Tournament Rules
General
Age Divisions 8U, 10U, 12U, 13U, 14U, 15U and 18U  
January 1st of the current 7v7 season year is the date used to determine
eligibility for age divisions
NO SENIORS ALLOWED
Only (2) Two coaches per team are allowed on the sidelines.  
All other personnel must remain a minimum of 10 yards off the field and out of
the end zone area.
Coaches, this is your responsibility to keep your fans in the designated area.  
Failure to do so will result in an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty.
Da Bag reserves the right to cancel or change the location of a Tournament. If a
tournament is changed or canceled, Da Bag will not reimburse any team,
players, or spectators for any expenses incurred including but not limited to
airfare, ground transportation, lodging, and food. Teams may request a refund of
the tournament registration fee, subject upon approval
All decisions made by Da Bag staff are final
Coach & Spectator Conduct/Responsibilities
Da Bag may require coaches, family members, parents, and spectators to
observe the contest from designated areas
Coaches must agree to sign a coaches code of conduct and strictly adhere to our
guidelines for coach conduct and attitude.
All family members, parents and spectators will observe play from the designated
areas. Participants, coaches, parents and family members must conduct
themselves appropriately during the tournament
Inappropriate, rude or confrontational behavior by any coach, team or parent(s)
may lead to a team’s disqualification from a tournament at the sole discretion of
Da Bag
Misconduct by any individual may lead to removal from the premises at the sole
discretion of Da Bag
No media teams will be allowed on the field without a physical media pass.
Check-in & Registration
Participation requirements and registration guidelines are provided to each head
coach/club admin when registering for a tournament via Zorts Sports.
Da Bag , INDEMNITY AND HOLD HARMLESS AGREEMENT, RELEASE FROM
LIABILITY, AND PHOTO/VIDEO WAIVER, signed electronically by a
parent or legal guardian, must be submitted by the participant. Participants will
not be eligible to play without the proper waivers submitted via Zorts Sports
Players must have an active/eligible Zorts Player Card (Bronze or above)
Please visit https://www.zortssports.com/shop/index for additional details
regarding Zorts Player Cards
Roster changes are no longer available once your first game has started
Roster additions after the deadline will cost $10/player
Da Bag reserves the right to disqualify players and/or teams if individuals do not
meet the Tournament Requirements.
All players and coaches must check-in in person at the check-in tent prior to
starting play.
Rosters
All rosters must be completed through via Zorts Sports
Teams must consist of at least 7 players with a maximum of 30 players per team.
All roster protests will be addressed, by the Da Bag Tournament Director, either
prior or during game play only.  
Coaches will need to immediately notify tournament staff when submitting a
roster protest
Game play and time will not be stopped, both teams will continue to play during
the roster protest. If a roster is ruled illegal, the team at fault will forfeit the game,
awarding the other team a 28-0 victory.  If a roster is proven legal, the game will
be recorded as is.  Roster protests will not be valid after a game has been
played.
Players may only play for a (1) team per age division.  Players may play for
their current age division while playing up at the next age division; in this
case player must be rostered on both teams prior to the tournament start.  
Organizations with Multiple teams in the same age division:
Once a team is eliminated from tournament play that disqualifies those
players on the losing team from further play during that day.  
Wristbands are not interchangeable among players.  All players must have a
wristband to be eligible to compete.  This will be monitored by tournament staff.
Any players/teams that are caught competing without a wristband will be
automatically eliminated from the tournament
If a team is caught using players not on their original roster team, that team will
be disqualified.
Pool & Bracket Play Format
Teams will play a minimum of 3 games in pool play
Teams could potentially play a 4th pool play game if the schedule could be
accommodated
Subject to change based on Tournament Directors discretionary
Pool play games will end when time has run out even if the score is tied.
Bracket Play - Sunday
Single Elimination playoff bracket games will be scheduled after pool play
official results are submitted via Zorts Sports
Divisional playoff seeds are determined by
Overall Record
Point Differential
Total Points Allowed
Total Points Score
The Game ----
At the start of each game, captains from both teams meet at midfield for
the coin toss to determine who starts with the ball
During bracket play, the higher seed will choose which team gets the ball
first
#4 seed plays #5 seed, #4 seed will choose which team gets the ball first
Offense always starts on the 40-yard on the left hash line, except for in the
case of an interception, offense will get the ball on the 30-yard line.
