Flag Football: Top things to know

Flag football is one of the five additional sports proposed by the LA28 Organising Committee for inclusion at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028, pending approval from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at their session in Mumbai (October 2023).

The final event programme and number of athlete quotas in the additional sports will be finalised in the future.

A variant of American football or gridiron, flag football has never previously appeared at an Olympic Games. It was a demonstration sport at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama where the United States won men’s gold and Mexico defeated the hosts in the women’s final.

Seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady played flag football from elementary school through to his first year at high school.

What is Flag Football and how is it being played?

As in American football, the aim of flag football is to advance up the field via a series of offensive plays into the opposition’s defensive endzone.

It is a non-contact sport with 'tackles' made by removing one of two vinyl 'flags' attached to the ball-carrier’s waist - one on each side.

Play starts at a team’s own five-yard line with the centre snapping the ball back to the quarterback who either passes the ball forward to try and find a receiver, or hands off to a running back.

The play is over when either a flag is removed, the ball-carrier goes out of bounds, or a forward pass hits the ground.

Each team has four attempts - known as downs - to reach the halfway line. If successful, they have another four downs to reach the endzone and score a touchdown. If unsuccessful on either count, the ball is turned over to the opposition who start on their own five-yard line.

Turnovers also occur due to interceptions - when a defender catches a ball intended for a receiver - and fumbles, when the ball-carrier drops the ball and a defender collects.

In flag football, no running plays are permitted when the offensive team is five yards or less from the endzone.

After a touchdown, which is worth six points, teams go for an extra point - by running or passing - from the five-yard line, or two extra points from the 10-yard line.

A flag football field measures 70 x 25 yards (45.7m x 22.86m) including 10 yards (9.1m) allotted to each of the two endzones.

How long is a Flag Football game?

A Flag Football match consists of two 20-minute halves with the clock running continuously in each until the two-minute warning.

After the two-minute warning, the clock stops every time there is a stoppage, ie. when the ball-carrier goes out of bounds, a forward pass goes to ground or there is a turnover or a score.

If the scores are tied after 40 minutes, overtime begins with each team getting equal attempts to score, unless the defence intercepts the ball and scores.

How many players are on a Flag Football team?

There are five players on each team on the field in a flag football match drawn from a 12-person squad. Players tend to specialise in either offence or defence.

Where did Flag Football originate?

Flag football started out as a means of recreation for American soldiers during World War II who then brought the game back home with them. Fort Meade in Maryland is said to have hosted the first games of flag football.

It was originally called ‘Touch and Tail football’ before the name ‘flag football’ was adopted after the war.

The National Touch Football League was founded in the 1960s in St. Louis, Missouri.