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2026 NS 5v5 Flag Guidelines & Rules

These guidelines & rules for all 5v5 non-contact flag football play in Nova Scotia have been summarized / modified from the 2026 Football Canada Flag Canadian Rule Book (to be published in March 2026). All changes, modifications, clarifications & enforcements for play in 2026 are highlighted in yellow.

Player Attire / Equipment:

All players must wear an intra-oral mouthpiece with no part sticking out.
Players of the same team shall wear full length jerseys of the same color / design issued by the league & they are responsible to check their jerseys after each play to ensure they do not interfere with their flags. Flag belts may be worn on top / over players jerseys, players do not have to tuck their jerseys into their pants or shorts, however they must ensure that jerseys do not interfere with their flags & the game officials will determine if there is any impact to play.
Players must wear pants or shorts of the same solid color / design without belt loops, loose strings, press studs or clips, shorts and / or stripes on shorts must be a different color than flags & it is highly recommended that they not have pockets. Players cannot tape or secure their pants or shorts to meet this regulation.
Players may wear footwear with rubber tip cleats, running shoes, turf shoes or sneakers.
Players are not allowed footwear with cleats longer than .5-inch, metal studs or track spikes.
Players may wear gloves, finger tape, play wristbands & non-metal braces.
Players may wear prescription glasses (preferred - fitted with an elasticized sports band.)
Players may wear sunglasses subject to safety review / approval from officials.
Players are not allowed any jewelry including earrings, necklaces, rings, watches, bracelets, etc.
Players are not allowed any jewelry including earrings, necklaces, rings, watches, bracelets, etc.
Players are not allowed to wear baseball caps, visors, hoods, helmets or similar, however headbands, bandanas or bucket hats may be allowed based on approval by the game officials.
Players are not allowed any uniform attachments such as towels or hand warmers.
Playbook wristbands, play cards, playbooks or play sheets are allowed. However if they interfere with flagging or are dropped on the field a penalty will be called by the officials.
Flag-a-Tag Sonic Boom Flag Belts popper-flags will be worn by players & every effort must be made to keep one flag on each hip aligned with the outside of their legs / seams of their shorts or pants at all times. Flags must be clearly visible, hang down freely & must not be covered in any way by a player’s uniform. The flags + shorts / pants or stripes on the side of shorts / pants must be a different color from each other. Flags must not be altered, cut, glued or changed in any way & if a player is caught with manipulated flags they will be ejected from the game.

Field Equipment & Layout:

For all the divisions the field dimensions are 60 yards in total length & 25 yards in total width including two 10-yard end zones, two 5 yard no run zones in front of the end zones & a 20-yard midfield line.
NOT IN USE FOR YOUTH LEAGUES For the U18, U20, men’s & women’s divisions the field dimensions are 70 yards in total length & 25 yards in total width including two 10-yard end zones, two 5 yard no run zones in front of the end zones & a 25-yard midfield line.
Disk cones will be used around the perimeter of the field to mark the 5 yard no run zone lines, the 5 yards from midfield team area lines, the midfield line & the back line of the end zones while 6inch cones will be used to mark the corners of the end zones.
Bean bags are used to mark Line of Scrimmage & the 7-yard rush line.
Teams will be designated to one sideline of the field by officials & the coaches / players must stay on their side of the field as well as in their designated team areas which are defined as 5 yards from midfield to the 5 yard no run zone) for the duration of game.
Teams & spectators are required to be on opposite sides of the field during game.
For youth leagues or tournaments, the following footballs will be used for game play: U8 Mites + U10 Atoms - Spalding Rookie / Wilson K2 | U12 Peewee - Spalding Rookie + J5J / Wilson K2 +
TDJ | U14 Bantam – Spalding J5J + J5Y / Wilson TDJ + TDY | U16 Midget – Spalding J5Y + J5V / Wilson TDY + TDS | U18 Junior – Spalding J5Y + J5V / Wilson TDY + TDS. For the MYFFL | Metro Youth Flag Football League or tournaments the officials will provide game balls.
For adult and / or senior leagues or tournaments teams can use any type of football that is equivalent in size to the Spalding J5Y / Wilson TDY for women & Spalding J5V / Wilson TDS for men. For the MMFFL | Metro Men’s Flag Football League & the MWFFL | Metro Women’s Flag Football League the teams will typically use their own footballs.
Spring youth flag leagues have been issued balls by alternative manufacturers. As long as the ball is appropriate for the age group, and in good repair it can be used for the game. If teams have different balls the offence is responsible for bringing the ball on and off the field of play.

