Flag football facts for kids

This page is about the sport. For the flag used to signal penalties, see Penalty flag.

Quick facts for kids
Flag football
Characteristics
A game of flag football being played at the University of Texas at Austin
Highest governing body	International Federation of American Football International Woman's Flag Football Association
First played	c. 1940 in Fort Meade, Maryland, U.S.
Contact	Limited
Team members	Two teams of 4-10
Type	Team sport ball game
Equipment	Ball, flag
Venue	Football field
Presence
Country or region	Worldwide
Olympic	To be first included in 2028
World Games	since 2022

Flag football is a fun and exciting version of gridiron football, like American football or Canadian football. Instead of tackling players to the ground, the defense stops the play by pulling a flag or flag belt from the player carrying the ball. This is called "deflagging."

In flag football, there is very little physical contact between players. It's a popular sport played by many people around the world. There are many national and international competitions each year. The main group that organizes the sport globally is the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). For women's games, the International Woman's Flag Football Association (IWFFA) is in charge.

Flag football will be part of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. This is the first time any type of gridiron football has been a full Olympic sport.

History of Flag Football

The sport of flag football started around the 1940s during World War II. It began as a way for American military members to stay fit. The game was designed to prevent injuries during wartime. Back then, it was called "Touch and Tail football." After the war, it became known as "flag football."

The first known records of flag football point to Fort Meade, Maryland, USA, as its birthplace. The first national flag football group, the National Touch Football League (NTFL), was created in the 1960s in St. Louis, Missouri. This league has held a national championship game every year since 1971.

Teachers Porter Wilson and Norman Adams invented the flag-a-tag belts and flags. These are the models for the flags used in the game today.

How to Play: Basic Rules

Children playing flag football in Mexico

Player about to pull a flag during a game in Mexico City

The exact rules of flag football can be different depending on the league. However, all versions share the main idea: they are like traditional American football, but tackling is replaced by pulling a flag.

Many traditional American football rules are changed or removed. This makes the game more about fun and less about physical contact. It also helps prevent injuries. Plus, flag football usually has fewer players on each team.

In a typical flag football game, there are two halves. The length of each half depends on the league. The clock usually stops only for injuries, halftime, and timeouts. Most leagues have 10 players per team, with 5 players on offense and 5 on defense. There is no punting team in flag football.

Different Ways to Play

Flag football is sometimes played on sand.

Because there isn't one main organization for the sport, flag football has many different versions. Teams can have 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, or 4 players. Games can be mixed-gender or single-gender. Some versions include kicking and punting, and different ways to score extra points after a touchdown.

Field sizes also vary a lot. They can be as large as a full Canadian Football League (CFL) or National Football League (NFL) field. Some fields are even a third of that size.

One important difference is whether linemen (players on the line of scrimmage) are allowed to catch passes. In some games, they can, and in others, they cannot. Flag football can also be "contact" or "non-contact." This depends on whether blocking is allowed. If blocking is allowed, it's usually only allowed to the chest.

Another rule that changes is whether the quarterback can run with the ball past the line of scrimmage.

The sport is also played on different surfaces, not just grass fields. It's played on sand beaches, for example. Beach flag football has been a sport at the Asian Beach Games.

International Competitions

IFAF Flag Football World Championship

The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) organizes the IFAF Flag Football World Championship every two years.

Flag Football at the Olympics

In July 2022, the National Football League (NFL) and the IFAF worked together to propose flag football for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The NFL had supported flag football's inclusion as an invitational sport at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama. The men's tournament was won by the United States, and Mexico won the women's tournament.

In August 2022, flag football was chosen as one of nine sports to be considered for the Olympics. On October 9, 2023, the Los Angeles organizing committee officially suggested flag football as an event. On October 16, 2023, flag football and other proposed events were approved by the 141st IOC Session.

Flag Football at the World Games

The 2022 World Games celebrated its 40th anniversary from July 7–17, 2022. Flag football was played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Eight men's teams and eight women's teams from around the world competed. The World Games shared a beginner's guide to flag football in 2021.

The United States men's and women's teams, as world champions, automatically qualified for the 2022 World Games. The other seven teams were chosen through the IFAF qualifying process.

International Flag Football Festival

The International Flag Football Festival (IFFF) organizes the World Cup of Flag Football. Teams from the United States, Mexico, and other countries take part.

