5X5 FOOTBALL CIRCUIT

OFFICIAL RULEBOOK

Competitive full-field 5-on-5 flag football. Official gameplay rules, tournament procedures, Circuit qualification requirements, and Super Sixteen Championship regulations.

5v5 Full Field 40-Minute Games Open Rush Super Sixteen

SECTION 01

Game Format

The standard 5X5Football playing format.

Teams & Field

Five players per team on the field.
Full-field flag football.
Offensive possessions begin at the team's own 10-yard line.

Game Duration

40-minute running clock.
Stop-clock procedures apply during the final 60 seconds.
Regular-season games may end in a tie.

Game Administration

Officials administer the game clock, down markers, and penalties.
Captains are responsible for team conduct.
Tournament games requiring a winner use the official overtime procedure.

SECTION 02

Game Clock & Timeouts

Updated clock procedures and timeout allocation.

First Downs Under One Minute

During the final minute, a first down results in a brief clock stoppage.
The clock stops only long enough for officials to reset the markers.
A first down no longer results in a full timeout.

Team Timeouts

Each team receives three timeouts per game.
No more than two unused timeouts may carry into the second half.
Unused timeouts exceeding the carryover limit expire at halftime.

SECTION 03

Offensive Rules

Offensive Zones

Zone 1: Own 10-yard line to midfield. Four downs.
Zone 2: Midfield to opponent's 10-yard line. Four downs.
Zone 3: Opponent's 10-yard line to end zone. Three downs.
Each zone permits one designed run.

Protected No-Run Zones

Final five yards before midfield.
Final five yards before the opponent's 10-yard line.
Final five yards before the goal line.
Designed runs and quarterback runs are prohibited in these areas.

Quarterback Runs

The quarterback may run only after a defender crosses the line of scrimmage following the snap.
A quarterback run counts as the team's one run for that zone.
Quarterback runs are prohibited in protected no-run zones.

Passing

Five-second pass clock.
Forward passes must be thrown from behind the line of scrimmage.
Shovel passes are permitted.
Illegal forward pass: five yards and loss of down.

Screening

Stationary basketball-style positioning is permitted.
Players may not extend their arms, initiate contact, move into defenders, or escort the ball carrier.
Moving screens carry a 10-yard penalty.

SECTION 04

Defense & Rushing

Open Rush

Any defender may rush.
Rushers must begin five yards from the line of scrimmage.
Once the ball is handed off or lateraled, all defenders may rush.

Rusher Declaration

Declaring a rusher is a courtesy, not a requirement.
One or more defensive players may declare their intention to rush.
A declaration does not change the established rushing rules.

SECTION 05

Scoring & Conduct

Scoring

Touchdown: 6 points.
Automatic PAT: 1 point.
Two-point conversion: from the 10-yard line.
Safety: 2 points.
Defensive PAT return: 2 points.

Sportsmanship

Verbal abuse of officials or opponents is prohibited.
Fighting, cheap shots, and dangerous conduct are prohibited.
Captains are responsible for team behavior.
Players or teams may be suspended for conduct detrimental to competition.

SECTION 06

Onside Conversion Rules

Late-game possession procedures for trailing teams.

Onside Conversion attempts are permitted only when one minute or less remains in regulation.
The trailing team must have at least one available timeout. That timeout is used to declare the attempt, which is played as an untimed down.
The team must trail by at least one point and no more than eight points. Attempts are not permitted in a tie.
The attempt takes place at the same spot as a standard two-point conversion.
An Onside Conversion may not immediately follow a failed two-point conversion.
A team may not attempt a two-point conversion followed by an Onside Conversion on consecutive plays, except when the two-point conversion succeeds and the team still trails by one to eight points.
A successful Onside Conversion awards possession to the trailing team at midfield.
An unsuccessful Onside Conversion awards possession to the opposing team at midfield.
Only one Onside Conversion may be declared following a scoring play.

SECTION 07

Final Tournament Overtime

Regular-season games may end in a tie. Knockout games requiring a winner use these overtime procedures.

The higher-seeded team automatically wins the pregame coin toss.
In the first overtime, the lower-seeded team chooses offense or defense first.
In the second overtime, the higher-seeded team chooses offense or defense first.
In the third overtime, an actual coin toss is conducted. The higher seed calls the toss, and the winner chooses offense or defense first.
All overtime possessions begin at the 20-yard line.
Each team receives four downs to score. There are no first downs in overtime.
Mandatory Third-Overtime Rule: Beginning with the third overtime, if the first-possession team scores a touchdown and elects the automatic one-point PAT, the responding team, if it scores a touchdown, must attempt a two-point conversion.
Overtime continues until a winner is determined.

