UFL Player Rulebook
A loose ball is a live ball that is not in a player’s possession. A loose ball that has not yet struck the ground is In Flight. A loose ball (either during or after flight) is considered in possession of the offensive team whose player kicked, passed, or fumbled. It ends when a player secures possession or when the down ends if that is before such possession.
Fumble
A fumble is any act, other than a pass or kick, which results in loss of player possession. The term fumble always implies that the ball was in possession. Once the ball is fumbled the ball is a live ball until either (1) A player on either team recovers the fumble or (2) The ball rolls out of bounds.
- A. If a player catches the ball and then immediately fumbles the ball in the Endzone before the touchdown is registered by the system, it will be ruled as a Touchdown.
- B. A fumble going out-of-bounds between the endzones is retained by the last team with possession. If the ball was moving backwards with regard to the recovering team, it is spotted where it went out of bounds. If the ball was moving forwards, it is spotted where the fumble occurred (the fumble itself cannot advance the ball, this will have to be adjusted by the referee).
- C. A fumble going out-of-bounds in the endzone being attacked results in the defending team assuming possession via touchback if the offensive team forced the ball into the endzone. If the defensive team forced the ball into the endzone it is a safety for the offense.
- D. A fumble going out-of-bounds in the endzone being defended is ruled a safety if the offensive team forced the ball into the endzone.
- E. A fumble going out-of-bounds in the endzone being defended is ruled a touchback if the defensive team forced the ball into the endzone. The ball is turned over to the defensive team.
Intentional Grounding will be called if a quarterback throws the ball to the ground or out of bounds, with no realistic chance of completion while being pursued by a defender. A loss of ten (10) yards will be called on the play and there will be a loss of downs. Ball must be passed towards the vicinity of an offensive receiver. Any pass with no intended receiver, and while in the process of being pursued by a defender will result in a ten (10) yard penalty and loss of down.
Kickoffs that are kicked out of bounds to either the right or left side of the field will be spotted at the 40 yard line for the receiving team. Kickoffs that go out the back or side of the end zone will be spotted at the 20 yard line. If the ball is received in the end zone the player may run out of the back of the endzone for an automatic touchback. This is the equivalent of taking a knee. If the ball is received in the field of play, it must be returned.
The referee is responsible for watching the spot of the catch and adjust the field as necessary if the receiver runs out of the endzone after catching it in the field of play. [Penalty: The result of a player running out of the endzone after receiving a kickoff in the field of play is spotting the ball where the kick was initially received].
Field Goals
Any penalty flags thrown during extra point attempts against the offense will result in the defense having the option to accept and have the offense re-kick, or take the penalty following the ensuing kickoff. Penalties against the defense will have the same option with the ball being moved half the distance to the goal (positioned on the 2yd line, barring any other penalties) if accepted for the extra point.
-A flag and five (5) yard penalty will be issued after the kickoff for teams excessively cheating off their ball.
(Fake Field Goals � Initiated by the holder snapping the ball. The holder then becomes the QB and all passing/catching rules apply)
Kickoffs
During kickoffs only the kicker has the ability to perform the kickoff. When the kicker poseball is clicked the kicker will raise their right hand. This designates to the referee (and the rest of the field) that they are ready to kick the ball. They must wait for the referee to put the ball in play for ALL kickoffs. A regular cadence is expected before each kickoff. When the power meter is locked in and the formations are released all offensive players are expected to be behind the kicker. All offsides rules apply to the kickoff with respect to the line of scrimmage.
FFENSIVE PLAYERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO MOVE BEFORE FIELD GOALS OR EXTRA POINTS & DEFENSIVE PLAYERS CANNOT CROSS THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE BEFORE THE KICK.
A flag and five (5) yard penalty will be issued after the kick for teams who either:
A) Hold the ball for too long.
B) Run more than 1 yard with the ball.
[Penalty: A Flag and five (5) yard penalty will be issued to teams who move during field goal and extra point attempts.]