Kelly McGillis Classic

The Kelly McGillis Classic is a women's flag football tournament. It is organized by the IWFFA and held every February in Key West, Florida. Over 90 women's and girls' teams participate in this 8-on-8, semi-blocking contact flag football event.

Flag Football in the United States

USA Football

USA Football is the main organization for American football in the United States. It is the only US member of the International Federation of American Football. USA Football creates and runs programs for both tackle and flag football. It also selects and organizes the U.S. national teams for international competitions.

USA Flag

USA Flag runs the largest National Championships flag football tournament in the United States. It also hosts a club World Championships every January in Florida. In January 2023, this event had over 980 teams, making it the largest single-weekend flag football tournament ever. USA Flag has grown a lot each year.

NFL Flag

The National Football League (NFL) and its teams support and promote flag football leagues for young people under the name NFL Flag. In 2020, NFL quarterback Russell Wilson became a chairman and co-owner of NFL Flag. This was part of the NFL's efforts to grow the sport. The program especially focuses on expanding women's flag football.

In 2023, the Pro Bowl (the NFL's all-star event) changed to include skills competitions and three flag football games. NFL Flag also held its world championships as part of the Pro Bowl events in 2023 and 2024. In February 2025, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the NFL was thinking about starting a professional men's and women's flag football league.

American Flag Football League

The American Flag Football League (AFFL) is a flag football organization. It offers competitions for youth and women. In 2023, it also started a professional division for men.

College Flag Football

In May 2020, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), with the NFL, announced that flag football would become a varsity sport for female college athletes. The NAIA was the first college sports group to approve the sport at this level. NAIA women's flag football began in the 2020–21 season with at least 15 teams.

In May 2022, the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) announced it would support flag football as an emerging women's sport, starting in 2023.

In June 2023, the Atlantic East Conference of NCAA Division III said five of its schools would start women's flag football in spring 2025. This was with support from the NFL and the Philadelphia Eagles. In July 2024, Conference Carolinas of NCAA Division II announced that six of its schools would sponsor women's flag football, starting in spring 2026. In February 2025, the NCAA's Committee on Women's Athletics suggested that the association's three divisions add flag football as a varsity sport. At that time, about 65 NCAA schools had varsity or club flag football teams.

Flag Football in Canada

College Flag Football in Canada

The Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), a college sports conference in Quebec, started supporting university women's flag football in 2021. The RSEQ also supports college women's flag football since 2009 and men's flag football since 2017. The version of flag football played by the RSEQ combines rules from American and Canadian football. It uses Canadian fields and scoring rules, but with the 4 downs seen in the American game.

Canadian Flag Football League

The Canadian Flag Football League (CFFL) was created in 2019. It runs Canada's CFFL National Championship. The league works with Football Canada, which is the national governing body for football in Canada. The winners of the CFFL National Championship get to represent Canada in international competitions.

The CFFL aims to connect existing adult flag leagues across the country. Teams compete in Regional Championships (Eastern, Western, or Central). The top two teams from each division move on to the national championship.

The CFFL has three divisions: male, female, and mixed.

Flag Football National Championships

The Canadian Flag Football National Championships (FFNC) started in 2007. It gave athletes a chance to improve their skills and compete in national team events. This led to the creation of the Canadian Flag Football League (CFFL) in 2019. The championship format has changed over the years.

In 2011, due to the growth of flag football, the under-15 co-ed division was replaced by separate boys' and girls' under-16 divisions. These were added to the existing under-18 divisions from 2010.

By 2013, the championship had three divisions: male and female under-16 divisions, and a female under-18 division.

In 2017, with the start of the Under-16 Regional Flag Challenge, the championship became an under-18 event with male and female divisions.

Flag Football in the United Kingdom

Flag football in the United Kingdom is mostly played with 5 players on each side. There are two main organizations. The Outlaw Flag League is for adults. It holds tournaments from March to October, ending with playoffs and championships. The National Flag Football League (NFFL) is organized by The British American Football Association (BAFA).

At a senior level, there are sixty teams divided into two leagues: NFL Division One and The Premiership. Top teams qualify for playoffs at the end of the season. BAFA also runs The Youth Flag Football League (YFFL). It organizes teams for under 17, under 14, and under 11 age groups.

Flag football games in the UK are played with five players per side and no contact. They follow IFAF flag football rules with a few small changes. The U17s, U14s, and U11s (as of the 2023 season) compete in the National Youth Flag Football League. This league runs from April to August. Teams play in local and regional tournaments to qualify for National Finals Day and try to become National Champions.