Flag Football Passing the Ball

James Madison University Intramural Sports

Officials Development Program- Flag Football

Passing the Ball

While speed and agility are central to success in flag football, a teams most dangerous weapon is the long ball. Officials must be prepared to identify potential passing plays, differentiate between legal and illegal passes, watch for penalties and cover the entire field.

Flag Football Home Rule Book Illustrated Rules

A forward pass is completed when caught by a member of the passing team inbounds. A forward pass is intercepted when caught by a member of the opposing team inbounds. It is counted as a completion or interception as long as they first land inbounds; one foot is all that is needed.

All players are eligible to throw, touch, or catch a pass. During a scrimmage down and before team possession has changed a forward pass may be thrown provided the passer’s feet are behind the line of scrimmage when the ball leaves the passer’s hand. Only one forward pass can be thrown per down.

A. If passer’s foot is beyond the scrimmage line when the ball is thrown.
B. If thrown after team possession has changed during the down.
C. If a passer catches their own untouched forward or backward pass.
D. If intentionally grounded to save loss of yardage.
E. If there is more than one forward pass per down.

A dead ball, after having been declared ready to play, becomes a live ball when it is snapped legally.

When an illegal forward pass is thrown, the spot from which it is thrown must be marked by the Referee and a flag thrown to the spot. If the player catches an illegal forward pass, the ball continues in play until declared dead. After the ball becomes dead, the penalty will be enforced from the spot of the foul, 5 yards and a loss of down. If after the penalty, the ball is left in advance of a zone line-to-gain, the offense will be awarded a new series of downs. If after the penalty, the ball is left behind of a zone line-to-gain and it was a 4th Down play, the defense will be given possession and a new series of downs awarded.

During a down in which a legal forward pass crosses Team A’s scrimmage line, contact which interferes with an eligible receiver who is beyond Team A’s scrimmage line is pass interference unless it occurs when two or more eligible receivers make a simultaneous attempt to reach, catch, or bat the pass. It is also pass interference if an eligible receiver is de-flagged prior to touching the ball on a pass thrown beyond Team A’s scrimmage line.

After the pass is thrown, and until it is touched, there shall be no defensive pass interference beyond Team A’s scrimmage line while the ball is in flight.

After the ball is snapped, and until it has been touched by a receiver, there shall be no offensive pass interference beyond Team A’s scrimmage line.

If a legal forward pass is caught simultaneously by members of opposing teams the ball becomes dead and belongs to the team that snapped the ball at the spot of the catch.

If the passer releases the ball before the defender deflags them the Referee should yell, “Ball's Away!”This denotes that the pass attempt is valid and may be legally caught.If the ball is passed backwards, the Referee will yell "Back!" to signal to all players that a forward pass was not thrown.