Onside Kicks
Kick offs and/or Onside Kicks must travel 10 yards downfield before it is picked up by the kicking team. The referee is tasked with monitoring the location where the ball is recovered. If it is close, the return run will indicate the return yards and using that as well as the location of the ball it can be determined if the ball traveled far enough.
Penalty for Ball not traveling 10 yards: Dead Ball Flag. Receiving Team get Choice of:
1. Take the Ball from their own 40 yard line.
Or
2. Re-kick in normal fashion downfield and a 10 yard Penalty before re-kick of the ball.
* During regular game play, each team will be allowed at most one (1) onside kick per half. During the second half there are unlimited number of onside kicks allowed during the last five (5) minutes of the game.
Any time burned off by a play that resulted in a penalty can be added back on if the penalty is accepted. Quarters will be 9 minutes; the clock stays running while ball is in bounds (the game clock will stop on change of possession (except on a running play when tackled in bounds), incomplete pass, running out of bounds, or a score) the play clock is a sixty (60) second clock. ** An effort must be made by the defense to rez formations and get in position. If the referee determines that the defense is not making a valid effort, a warning will be given. After the warning, a 5 yard penalty will be assessed after each additional infraction. Overtime � 1 Full (9 Minute) Quarter � Visitor team chooses coin toss � First TD wins � If the opening teams scores a FG, the opposing team has a chance to answer back with a field goal to tie or a TD to win. If they don’t answer back, the 1st team wins. � If no team scores, the game goes on until the clock runs out. In this case the game will end in a tie (Except in playoffs, game goes until a team scores)
Team Captains have the option to decline or accept all game related penalties. On-field team representative -(each team will choose one (1) or no more than two (2) player(s) to represent the team on the field i.e. quarterbacks) to correspond to the on-field referees. This is done in instant messaging. Those representatives may only speak on voice prior to or after a ball has been put in play. During the time that the ball is in play, nothing but the quarterback’s cadence is allowed on voice. – Any members of a team that “mics up” on the field towards the officials or other team in a negative way will receive a fifteen (15) yard penalty and will be cited for unsportsmanlike conduct.
In the case that the team representative has been ejected from the game or crashes long term, the team will be able to choose a new team representative on the spot to take over communications. ======= [Player On-Field Rules and Regulations]========= * All penalties are considered continuation (live ball) penalties unless the play is stopped by the official. If a flag is thrown or a whistle is blown all players are to continue with the current play unless otherwise instructed by on-field officials.
Offsides is defined as any team member that is across the LOS once the ball is snapped (player’s helmet must be on or across the line to be considered offsides). If the defense is offsides the play is to continue. -A flag and five (5) yard penalty will be called for offsides.
If a player crashes during the game, the player must message one of the referees in order to get brought back into the game. If a player from any team logs onto the field without being Teleported by a referee, a ten (10) yard penalty will be issued.
False Starts will be issued to offensive players who go offsides. That is a player on offense passing the line of scrimmage before the ball has been hiked. Once cadence starts all Offensive players must be still, and any early movement not caused by lag or pose balls will be deemed as false starting. -A five (5) yard penalty will be issued to a false start. (Dead Ball)
Encroachment will be issued to defensive players who go offsides and make contact with the offense — that is a player on defense passing the line of scrimmage before the ball has been hiked and making contact. -A five (5) yard penalty against the defense will be issued upon encroachment. (Dead Ball)
All offensive players are required to come to a complete stop and be in a set position simultaneously for at least TWO SECONDS prior to the snap. Offensive players do not need to face forward, but they CANNOT FACE BACKWARDS during a snap. Hurry up offenses are permitted, provided ALL offensive players have been on the pose ball for a minimum of the full TWO SECONDS prior to the snap. ** Defense Implication: The defensive players must be aware of the offense and speed of play. If the offense complies with the above rule and there are defensive players in the backfield at the time of the snap, this will result in a defensive OFFSIDES penalty ** -A flag and five (5) yard penalty will be issued for offensive players facing backwards or not on the pose ball. (Dead Ball) -A flag and five (5) yard penalty will be issued for defensive players called offside. Defensive offsides is NOT a Dead Ball and continuing play will be allowed until the play is over, at which time the offense will either choose to accept or decline the penalty. The offense is not allowed to motion. Motion is when a player changes position by moving parallel of the line of scrimmage. OFFENSIVE PLAYERS MUST BE ON THEIR BALL. -Motioning will result in a loss of five (5) yards for the offense Once the offensive line has been set on their ball for two seconds, they are not allowed to drift off of their ball. -A flag and five (5) yard penalty will be issued for Offensive linemen drifting off their ball once they are set. (Dead Ball)