Possession:

The winner of the coin toss at the start of the game gets the choice to: ball first, choose an end, or defer the choice to second half.
If the winner defers, the loser can choose ball or end, if the winner chooses ball, the loser has the choice of end zone to defend If the winner defers choice they can choose possession of the ball at the start of the second half. The loser would then choose the end they want to defend.

There are no kickoffs, the offensive team takes possession of the ball on its 5-yard line & has 3 plays to cross midfield. Once a team crosses midfield, it has 3 plays to score a touchdown. If the offense team fails to cross midfield or score a touchdown, the ball changes possession & the new offensive team takes over the ball at its own 5-yard line. An automatic first down by penalty will overrule the requirement of 3 plays to either make a first down or score.

All possession changes, except for interceptions start on the offensive team’s 5-yard line.

Number of Players:

Teams will typically consist of 8 – 12 players depending on league, with 5 on the field at a time.
Teams may play with a minimum of 4 players, however if less than 4 players are available then the game will be forfeited and / or cancelled. For all leagues in the spirit of Fair Play it is expected that both teams would play 4v4 in this situation.

Game Timing:

The duration of the game is typically 45 to 50 minutes long with two halves of 20 minutes running time & a 2-minute halftime. The game clock does not stop except for team or official’s timeout, injury timeout or at the discretion of the officials.
Games will be managed by officials to ensure they are completed 5 minutes before the next scheduled game starts. Officials will keep coaches informed of any game timing changes.
A team that is not ready to play within 5 minutes of the scheduled game start time will lose all of their timeouts for the game & the game time will be adjusted accordingly to ensure it finishes on time. If a team is not ready within 15 minutes, then they will forfeit the game.
Teams & coaches are verbally notified when there is 2 minutes left to play in each half, officials will stop the clock to make the announcement & the clock will start with the next snap of the ball. The exception to this is injury timeouts. The clock will start on the ready for play whistle when an injury timeout happens.
The offense has 25 seconds to snap the ball once it is spotted and the play is whistled in by the officials. Officials will verbally indicate 10 seconds remaining if the play is not started.
Each team has two 60 second timeouts per half which cannot be carried forward.
During the regular season, there will be no extra game time / overtime to declare a winner & the game shall remain tied.

Extra Game Time / Overtime:

During playoffs or tournaments when a winner must be declared overtime will be played.

There will be a 2-minute break before overtime starts, the officials will determine which end zone will be used for overtime play moving the team area for the team furthest away to the opposite sideline of the other team so that they are not disadvantaged, conduct a coin toss to determine first possession & there are no team timeouts.
Overtime
- Overtime will start with a coin toss. The visiting team will call the coin toss. The winner of the toss will choose to start on offense or defense first, or choose the end for the entire overtime period(s). The loser of the toss will choose from one of the remaining options.
- The first extra period shall consist of 2 series with each team putting the ball in play by a snap at the midfield line for one series of downs (no first down at middle). Should the defense score during the first series, other than on the try, then the extra period is over.
- Each team retains the ball during its series until it scores (including try downs for 1 or 2 points) or exhausts its series of downs. The ball remains alive after a change of team possession until it is declared dead.
- If after the first period (with 2 series including tries) the score is still tied, the second and following periods consist of series with each team playing a 1-point try from the 5-yard line. The overtime ends when the score after a period is no longer a tie or the defense scores during the first series of a period.
- For the second period, the team’s bench who is furthest away from the end chosen may elect to move their bench to the opposite side of the field and closer down to that end.
- The team scoring the greater number of points during overtime shall be declared the winner.
- No charged team timeouts are allowed during overtime.
- Starting from the first period, the order in which each team takes possession for following series will 'snake' (Team A -> Team B, Team B -> Team A, Team A -> Team B, etc.)."

