FOOTBALL RULES
                                  AND
                            INTERPRETATIONS
                              2025 EDITION




                     Original material © BAFA 2025
                        ISBN: 97 8-1-326-62415-6









Foreword




The rules are revised each year by IFAF to improve the sport's level
of safety and quality of play, and to clarify the meaning and intent of
rules where needed.
The principles that govern all rule changes are that they must:





IFAF statutes require all member federations to play by IFAF rules,
except in the following regards:



    


  1. 
national federations may adapt Rule 1 to meet local needs and
circumstances, provided no adaption reduces the safety of the players
or other participants;
BAFA takes advantage of that to allow (for example) 90-yard fields
and reduced end zones that are our solution to using rugby pitches and
the like;


  2. 
competitions may adjust the rules according to (a) the age group of the
participants and (b) the gender of the participants;


  3. 
competition authorities have the right to amend certain specific rules
(listed on page 40);


  4. 
national federations may restrict the above so that the same regulations
apply to all competitions under their jurisdiction.

    
These rules apply to all
contests involving BAFA-affiliated teams
and take effect from 1st March 2025.
(Exception:
Competitions that began before 1st March 2025 will continue to use 2024
rules until the end of their competition).

Friendly fixtures played on or after 1st March will use these rules,
though accommodations may be made for BUCS teams to continue to play
to previous uniform or field marking rules until 31st May.


    

    
BAFA has established a Rules Committee to discuss and decide future
changes to this book.
The Committee is also our liaison to IFAF on rules matters.
You may make suggestions for changes at any time, but to be eligible
for consideration for the following year they must be received by
31st August.

    

    
Dr Jim Briggs (Editor)
on behalf of the
BAFA Rules Committee

    

    
Those who find it necessary to write to the editor for interpretations
of rules or play situations will receive prompt replies if they number
their questions and send them to
rules@britishamericanfootball.org
by email.

    

    
The editor would like to thank the following people who assisted in the
production of this edition of the rulebook:

    

    
Amir Brooks (Great Britain),
Dan Cass (Great Britain),
Eva Cloots (Belgium),
Edo Cohen (Israel),
John Cooper (Great Britain),
Robert Cornwell (Great Britain),
Erik De Boeck (Belgium),
Frank Eissa-Barroso (Great Britain),
Will Fazackerley (Great Britain),
Dan Harries Davies (Great Britain),
Perttu Hautala (Finland),
Jonathan Husband (Great Britain),
Radek Janhuba (Finland),
Mark Looi (Australia),
Andrew Lovell (Great Britain),
Ali May (Great Britain),
Gerry Mellough (Great Britain),
Paul Mercer (Australia),
Richard Moger (Great Britain),
Dave Moore (Great Britain),
Cedric Palmans (Belgium),
Peter Parsons (Great Britain),
Euan Paterson (Great Britain),
Jack Rogers (Great Britain),
Hubert Romanczyk (Poland),
Mark Schofield (Great Britain),
Paul Sutton (Great Britain),
Begum Kubra Tokyay (Turkiye),
Liam Wooton (Great Britain),
Ozan Emre Yazici (Turkiye)

    

    
Cover image by Betty Brooks

    


    

    

    
Table of Contents

    

    
Rules changes..........................................................4
Points of emphasis.....................................................7
The Football Code.....................................................10
BAFA Regulations......................................................13
 1 Basic principles...................................................13
 2 Registration.......................................................17
 3 Code of conduct....................................................20
 4 Regulations on organisations.......................................27
 5 Game regulations...................................................30
 6 Competition complaints and appeals.................................31
 7 Procedures for regulatory cases....................................32
 8 Procedures for appeals.............................................34
 9 Grievance procedure................................................36
Rules and Interpretations.............................................40
  Rule 1 -- The Game, Field, Players and Equipment....................42
  Rule 2 -- Definitions...............................................63
  Rule 3 -- Periods, Time Factors and Substitutions...................83
  Rule 4 -- Ball in Play, Dead Ball, Out of Bounds...................106
  Rule 5 -- Series of Downs, Line to Gain............................112
  Rule 6 -- Kicks....................................................116
  Rule 7 -- Snapping and Passing the Ball............................131
  Rule 8 -- Scoring..................................................148
  Rule 9 -- Conduct of Players and Others Subject to the Rules.......158
  Rule 10 -- Penalty Enforcement.....................................181
  Rule 11 -- The Officials: Jurisdiction and Duties..................190
  Rule 12 -- Instant replay..........................................191
  Rule 13 -- Standards for Game Management...........................196
Summary of penalties.................................................211
Officials' Signals...................................................223
Appendix A -- Guidelines for Game Officials for Serious On-Field Player Injuries226
Appendix B -- Guidelines for Game Officials and Game Management To Use Regarding Lightning227
Appendix C -- Concussions............................................229
Appendix D -- Field Diagrams.........................................231
Appendix E -- Equipment: Additional Details..........................238
BAFRA Terms and Conditions...........................................244
Index of Rules and Interpretations...................................251

    

    

    
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Editor: Jim Briggs, BAFA/BAFRA Rules Committee

    
rules@britishamericanfootball.org