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Elite Brackets
Timing and Game Management Clock and timing:
All Elite Men’s and Women’s games use a 20‑minute rolling clock per half.
The clock only stops at the referee’s discretion (for injuries, lengthy penalty discussions, etc.) until the two‑minute rule applies in finals (see below).
There is no central clock. The central referee manages all timing on the field: game clock, 25‑second play clock and 7‑second pass clock.
Game length and timeouts:
Group games, quarter finals and all subsequent Seeding and non‑Championship games: - 20 minutes per half. No team timeouts.
Championship bracket semi‑finals: - 20 minutes per half. - 2 team timeouts per team, per half.
Championship Finals: - 20‑minute halves. - Clock runs continuously in each half until the two‑minute warning. Two‑minute timing rules –
Elite Championship Finals- After the two‑minute warning in each half, the clock stops on every normal stoppage:
- Ball‑carrier goes out of bounds.
- Forward pass is incomplete.
- Turnover (interception or loss of downs).
- Score. Team timeouts (when available) Length: 30 seconds.
- Clock restarts on the snap after the timeout.
Play clock- The standard 25‑second play clock is used for all Elite games over the weekend.
Leisure Brackets
Timing and Game Management Clock and timing:
All Leisure games use a 12-minute rolling clock per half.
- The clock only stops at the referee’s discretion (for injuries, lengthy penalty discussions, etc.).
- There is no central clock. The central referee manages all timing on the field: game clock, 25‑second play clock and 7‑second pass clock.
Game length and timeouts:
Group games, Quarter Finals and all subsequent Plate and non‑Championship games: - 12 minutes per half. No team timeouts.
Leisure Championship bracket semi‑finals:
- 15 minutes per half.
- 2 team timeouts per team, per half.
Leisure Championship Finals:
- 20 minutes per half.
- 2 team timeouts per team, per half. Team timeouts (if available)- Length: 30 seconds.
- Clock restarts on the snap after the timeout.
Play clock- The standard 25‑second play clock is used for all Leisure games over the weekend.
Tournament Rules Summary
All Brackets Base rules- The tournament uses the standard IFAF 2023 Flag Rules: https://americanfootball.sport/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/FlagRules2023.pdf-
The rules below are specific changes and clarifications for Flagapalooza 2026.
Coin toss and starting possession- For all games, a coin toss determines who starts with the ball in the first half.
- The winner of the toss chooses to start on offence or defence in the first half.- The loser of the toss chooses which end to defend.
Clock management
- There is no central clock for this tournament.- The central referee manages all timing on the field: - Game clock (rolling, with bracket‑specific rules). - 25‑second play clock. - 7‑second pass clock.
Scoring and scorekeeping
- A team official will record the score on a scoresheet.- The central referee must also keep a direct record of the score.
- Regularly check with the team official to ensure scores match.- If there is any doubt or mismatch, the referee’s recorded score is final and the scoresheet must be corrected.
End of half – extra play- For all games over the weekend, when time expires at the end of a half, one extra play is allowed.
- This applies whether time expires during or after a play.
- It also applies if the extra play would result from a turnover. Example: - Team A is unsuccessful on 4th down and time expires. - Team B gets one extra play from their own 5‑yard line. Extra points (XP) at end of half- If a touchdown is scored on the last play of regular time, the XP attempt counts as the extra play.
- If a touchdown is scored on an extra play, the XP attempt is allowed as a further additional play.
Ties and Overtime
- Ties are possible in all group games.
- All playoff games use overtime if needed. Overtime format (all playoff games)- Overtime uses an ABBAAB order.
- A coin toss determines the order: Winner chooses to go first or second for the initial overtime period. - Loser chooses which end of the field overtime is played at.- No team timeouts are allowed during overtime.
Overtime periods
1) First overtime: - One XP try each from the 5‑yard line.
2) If still tied, second overtime: - One XP try each from the 10‑yard line.
3) If still tied, third and subsequent overtimes: - “Longest play” format. - One play each, going away from the endzone, starting at the 5‑yard line.
- The team with the most positive yards (or the fewest negative yards) on that play wins.
Examples: - If Team A completes a pass for an 11‑yard gain, Team B must gain 12 yards or more to win.
- If Team A throws an incomplete pass, Team B only needs a 1‑yard gain to win.
- If Team B is sacked for negative yardage, Team A wins.
MVP selection- A single Most Valuable Player (MVP) will be selected by the group of central referees for: - Each Elite Final. - The Leisure Final.
Player ejections- Any player ejected from a game is excluded from playing or officiating for the remainder of the weekend.
Penalties
- A set of revised penalties specific to this tournament is in use
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