– The ball will always be in play and will only need to be put into play by a Referee after a score, a timeout, or whenever the play clock is stopped and needs to be restarted. The defense will still need to make a solid effort to rez defensive formations each and every play, although if the offense is running a hurry-up style there will be no strict rule outlining a time frame for the defense to be on formation. If an effort is not made to rez defensive formations or getting in position, a warning will be given, followed by a 5 yard penalty on the next violation. Defense is allowed to play off their balls as far as the ball allows. The Defense cannot set themselves up out of bounds or past the line of scrimmage. Defense must rez formations and make an effort to get on the formation. -A flag and five (5) yard penalty will be issued for any player lining up out of bounds or across the line or defenses not attempting to rez a defense.
is to be called prior to every play. Cadence must be three words, the last word being hike. The two words before the hike cannot be trash talk or profanity. Cadence should take no longer than 5 total seconds. Cadence Penalties 1. Not calling Cadence – Five (5) yard penalty (Dead Ball) 2. If a QBs cadence does not line up with the actual snap (5) Yard Penalty (Dead Ball) 3. If only a partial Cadence is said (EX: Down, set, but no hike) (5) Yard penalty (Dead Ball)
Any eligible receivers or QBs are allowed to pass the ball as long as they are behind the LOS and have not received a forward pass prior to their pass. -QB’s passing the ball past the LOS will result in a loss of down and five (5) yard penalty from the location where the previous play took place. Illegal Forward Passing There is only to be one (1) forward pass per play. If the ball is passed forward it may not be passed forward a second time. -Illegal Forward Pass will result in a five (5) yard penalty and loss of down. (Dead Ball) Pass Interference Pass Interference is defined as blocking beyond seven yards from either the offense or defense while the ball is still behind the LOS. You may only block within seven yards of the line of scrimmage. -Offensive PI- Ten (10) Yard Penalty. -Defensive PI- Ten (10) Yard Penalty, Automatic 1st down Lateral Passes Lateral Passes are allowed behind the line of scrimmage to eligible receivers. Lateral Passes are NOT allowed passed the LOS (unless during a kickoff or punt return by the returning team), doing so will result in a dead ball and loss of down. Or start on the 10 yard line if during a kick-off. Eligible Receivers Eligible Receivers are defined as players who are not registered as an offensive lineman. Ineligible receivers are not allowed to receive passes or handoffs. -A flag and five (5) yard penalty will be issued if an ineligible receiver gains possession of the ball as a result of a handoff or Pass. Catching own pass Players who throw the ball, be it the quarterback, wide receiver, or running back, cannot catch their own pass. -A loss of down will be issued for any player who catches their own pass
Players must be between EXACTLY seven feet to EXACTLY eight feet five inches in order to play in the game. There will be NO rounding of numbers. The C.F.L supplies a height checker within the locker rooms at their stadium to allow players to check and ensure their appropriate height. Players below or beyond this height will be asked to adjust their height or not play in the game. Player�s feet must be on the ground at all times. ====== [Team Rules and Regulations] ======
On offense, the team with possession of the ball has Four (4) downs to gain a First down. First downs are ten (10) yards each. Teams may have players start on both offense and defense. The game is played by two teams of nine (9) fielded players each. Teams are allowed to have fewer than 9 players but no less than 7. If either team has more than 9 players on the field when the ball is snapped it is a penalty. A team with less than seven (7) players during a game will result in a forfeit for that team. A team has until 10 minutes after expected game start time to get at least (7) players. If a team drops below seven (7) players during a game, a referee timeout will be called in order to give them a chance to get their player fielded. If they do not get the player fielded after a referee two minute timeout, the team with the six (6) players must forfeit the game. -A flag and five (5) yard penalty will be issued for team who have more than nine (9) players on the field at once.