Scoring:

Touchdown – 6 Points
Extra Point Try from 5-yard line – 1 Point
Extra Point Try from 10-yard line – 2 Points
Safety – 2 points + Ball Possession
Interception return on Extra Point Try to opponent’s end zone – 2 points + Ball Possession

General Rules:

All players have a Right of Place on the field as long as they are not moving their feet or body & no player from the opposing team may interfere with or contact them in any way. The Right of Place overrides all other rules application.
All players have a Right of Way on the field & no player from the opposing team can interfere with or contact them in any way. Offensive players have the right to run their routes and / or go for the ball, however they cannot interfere or contact opposing team players, defensive players have the right to go for the ball, however they cannot interfere with or contact opposing team players, offensive players cannot interfere with or contact defensive players trying to flag a player.
Incidental Contact, at the discretion of the official(s) is defined as any contact that occurs between two or more opposing players which does not affect safety, does not affect the outcome of the play, is not a penalty or does not allow a player or team to gain an unfair advantage during a play.
A maximum of two coaches per team will be allowed on the field at any time.
After a change of possession, a time out or a change of sides the officials will ensure that both teams are ready before the play is whistled in.
The Center is the player who snaps the ball to the Quarterback.
After the Center touches the ball, the Center may not move the ball forward or simulate the start of the snap.
Before the snap, the long axis of the ball shall be at right angles to the Line of Scrimmage.
Before the snap, the Center’s feet shall be at right angles to the Line of Scrimmage.
A legal snap is handing or passing the ball backward from its position on the ground with a quick

and continuous backward motion of the hand or hands that results in losing possession of the ball.

The snap need not be between the snapper’s legs. (Side snap)
The Quarterback is the player who receives & gains possession of the ball from the Center.
To start the play, the ball is snapped by the Center between their legs either directly or through the air to the Quarterback.
The Center cannot take a direct handoff back from the Quarterback (Center sneak play).
The Quarterback cannot run with the ball past the Line of Scrimmage unless they have given the ball away to another player behind the Line of Scrimmage & received it back.
The Quarterback has 7 seconds to throw the ball from the time the ball is snapped / released by the center & the play is blown dead if it is not thrown within this time. However, if the ball is handed off, tossed or passed laterally or on a fake hand off, toss or lateral pass to another offensive player the 7 second rule will no longer be in effect.
All offensive players, except the Center can be in motion in any direction at the time of the snap.
An offense may use multiple backward handoffs behind the Line of Scrimmage, but may have one forward handoff AND only one forward pass caught behind the line of scrimmage is allowed. No other passes or handoffs can be made after that pass. The order can only be a handoff followed by a pass.
Any player who receives a backward handoff, toss or lateral pass behind the Line of Scrimmage can throw the ball while they are behind the Line of Scrimmage or run across the Line of Scrimmage.
Once a player crosses or receives a pass beyond the Line of Scrimmage they are not allowed to handoff, toss, lateral or pass the ball.
No Running Zones are located 5 yards from each end zone & when the ball is on or inside the 5 yard line the offense cannot run the ball across the Line of Scrimmage at any time during the play. Handoffs, tosses, laterals or fake handoffs, tosses or laterals are allowed as long as they occur behind the Line of Scrimmage.
When a play starts in the No Run Zone, the end result of the play must be a forward pass that is caught beyond the Line of Scrimmage.
Spinning and dipping to avoid a flag pull is allowed by the ball carrier, however jumping which is defined as gaining extra height as compared to their regular running is not.
Diving, defined as intentionally leaving one’s feet & extending their body forward with both feet leaving the ground by an offensive player to avoid a flag pull or advance the ball is not allowed.
The ball will be spotted where the ball is when a player’s flag(s) are pulled, goes out of bounds or is considered down by contact with the ground. This is when the ball is considered dead.
All players are eligible to receive passes including the Quarterback if they have given the ball away behind the Line of Scrimmage.
A player receiving a ball requires one foot or some part of their body in bounds on their first contact with the field.
If a player goes out of bounds, they cannot return to the field of play to touch/receive the ball or flag a player unless they were forced out by an opponent & return immediately to the field.
Defensive players must line up at least 1 yard away from the Line of Scrimmage for all plays.
Defensive players are not allowed to line up directly over the Centre to prevent them from moving forward or having a free release. They must be a minimum of 3 yards away if standing in front of Center or a minimum of 1 yard if standing on either side of the Center.
If the spot of the ball at the end of a play is closer than 1 yard to the goal line the ball will always be placed on the 1-yard line for the next play.
Defensive players rushing / blitzing the passer must start at a minimum of 7 yards from the Line of Scrimmage as marked with a bean bag. They can start anywhere behind the 7 yards & if they are within 2 yards side to side of the 7-yard bean bag before the snap they have a Right of Way to the Quarterback. The Right of Way means that offensive players cannot interfere with the rusher’s direct path to the Quarterback.
Rushers cannot line up directly on top of the 7-yard rush line bean bag, they must choose / position themselves on one side or the other & they must be a minimum of 12 inches away from it.
Rushers must avoid contact with the Quarterback’s upper body or the ball while it is in their hand at all times as they should be going for the flags. Any accidental or deliberate contact other than going for the flags will result in an Illegal Contact penalty.
All defensive players are eligible to cross the Line of Scrimmage once the ball has been handed off, tossed or passed laterally as well as on a fake handoff, toss or lateral pass to another offensive player.
On interceptions that occur & remain in the end zone the ball will belong to the intercepting team on its own 5-yard line. Should a player leave the end zone the ball will be marked at the spot where the ball carrier is flagged, however should the player return to the end zone & be flagged then the result would be a safety for the other team. Should the player be flagged, or play stopped, anywhere between the goalline and the 5 yard line, the ball will be spotted on the 5 yard line.
Any pass or fumble is incomplete / dead if the ball touches the ground while not firmly controlled by a player or if a player is touching / touches a boundary line receiving the ball.
When a handoff, toss or lateral pass is fumbled or is incomplete, the ball is spotted at the point of last possession. If this occurs in the end zone, then a safety will be called.
When a fumble or tipped pass is caught by either an offensive or defensive teammate the ball is live & can be advanced.
The offensive team may make one forward pass during each down provided the pass is thrown from behind the Line of Scrimmage & is received by a different player.
On a forward pass thrown by an offensive player that is tipped / blocked by a defensive player & is caught by the same offensive player behind the Line of Scrimmage they can run with the ball across the Line of Scrimmage, however they cannot attempt another forward pass.
Push or Shovel passes thrown with one or two hands overhand, sidearm or underhand are allowed.
Any player with only 1 flag (i.e. it falls off before play starts) is still eligible to receive the ball, however the play will be blown dead at the spot that they gain possession the ball.
If a ball carrier’s flag or flags are moved out of position as the result of the defensive team’s attempt to flag the ball carrier the play will continue until they are flagged.
When a second Pass Interference or Illegal Contact penalty is called on the defensive team during an Extra Point Try the point(s) will be awarded to the offensive team.
Only the Head Coaches from each team can address officials during games.
Coaches are not allowed on the field during injury timeouts to coach players.

