SYFL 7 on 7 Official Rules

Adidas, Snoop Foundation, & Jim Mora Count on Me Foundation
7-ON-7 Tournament
 
Official Rules
Field Dimensions
- 40 yards in length – 40, 25 & 10 are the first down lines
- 160’ in width
- 10 yards deep in End Zone
 
Team Members
- Players: Each team has a maximum of 14 players. Players will not be
accepted into the event as individuals. All players must be a part of a
team. 
- Coaches: Each team has a maximum of 4 coaches. Coaches will be
allowed on the sidelines only during games. 
- One Offensive coach may be in the huddle with players between plays
but when the huddle breaks the coach must move outside the hash on
the side of his team bench so as to not interfere with the operation of
the official or game play.
 
 Scoring
- Six (6) points for a touchdown
- One (1) point for a PAT from 3 yard line
- Two (2) points for a PAT from 10 yard line
- 2 Points for Defensive Stop on downs / 3 Points for interception (no
              runbacks for safety reasons)
- Turnover on a PAT is dead ball
- Official scores will be kept by field referee and sideline scorekeeper.
 
 Game Times
- Twenty (20) minute running clock with last 2 minutes played as
regulation football game with clock stoppages as regulation NFHS      football game. During the last two minutes, all completions must be advanced past the line of scrimmage, otherwise the clock will stop. Sacks in the last two minutes stop the clock as well.
 
- 1 timeout per team – (30 seconds) during tournament play 
- Overtime: Only during tournament bracket play If overtime is required
   teams will alternate three (3) plays from the ten-yard line. Each team
   has an attempt to score in each overtime period. Starting with the 3rd
   and subsequent overtimes, all PAT’s must be 2 point attempts from the
   10 yard line. Overtime periods are not timed.
 
Officials
- Each game will have a Referee/Field Judge and Back Judge
- Each field will be equipped with a scoring/timekeeping table with at
   least one staff member managing
 
Additional Game Format Rules
- Teams must be onsite and ready to start on time. If a team is late or
   cannot start on time, the game clock will begin and whatever time is
   left on the clock will be where the game starts. The team that is late will
   begin on defense. If a team is late by 10 minutes or more they will
   forfeit the game.
 
 - Pool Play - Coin toss to determine choice – No halves; 
 - Bracket Play - Higher seed gets choice
 - All teams are required to wear the designated tournament uniform. 
 - Players are permitted to wear standard football cleats with plastic or
    rubber spikes. No metal spikes are allowed. 
- Ball always placed on the right hash mark when at the 40-yard line. 
- No kicking or punting 
- Field is marked similar to a normal high school football field. 
- No penalty would be assessed in excess of the 40 yard line. If a penalty
  would move the offense beyond the 40 yard line, the offensive team
  shall be charged with a loss of down.   
- No passer may run with the ball. All passes must be thrown forward. A
              pass caught behind the line of scrimmage must be advanced by that
  receiver past the line of scrimmage in the final 2:00 minutes or the clock
  stops. The only laterals that will be allowed will be laterals that occur
  after the completion of a forward pass. Hand offs in the backfield are
  not allowed.
 
Special Rules
- No blocking. No advancing interceptions
- Receiver/Ball carrier is legally down when touched below the neck with
  one or both hands. (Excessive force by shoving, pushing, or striking a
  blow will be penalized by automatic first down and 5 yards. Player will
              be expelled if ruled unsportsmanlike & flagrant).
- Fumbles that hit the ground are dead balls at the spot with the last
  team retaining possession. A muffed snap is not a fumble/dead ball.
 
   The 4.0 second count remains in effect on snaps.
- Each team will have 25 seconds to snap the ball once it has been
  marked ready for play; delay of game penalty will be a loss of down.
- The QB is allowed 4.0 seconds to throw the ball. The Official timekeeper
              starts a stopwatch on the snap of the ball from center and stops the
              watch as soon as the QB releases the ball.
- If release is under 4.0 seconds, the play goes on.
- If the timekeeper sees that the clock has exceeded 4.0 seconds, he
              waits until the play is over (the play is not blown dead), then brings the
              ball back to the original line of scrimmage with loss of down. (The
             timekeeper will be an official or coach from a team that is not playing).
 
- Game manager - placed on the 50 yard-line to keep score for his field
             (both games) and to assist with crowd/player control. (This may be a
  coach).
- Defensive Pass Interference will be a spot foul (1st down at the spot).
- Responsibility to avoid contact is with the defense. There will be NO
              chucking, or deliberate bumping or grabbing. These actions will result in
              a "tack on" penalty at the end of the play (5-yard penalty).
- Offensive pass interference is a 5 yard penalty and Loss of Down
- Interceptions may not be returned – 3 points awarded on interception.
  Points for defensive stop and interception are not “added together”.
  One or the other ends a possession with defensive points.
- Offensive team is responsible for retrieving and returning the ball to the
  previous spot or the new scrimmage spot. Clock does not stop and any
              delay by offense in retrieving and returning the ball TO THE REFEREE will
  result in a delay of game and will be a 5-yard penalty from the
              succeeding spot.
- The offensive center is not an eligible receiver (teams must have a
  center).
- The center will be responsible for setting or re-positioning the Referee's
              bean bag at the line of scrimmage.
- No taunting or "trash talking." (5-yard penalty & expulsion if flagrant or
  repeated).
- The offense must gain at least 15 yards in the first 3 or less plays or the
  defense takes over. (There is no kicking). No 4th downs. 3 downs in all
  zones
- Fighting: the player(s) involved will be ejected from the game and
             tournament. If a team fight occurs, the teams involved will be ejected
             from the tournament and denied participation in any/all state
             qualifying tournaments and the state tournament.
- Any dead ball penalty on the defense AFTER a change of possession
             would result in a loss of down for that team’s offense when they begin
             their ensuing possession.
 
Pool Play Tiebreakers
- If two teams are tied at the end of pool play, the first tiebreaker shall be
              head-to-head records. 
- If three or more teams are tied at the end of pool play, the following
 criteria will be used to determine winners
o Head-to-head records
o Points allowed
o Points scored
o Coin flip Qualifying
- Each qualifying team will be allowed to make 2 substitutions to the
  roster for the national event
o For example: If a team has 21 players on the roster upon
qualification, they are only allowed to bring up to 21 players, but
may substitute two of those players for new players 
- If one organization enters more than one team into a qualifying event,
  and one of those two teams qualifies, the roster of the qualifying team
  cannot be interchanged with the other
 
o If the qualified team plays in another Regional Qualifying event
   and places high enough to qualify a second time, they may not
   substitute their 2nd (or 3rd, 4th, etc.) team in their place