All snaps at the 40-yard line must be off the QB-TEE
QBs may take a shotgun snap after advancing the ball beyond the 40-yard
line
If using a center to snap the ball, the center is ineligible to catch a pass
and the ball must be snapped from the ground.
The snapper is able to tag a player down if the opposing team catches a
pick.  However, snapper needs to have a mouth guard and helmet in order
to be eligible to tag.
Offense has three (3) downs per line-to-gain. Line-to-gains will be at the
25-yard, 10-yard, and goal line.
A player is legally down when the ball carrier is touched with at least one
hand below the neck.--
The QB will have 4.0 seconds to throw, Stopwatches will be used for
verification. The four second clock starts on the snap of the ball and ends
when the ball is out of the QB’s hand.
Each team will get ONE BLITZ and ONE RUN per game.
You can blitz as many players as you like. The 4 second rule DOES
NOT apply if you Blitz the QB. You cannot blitz when the offense is on
the 40-yard line. Blitzing more than once will result in an automatic
1st down 15 yards.
More than one run will result in a loss of down.
No time outs on Saturday.
One 30 second timeout per game on Sunday.
Officials have the final ruling on their field.
Equipment --
Mouth guards are MANDATORY
Soft shell helmets or halos are MANDATORY
Teams must provide their own matching uniforms
Numbers are recommended but not mandatory
If teams are wearing the same color, there will be a coin toss, the losing
team will need to change to a different color
Suggestion, bring an extra white shirt or backup color
Subject to change based on Tournament Directors discretionary Players
must wear closed toed shoes. Cleats are allowed, however, no metal
cleats are permitted.
Subject to change based on certain facility rules
Players may tape their forearms, hands, and fingers. Players may wear gloves,
elbow pads and knee pads. Braces with exposed metals are permitted
Players must remove all jewelry, hats, and do-rags. Winter beanies and
sunglasses are allowed.
BALL REQUIREMENTS
Teams will provide their own footballs and will be inspected prior to game start
Footballs must be a LEATHER or COMPOSITE LEATHER BALL
APPROPRIATE SIZE MUST BE STATED ON THE BALL
IF A TEAM IS CAUGHT PLAYING WITH AN ILLEGAL BALL, IT WILL BE A
TURNOVER NO DEFENSIVE POINTS AWARDED, BALL WILL START FROM
THE 40 YD LINE
8U - K2
10U - TDJ
12U - TDY
14U/15U/18U - GST
Field
Field Length will be 50 yards
40-yard playing field
Line-to-gains will be at the 25-yard, 10-yard and goal line
1st line-to-gain will be 15 yards (25-yard line)
2nd line-to-gain will be 15 yards (10-yard line)
3rd line-to-gain will be 10 yards (Goal Line)
Timing & Overtime
5 Minutes after Game time is Forfeit time
Registration will not be a reason to hold up games
Forfeited games will result in a 28-0 final score
Subject to change based on Tournament Directors discretionary
Pool play and Bracket play games are played on a 25-minute continuous clock
Clock stops only for timeouts (during bracket play) or injuries at the officials
discretion / tournament director’s discretion
Each time the ball is spotted, a team has 25 seconds to snap the ball
Offense is responsible for retrieving the football after every play and spotting the
ball with the line judge official refs will provide a 10 sec warning. Failure to snap
on time will result in a loss of down.  
Each team has (1) 30-second timeout per game ONLY DURING BRACKET
PLAY
The game clock does not run during extra-points after a time out has been called
Officials can stop the clock at their discretion
In the event of an injury, the clock will stop then restart when the injured player is
removed from the field of play
Injured player must take off for at least one play if attended to during an injury
timeout
If the score is tied during pool play, the score will be final as a tie. An overtime
period will be used to determine a winner of the tie during BRACKET PLAY
ONLY.  
Overtime period format is as follows:
Higher seeded team will choose Offense or Defense
1st & 2nd OT  
Each team will receive 1 play from 15-yard line, choice of hash
If the offense scores, they will have the opportunity to go for the extra point
or 2-point . If the team DOES NOT score the teams will flip and the Defense
will now get 1 play from the 15-yard line, choice of hash. If they score, the
game is over.
