Long Island Fall 2015 Flag Football Youth Leagues

Relative safety of Flag Football compared to Soccer, Baseball, and Basketball

Baseball: While two players trying to catch the football can possibly collide, the same thing could happen in baseball as two outfielders collide trying to catch a sinking line drive. A young pitcher who has little control of his fastball could hit an opposing player with a wild pitch. The use of aluminum and composite bats has added velocity to hits, making line drives and grounders more dangerous to infielders. Players sliding into bases or home plate can “spike” or otherwise injure an opponent.

Soccer: While there is the slide-tackle in soccer, no similar play exists in flag football. Diving or sliding to advance the ball is strictly prohibited. Fumbles are ruled a “dead-ball,” taking away any possibility that players will dive to recover the ball. In soccer, a kicked ball can easily contact a teammate or opponent’s head. There are no “kick-offs” in flag football. All series start at the five yard line.

Basketball: While it is legal to set a “pick” in basketball, a similar play is illegal in flag football. A “pick” is essentially a block. Blocking is prohibited in flag football.
While diving for a loose ball in (on hardwood floors) is legal in basketball, players are not permitted to dive for any reason in flag football games. Once a ball is fumbled the play is over and all movement ceases.

To sum up: Flag football was designed so that all players can have all the fun, excitement, and exercise of tackle football without the violence or risk. In Flag Football all intentional contact is prohibited. While the chance of incidental contact still exists, additional rules were instituted to minimize incidental contact.

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