Each team is allowed to have a total roster of (13) players. Nine (9) players which will be fielded as starters on the field. Four (4) players who are substitutions.
Teams are given three timeouts per team, per half. Timeouts are 2 minutes. After that time the Ref may choose to put the ball in play. This will start the 60 second play clock. Teams are allowed to bring in new players prior to halftime but they MUST use a timeout to do so. The player will be eligible to play immediately (provided they pass the height check.)
Sixty (60) seconds play clock in between plays (to be maintained by on-field referees). Ball will be in play immediately following the play. The offense may snap the ball once set for 2 seconds. The offense does not have to wait for the defense to be set. If the offense waits for the defense and the play clock expires it will still be ruled as a Delay of Game. -A flag and five (5) yard Delay of Game penalty will be issued for offenses that do not get the ball snapped within sixty (60) seconds. (40 during 2 minute warning)
If a player crosses the goal line and the field does not register it as a touchdown, the referee can declare a touchdown if the player crossed the goal line. The ball must simply rest on the goal line. If the plane of the endzone is broken the team is awarded a Touchdown. The referee is able to award a touchdown in the event that the football system fails to recognize a valid touchdown. In the event of a two-point conversion (2pt) failure in which the player crossed the goal line the referee can register the points to the converting team.
Referees will register each team’s offensive line PRIOR TO the team’s first offensive drive. Any changes to this line must be made with a notification to the referee. -A flag and five (5) yard penalty will be issued for teams failing to report offensive line changes prior to the snap =========== [On-Field Communication] ===========
Any in game “chat” will be allowed among players as long as it’s in good sportsmanship, any unsportsmanlike “chat” will result in a penalty. First offense, fifteen yard penalty, Second offense, game misconduct (ejected from game) ========== [Severe Penalties] ==============
Personal foul penalties are defined as any team member disrespecting opposing team members, or field referees. Doing so will result in a warning, after your first warning a fifteen (15) yard penalty. Multiple offenses will result in ejection from the game. Constantly disrespecting or bad talking a particular team during a game will lead to suspension.
The use of abusive, threatening, or insulting language or gestures to opponents, teammates, officials, or representatives of the League will result in suspensions and/or fines following investigation.
Players are allowed to celebrate with animations if they’ve scored a touchdown, but the animation must not last longer than ten (10) seconds. Excessive celebrating will result a fifteen (15) yard personal foul penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. ========= [Trading, Buyout, and Contract Rules] =========
All player contracts last for a duration of one season. Players and teams are to abide by the terms agreed in the contracts as well as league rules and regulations. Any amendments to player contracts must be documented by the team to avoid breach of contract. Verbal agreements do not serve as official documentation.
is in place after the eighth week. Prior to the first game of week nine starts, Deadline is in effect.
Players are allowed to ask for a release (and sign to a new team ) a maximum of three (3) times per season.
Once traded the player must remain on his/her new team for a minimum of three (3) games. Multi-team trades are permitted.
Players are permitted to buyout their own contracts. Players must pay their owners a maximum of $5,000L in order to buyout their contract. This is after a minimum of two (2) trades are attempted by the player’s current team. The team then has forty-eight (48) hours to file the release paperwork for the player. Players cannot sign, or play on any new team until either the paperwork is sent into the league or the forty-eight (48) hour period passes. The league must receive proper transaction history confirming the player buyout. If a team grants a player their release that then nullifies the buyout agreement. If the player refuses the trade and is unable to provide the buyout they are still under contract and will then be listed as a Restricted Free Agent. This will remain until the buyout is paid or the owner agrees to release terms. This status will restrict a player from signing to a new team. Vocal agreements are not acceptable.