3rd OT each team will start at the 40-yard line and the team that produces
the most yardage of their drive will win
Scoring
● 6 points for a Touchdown
A team that scores a touchdown must declare whether it wishes to attempt
a 1-point conversion (from the 5-yard line) or a 2-point conversion (from
the 10-yard line). Any change, once a decision is made to try for the extra
point, requires a charged timeout. A decision cannot be changed after a
penalty
● Once per game a team is allowed to opt in for a 1v1 in lieu of a PAT:
○ Each team will chose their own designated player for 1v1
○ There will be a red flag issued to each coach before the game
starts. When the coach decides to use the 1V1 challenge he will
throw the red flag in the presence of an official on the field to
confirm his decision. At this point the official will set up for the
1v1 at the 7-yard line and blow whistle when ready for play. The
offense has 25 seconds to get the play off.
○ Receiver will start at the 7yd line
○ No motion is allowed
○ DP results in 5yd penalty, 2nd DP results in offense win
○ OP results in defense win
○ 3 points are awarded to offense for TD
○ 2 points are awarded to defense for a stop
○ 4 second clock is still in play, no blitz is allowed during this
option
(Typical use for this is if you are in a tight game and you need
3 points to tie or to win) ***Receiver can not run across field***  
● 2 points are awarded for a defensive stop
● 2 points are awarded for a safety
● 3 points for an interception (no runbacks or “pick-six”)
● 0 points are awarded for a pick on a PAT
Official scores will be kept by the officials
Coaches
● Only (2) two coaches per team are allowed on the sidelines. All other
personnel must remain a minimum of 10 yards off the field in the end zone
area
● Only (1) one offensive coach is allowed on the field at any time.
Penalty is delay of game and a loss of down.
The offensive coach must be positioned behind the offensive huddle and
not coaching after the ball is snapped. Penalty is delay of game and a
loss of down
● Offenses/Defenses cannot get preset.
● No defensive coaches can be on the field at any time
Coaches will be given 1 sideline warning during play. Second warning will
result in a 10-yard penalty or half the distance to the goal. Third warning
will result in coach’s ejection
Live Ball/Dead Ball
● The ball is live at the snap of the ball and remains live until the official
whistles the ball dead
● The official will indicate the neutral zone and line of scrimmage.  All balls
must be snapped from the ground or from a QB Tee.  It is an automatic
dead ball foul if any player on defense or offense enters the neutral zone.
Regarding the neutral zone, the official may give both teams a “courtesy”
neutral zone notification to allow their players to move back behind the line
of scrimmage.
● A player who gains possession in the air is considered in bounds if the first
foot contacts the ground in the field of play
● The defense may NOT mimic the offensive team signals by trying to
confuse the offensive players, while the quarterback is calling out signals
to start the play. This will result in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty
● Substitutions may be made on any dead ball
● Any official can whistle the play dead.
● Play is ruled “dead” when:
When touched below the neck with one hand
The ball hits the ground
If the ball hits the ground because of a bad snap, the ball is then placed
where the ball hit the ground
The ball-carrier steps out of bounds
A touchdown, PAT or safety is scored
The ball-carrier’s knee or arm hits the ground
The 4 second pass clock expires
Inadvertent whistle
Note: There are no fumbles. The ball becomes a dead ball. (If the ball is fumbled
forwards, then it will be spotted where the ball carrier lost possession
Inadvertent Whistle:
● Any inadvertent whistle (whistle accidentally blown during play that was
meant to continue) results in dead ball, the offense will have a choice of
replaying the down or taking the result of the play of the inadvertent whistle
● If inadvertent whistle occurs under 2 minutes in playoff games, clock stops
until a decision have been made by the offense and will start at the ready
whistle
● If inadvertent whistle occurs at end of regulation, the offense will have a
choice of replaying the down or taking the result of the play of the
inadvertent whistle
● If inadvertent whistle occurs on any play of overtime, the offense will have
a choice of replaying the down or taking the result of the play of the
inadvertent whistle
Note: If it occurs on the last play of the half or game, the offense will be awarded
one untimed down and given those two options
Offense
● The ball is spotted where the ball is when the runner is touched
● Offense has one run per game and the quarterback is never eligible to run.
● The quarterback has a four-second “pass clock.” If a pass is not thrown
within the four seconds, the play is dead, the down is consumed, and the
ball is returned to the line of scrimmage.
If the QB is being blitzed, the 4 second rule no longer applies,
however QB is now allowed to run.