A play is ruled dead when:

When an official blows their whistle or points are scored.
When the ball touches the ground, an official or the goal post assembly. (This includes a fumble)
When a ball carrier steps or touches out of bounds or any part of their body except their hands / feet touch the ground or they simulate placing their knee on the ground.
When one or more of the ball carrier’s flags are pulled, when one or more of their flags falls off, when one or more of their flags is covered by their uniform jersey.
When a player receives the ball with only one or no flags on their hips.
When a Delay of Game, Delay of Pass, Diving, Flag Guarding, Illegal Running, Illegal Forward Pass, Interference or Jumping penalty occurs.
In the case of an inadvertent whistle by an official the team adversely affected may elect to replay the down or put the ball in play from the spot where it was declared dead. If the official cannot determine if a team is adversely affected the down is replayed. Note that any Live Ball foul(s) that occur before an inadvertent whistle will still be enforced.

The ball will be spotted where it is when the play is ruled dead. Extending the ball forward is legal.

Conduct of Players, Coaches and Spectators:

No player, coach or spectator shall contact an opponent or officials.
No substitute player, coach or spectator on the sideline may interfere in any way with the ball, player or officials while the ball is in play.
Offensive players are responsible to return the ball quickly to the officials after a play.
Players who have pulled an opponent’s flags are responsible to return them to the player.
No player shall try to strip or take the ball away from a ball carrier.
The ball carrier is responsible to avoid physical contact with the defensive players (i.e. jumping through or splitting defensive players blocking their path.
Acts of flagrant contact such as holding, blocking, shoving, tackling, cheap shots or fighting, the use of abrasive, threatening, obscene language or gestures, engaging in activities that provoke ill will or are demeaning such as trash talking will not be tolerated & will be subject to warnings, penalties and / or ejections from the game by officials. Any player, coach or spectator that is ejected from a game will serve a mandatory 1 game / next game suspension. In addition, any instances or occurrences of these types of acts may be reported to the FNS Disciplinary Review committee for follow-up with the possibility of additional game or season suspensions.
It is expected that all players, coaches & spectators will adhere to good sportsmanship including positively cheering / complimenting all players with no harassment of players, teams, coaches, officials or spectators & keeping all comments clean and / or profanity free.

