BRITISH
                           AMERICAN FOOTBALL
                              ASSOCIATION
                             FOOTBALL RULES
                                  AND
                            INTERPRETATIONS
                              2016 EDITION




                              © BAFA 2016









                                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 35);


  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 2016
(Exception:
Competitions that began before 1st March 2016 will continue
to use 2015 rules until the end of their competition).




For brevity, male pronouns are used extensively in this book, but the
rules are equally applicable to female and male participants.




BAFA has established a mechanism for discussing and deciding future
changes to this book.
Each organisation affiliated to BAFA has a voice on the Rules Committee.
You may make suggestions for changes to your organisation's
representative(s).
Suggestions may be made at any time, but to eligible for consideration
for the following year they must be received by 1st October.




Jim Briggs, BAFRA (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 email them to
rules@britishamericanfootball.org.




The editor would like to thank the following people who assisted in the
production of this edition of the rulebook (GB except where stated):




Stuart Alger
Jaeson Bennett
Ellis Bowyer
Amir Brooks
John Burns
Phil Clarke
Steve Egan
Roger Goodgroves
John Griffin
Rob Hill
Barbara Jacquin
Lee Johnson
David Knight
Lewis Lebolt (Sweden)
Richard Madge
Russell Newton
Tim Ockendon
Peter Parsons
Ian Sneddon
Frank Thomson
Paul Todd
Liam Wooton




Cover image by Kyle Hemsley Photography www.kylehemsley.co.uk









                           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....................................................19
 4 Regulations on organisations.......................................26
 5 Game regulations...................................................28
 6 Competition complaints and appeals.................................30
 7 Procedures for regulatory cases....................................30
 8 Procedures for appeals.............................................33
Rules and Interpretations.............................................35
  Rule 1 -- The Game, Field, Players and Equipment....................37
  Rule 2 -- Definitions...............................................53
  Rule 3 -- Periods, Time Factors and Substitutions...................72
  Rule 4 -- Ball in Play, Dead Ball, Out of Bounds....................91
  Rule 5 -- Series of Downs, Line to Gain.............................96
  Rule 6 -- Kicks....................................................100
  Rule 7 -- Snapping and Passing the Ball............................114
  Rule 8 -- Scoring..................................................130
  Rule 9 -- Conduct of Players and Others Subject to the Rules.......139
  Rule 10 -- Penalty Enforcement.....................................159
  Rule 11 -- The Officials: Jurisdiction and Duties..................168
  Rule 12 -- Instant replay..........................................169
  Rule 13 -- Standards for Game Management...........................178
Summary of penalties.................................................190
Officials' Signals...................................................201
Appendix A -- Guidelines for Game Officials to Use During a Serious On-Field Player Injury204
Appendix B -- Guidelines for Game Officials and Game Management To Use Regarding Lightning205
Appendix C -- Concussions............................................208
Appendix D -- Field Diagrams.........................................210
Appendix E -- Equipment: Additional Details..........................216
BAFRA Terms and Conditions...........................................220
Index of Rules and Interpretations...................................227






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Editor: Jim Briggs, BAFA/BAFRA Rules Committee


rules@britishamericanfootball.org