● All passes must be from behind the line of scrimmage, thrown
forward and ball out of hand prior to breaching the line of
scrimmageShould a swing pass not cross the LOS and a defensive
player tags the ball carrier behind the 40-yard line, the play will result
in a safety (2 points for the defense)
● No blocking or “screening” is allowed at any time – THE PLAY WILL
BE CALLED DEAD AT THE POINT AT WHICH THE CARRIER IS
SPOTTED WHEN THE BLOCK TOOK PLACE.  Offensive players
without the ball must stop their motion once the ball has crossed the
line of scrimmage. No running with the ball-carrier
● All offensive formations must be legal sets. The offense (wide
receivers) has to line up outside the tackle box, and one receiver has
to be on the line on each side. Illegal Formation, loss of down.
● All offensive substitutions must enter through the back of the offense
● Only one player is allowed in motion at a time. All motion must be
parallel to the line of scrimmage and no motion is permitted toward
the line of scrimmage.  Multiple players may go in motion but will all
need to come to a full stop before snapping the ball.
Illegal Shift, loss of down
● A player must have at least one foot in bounds, contacting the
ground first.  In the case of simultaneous possession by both an
offensive and defensive player, possession is awarded to the offense
● The Tackle box is three yards on either side of the TEE. No
player is to allowed to rule their route within that are. They can
not start outside the tackle box and come back run their route
through it. All routes MUST be OUTSIDE the tackle box.
Defense
● It is the defense’s responsibility to avoid contact
● An interception will result in an immediate stoppage of play and a change
of possession with the interception team gaining possession at the 30-yard
line. If an unsportsmanlike penalty is given to the interception team, they
will be penalized 15 yards + loss of down
● Interceptions cannot be ran back or “pick six”, immediately dead after
change of possession
● Defensive player is allowed initial disruptive contact/jam against offensive
player at line of scrimmage but will be assigned a 5-yard holding penalty if
there is prolonged or excessive contact after disruption/jam, and if contact
includes shoving, pushing or striking a blow against another player, a
15-yard personal foul penalty will be assessed instead of the 5-yard
holding penalty
● An offensive receiver/ball carrier is considered down when a defensive
player contacts the player with at least one hand below the neck and
above the ankles
● The defense is allowed one blitz per game, tracked by the referees,
defense can blitz as many players as they want
● NO BLITZING AT THE 40 YARD LINE ALLOWED. IF A DEFENSE
BLITZES, THIS WILL BE DEEMED AN ILLEGAL PROCEDURE AND AN
AUTOMATIC 1st DOWN AND FIVE (5) YARDS FOR OFFENSE and
FORFEIT THEIR ONE BLITZ
● Defensive players cannot cross the line on a run play until the quarterback
hands the ball off or laterals to the RB/WR
● If there is an offensive penalty on the play that the blitz is used, the
defense is awarded their blitz back
● If the defense blitzes after already using their one blitz, it is treated as a
live ball foul. The defense will be assessed a 10-yard penalty and an
automatic first down awarded to the offense
● In the event of a team blitzing and facing a defensive penalty on the play,
the blitzing team will forfeit their blitz along with a 5-yard penalty. In the
case of offsetting penalties, the defense will retain their blitz.