Third-Overtime Example

The game is tied 20–20. Team A scores and takes the automatic PAT, leading 27–20. Team B scores a touchdown, making it 27–26.

Team B must attempt two points. A successful attempt wins 28–27. An unsuccessful attempt results in a 27–26 loss.

SECTION 08

Penalty Reference

Violation	Penalty
Offside	5 yards
False Start	5 yards
Illegal Rush	5 yards / replay down
Delay of Game	5 yards
Illegal Forward Pass	5 yards + loss of down
Intentional Grounding	5 yards + loss of down
Flag Guarding	10 yards + loss of down
Blocking / Moving Screen	10 yards
Charging / Tackling	10 yards
Roughing the Passer	10 yards
Excessive Contact	10 yards
Unsportsmanlike Conduct	10 yards

Contact violations include flag guarding, blocking, moving screens, charging, tackling, roughing the passer, and excessive contact. Officials may eject players for dangerous or repeated conduct.

SECTION 09

Circuit & Qualification Rules

Eligibility requirements for the Super Sixteen Championship.

Team Qualification

At least two official Qualifier appearances are required.
Teams must complete six verified qualifying games.
Maximum three Qualifier appearances per championship cycle.
Officially designated CCFL Boston qualifying games may count.

Automatic Berths

Two verified Qualifier championship victories earn an automatic Super Sixteen berth.
Teams and players must still satisfy all eligibility rules.
Remaining championship positions are awarded by official Circuit rankings.

Circuit Points

Win: 3 points.
Tie: 1 point.
Loss: 0 points.
Gold championship bonus: 3 points.
Silver championship bonus: 1 point.

Ranking Tiebreakers

Head-to-head results.
Point differential.
Total wins.
Strength of schedule.
Commissioner final determination.

Player Eligibility

Players may register with a maximum of two regular Circuit teams.
A player must complete three verified games with each team represented in the championship.
Two regular teams may share no more than three registered players.

Free Agents & Substitutes

Maximum two Free Agent Pool players per team per game.
Free Agent Pool appearances do not count toward a player's three-game team eligibility minimum.
Approved substitute appearances do not automatically establish championship roster eligibility.

Championship Rosters

Maximum 10 players per roster.
Every championship player must satisfy the three-game minimum with that team.
Rosters are due seven calendar days before the championship.
Approved replacements must already satisfy the same three-game requirement.

Qualification Cutoff

The official field and rankings are finalized 14 calendar days before the championship.
Eligible teams are assigned their official championship seeds.
Once the bracket is finalized, there is no reseeding.

Official Qualifier Format: A standard six-team Qualifier consists of two groups of three. Each group plays three round-robin games. The group winners meet in a final, producing seven total event games.

SECTION 10

Official Championship Bracket

The Super Sixteen Championship features 16 qualified teams seeded according to final official Circuit rankings. The commissioner may select either championship format below.

Option A — Unified Super Sixteen

16 teams | One championship

All 16 teams compete in a single fixed, single-elimination bracket.

Seeds #1–16.
15 championship games.
Round of 16.
Quarterfinals.
Semifinals.
Championship final.
One overall champion.
No reseeding.

Option B — Two Divisions

Two independent 8-team brackets

The championship field is divided into two eight-team brackets according to final Circuit rankings.

Elite Division

Seeds #1–8

The eight highest-ranked Elite and Competitive teams compete for the Elite Division Championship.

#1 vs #8 | #4 vs #5
#2 vs #7 | #3 vs #6

Challenger Division

Seeds #9–16

The remaining eight qualified teams compete for the Challenger Division Championship.

#9 vs #16 | #12 vs #13
#10 vs #15 | #11 vs #14

14 total championship games.
One champion per division.
No crossover games.
No reseeding.

Championship Administration

The official championship format will be announced before the final qualification and ranking cutoff.
All established team and player eligibility requirements apply under either format.
Championship games use the 40-minute playing format.
Teams may play no more than two championship games per calendar day.
The official bracket remains fixed without reseeding.
Championship prize distribution will be announced before play.

Prize Pool: The 5X5Football Super Sixteen has a $5,000 Prize Pool goal. Final allocations and any division-specific distributions remain subject to official announcement.