officiate in the exciting sport of football.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe popularity of flag football \u2013 for boys and girls \u2013 has been growing at the youth levels for the past 10 years. In 2023, about 500,000 girls ages 6-17 played flag football \u2013 a 63 percent increase since 2019. At a higher level of competition, more universities are beginning to offer flag football for girls, which will certainly enhance the appeal for girls playing the sport at the high school level. And internationally, the sport received a huge boost with the addition of flag football as an Olympic sport for men and women at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe NFHS looks forward to being involved with the continued growth of flag football in schools nationwide, particularly now with playing rules specifically for the high school game, as more opportunities for participation unfold in all 50 states,\u201d Niehoff concluded.<\/p>\n

    Flag football is the 18th sport for which the NFHS writes national playing rules and the first new sport offering since boys lacrosse (2000) and girls lacrosse (2016), and the first writing of new rules since publication of the NFHS Spirit Rules Book in 1990. The NFHS \u2013 the pre-eminent sports rules-writing organization \u2013 began rules writing in the 1930s with football (1932) and basketball (1936). In addition to football, flag football, basketball, boys lacrosse, girls lacrosse and spirit, the NFHS writes playing rules in baseball, cross country, field hockey, girls gymnastics, ice hockey, softball, soccer, swimming and diving, track and field, volleyball, water polo and wrestling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Flag Football Rule Changes by Year from the NFHS Quick Jump to Year 2026 2025 Flag Football Rules Changes – 2026 By the NFHS on February 24, 2026 1-1-2, TABLE […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"parent":2503,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2554","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aosweb.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aosweb.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aosweb.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aosweb.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aosweb.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2554"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/aosweb.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2557,"href":"https:\/\/aosweb.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2554\/revisions\/2557"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aosweb.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aosweb.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}