Penalties
OFFENSE ASSESSED RESULT
False Start Line of Scrimmage Loss of
Down
Illegal
Formation/Shift/Motion
Line of Scrimmage Loss of
Down
Offsides Line of Scrimmage Loss of
Down
Delay of Game Line of Scrimmage Loss of
Down
Illegal Forward Pass Line of Scrimmage Loss of
Down
Illegal Advancement Line of Scrimmage Loss of
Down
Blocking Line of Scrimmage Loss of
Down
Offensive Pass
Interference
Line of Scrimmage Loss of
Down
Unnecessary
Roughness
15 Yards - LOS Loss of
Down
Unsportsmanlike 15 Yards Loss of
Down
Fumbles Dead Ball (Offense Retains
Possession at the Spot)
DEFENSE ASSESSED RESULT
Encroachment/Neutral Zone 5 Yards Repeat Down
Illegal Formation/Shift/Motion 5 Yards Repeat Down
Offsides 5 Yards Repeat Down
Provoking Offensive Cadence or Snap 5 Yards Repeat Down
Defensive Pass Interference 15 Yards First Down
Holding
Unnecessary Roughness
Additional Blitzing
Unsportsmanlike
5 Yards
15 Yards
15 Yards
15 Yards
● Offensive hands to the face: Loss of down
● Defensive hands to the face: 5-yard penalty, first down
First Down
First Down
First Down
First Down
● Offensive delay of game: 5-yard penalty unless occurs at 40-yard line, then
loss of down
● Defensive delay of game: 5-yard penalty, first down
● If offense commits two consecutive delay of game penalties, change of
possession occurs and opposing defense is awarded 2 points
● If offense commits delay of game penalty in final five minutes of playoff
game, game clock stops until next snap
What Qualifies as Delay of Game:
● Offense taking more than 25 seconds to snap ball once referee marks it
ready for play
● Quarterback throwing ball well after play is blown dead
● More than 7 players on the field for either the offense or defense
● Delay by either offense or defense in retrieving and returning the ball to
referee
● Throwing or launching ball into the air
● Offensive personal foul: 15-yard penalty, loss of down
● Defensive personal foul: 15-yard penalty, first down
● Offensive personal foul on turnover/other change of possession: 15-yard
penalty for opponent’s offense
● Defensive personal foul on turnover/other change of possession: Loss of
down for their offense
● Offensive personal foul after touchdown is scored: Lose PAT chance
What Qualifies as a Personal Foul:
● Excessive force, such as shoving, pushing or striking a blow on an
opposing player
● Defensive player diving at an offensive player
● Unnecessary or avoidable contact with another player
● Directly taunting an opposing player, coach or spectator — some trash talk
is OK, but keep it clean!
● Excessive celebration after any play — anything that disrupts flow of game
and instigates opposing players or coaches
● Kicking or punting the ball (unless done with intent to give to referee or
field monitor)
● Tackling or running into a receiver when a forward pass obviously is
underthrown or overthrown is disregarding the ball and is illegal
● Coaches that need to have conversations with officials about specific
rulings within the game must do so from the Team Area. Coaches are
encouraged not to enter the field of play or leave the Team Area to debate
officiating decisions, and those that do so will have committed an
automatic Unsportsmanlike Conduct Foul
Appeals/Roster Request:
● Appeals are not permitted during pool play games, all questions and
interpretations may be brought up to a field monitor for any explanation
needed
● In playoffs, teams must use their timeout to appeal a rule interpretation or
penalty enforcement. If the appeal is successful, then timeout will be
rewarded back. If the appeal is not successful, then the timeout will not be
rewarded back.
● In playoffs, field monitor can stop clock in game and discuss referees’
ruling with them at their discretion
● All appeals and roster protests must come from coaches, not players
● Requests for roster protests are allowed at any time. Coaches must notify
officials and the field monitor before or during the game. Coaches are
limited to protesting 1-3 players. The game will continue without
interruption as tournament staff officials review the rosters. If the protest is
successful, the opposing team will forfeit the game with a score of 28-0. If
the protest is unsuccessful, the game will be recorded as is. Roster
protests requested after the game will not be permitted.
Celebrations / Fighting Conducts
We encourage celebrations. However, we do not tolerate taunting. Keep it fun
and keep it quick so as not to unnecessarily delay game play. If during a
celebration your players pass the other team's hash, you will be penalized for
taunting. If a team is penalized for excessively taunting, the result is an
unsportsmanlike penalty, a loss of down and ejection of the player.
BALLHEAD NOTE: Circling or touching players from the opposite team will
result in a double taunting penalty plus two (2) points being awarded to the
non-offending team. A second violation may result in ejection at the
discretion of the Tournament Director
Fighting will not be tolerated.  
If any coach encourages inappropriate behavior and acts aggressively
towards other coaches or players, the coach will be ejected from the event
after one warning
If any coach touches any player from another team, the coach will be
ejected from the tournament
If a player throws a punch, he is ejected immediately and CANNOT
return to the tournament
If players are involved in pushing or shoving, they may be ejected
immediately from the game at the referees’ discretion
If a second incident occurs with the same player(s), they will be ejected
from the tournament in its entirety
If a team’s bench clears, resulting in a fight, both of the teams are ejected,
resulting in a forfeit
The officials have the right to throw out any player, players, or team out of
the game
The tournament staff has the right in extreme cases to eject players,
coaches, teams, and by-standers of any tournament and they will have to
leave the facility immediately. A referee can also give a 15-yard
unsportsmanlike penalty