Penalties:

Legend: LOS = Line of Scrimmage; LOD = Loss of Down; AFD = Automatic First Down; SOC = Spot of Catch; SOF = Spot of Foul; ND = Next Down)

Offsetting penalties by both teams will result in the down being replayed.
Officials may take any action they consider equitable including accessing penalties, disqualifying and / or ejecting players / coaches / spectators, awarding a score or suspending / forfeiting the game for any unfair tactics by players or teams that are not specifically covered by the rules.
A game cannot end on a defensive penalty unless it can be & is declined.
Penalties are assessed as Live Ball or Dead Ball penalties with Live Ball penalties being enforced before a play is considered completed.
All penalties are + or – 5 yards, are assessed from the LOS & the down is replayed unless otherwise noted.
Any penalties enforced cannot exceed more than ½ the distance to a goal line. (Except dead ball and major fouls.)
Offensive Flag Guarding, Jumping, Diving, Illegal Contact & Interference as well as defensive Pass Interference & Illegal Contact are now enforced from the Spot of Foul (SOF).

General / Major Penalties:

Illegal Substitution – any player substitutions by either team after the Center has touched ball in preparation for the snap to start play. (Defense can have slightly longer, provided they do not interfere with the play.)
Player Out of Bounds – any player who goes out of bounds of their own accord, then returns inbounds & then touches the ball inbounds.
Game Interference – any substitute players, coaches or spectators interfering with ball, player or official while ball is in play.
Leaving Team Area – players or coaches leaving their designated team sideline area.
Objectionable Conduct – players, coaches, teams or spectators using profane language or gestures, threats, demeaning or intimidating remarks & actions, persistent arguments, fake injuries, delay of game or targeting players to initiate contact will result in a 5-yard penalty as well as possibly having a player or coach sit out for 5 plays at the discretion of the officials. Any player, coach, team or spectator receiving a second Objectionable Conduct penalty during a game will be ejected from that game.
Major Foul / Unsportsmanlike Conduct – players, coaches, teams or spectators striking an opponent or an official with the deliberate intent to cause bodily harm as well as any acts of roughness or unfair play that threatens the safety of participants can result in ejection from the game & a 15-yard penalty being assessed against their team as well as LOD or AFD.

Offensive Penalties:

Delay of Game – ball is not snapped within 25 seconds, play whistled dead (+ND)
Delay of Pass – ball is not passed by Quarterback in 7 seconds, play whistled dead (+ND)
Offside – player(s) lined up across or crossing the neutral zone / LOS at the snap of the ball
Illegal Snap – Center lifting or moving ball that simulates a snap
Flag Guarding, Jumping or Diving – ball carrier uses any part of their body or ball to prevent flags from being pulled or advancing the ball, play is whistled dead at SOF (+ND)
Rusher Interference – impeding a rusher’s direct path to Quarterback
Interference – impeding, redirecting, obstruction, blocking with no contact, play whistled dead at SOF (+ND)
Illegal Contact – physical contact such as impeding, redirecting, obstruction, blocking, holding & tackling at SOF (+ND)
Pass Interference – both contact & non-contact that interferes with a defensive player’s catching a ball while it is in air, also includes screening, pushing off & pick plays (+LOD)
Illegal Forward Pass – a forward pass that is a second forward pass during a play or a forward pass after the ball has crossed the LOS, play whistled dead (+LOD)
Illegal Running Play – Quarterback run with ball across LOS, a run inside the 5 yard No Run Zone, play whistled dead (+ND)

Defensive Penalties:

Offside – player(s) lined up across or encroaching within 1 yard of the LOS at the snap of the ball
Disconcerting Signals – signals to distract or simulate offensive signals prior to snap
Illegal Rushing – players not lined up at least 12 inches away from rusher bean bag or rushing & crossing the LOS from inside the 7-yard rusher bean bag (this is negated if there is a pass, handoff, or fake prior to the rusher crossing the LOS.)
Pass Interference – both contact & non-contact that interferes with an offensive player catching a ball while it is in air, also includes screening & pushing off, SOF (+AFD)
Illegal Contact – physical contact such as impeding, redirecting, obstruction, blocking, holding, & tackling as well as any upper body contact with an offensive player throwing the ball including the ball in their hand, SOF (+AFD)
Illegal Flag Pull – pulling a flag of a player before they have the ball, SOC (+AFD)