Girls Flag Football Bylaws
ARTICLE 1 - ELIGIBILITY OF PLAYERS
Section 1.1 - There will be two (2) divisions in the Girls Flag Football program. The two (2) divisions are as follows: Junior Division – 5th and 6th Grade and Senior Division – 7th and 8th Grade. Each division has specific eligibility requirements that must be met for participation. The physical size or the date of birth of a player shall have no bearing on which division she plays. Grade level is the sole criteria. This league is only open to girls.
Section 1.2 - Junior Division – 5th and 6th Grade Eligibility Requirements - Only female players in the fifth grade and sixth grade are eligible.
Section 1.3 - Senior Division Eligibility Requirements – Only female players in the seventh and eighth grade are eligible.
ARTICLE 2 - GAME OFFICIALS
Section 2.1 - The Board will attempt to secure the best game officials for each game. Whenever possible there will be MOA. officials. When these officials are unavailable, the Board will use individuals with football experience to serve as officials. In some situations, the opposing coaches may be asked to find a knowledgeable parent or spectator to assist.
Section 2.2 - Whenever possible, all Junior Division games will be officiated by a referee, an umpire, and a linesman. One of those officials will serve as official timekeeper.
Section 2.3 - Whenever possible, all Senior Division games will be officiated by a referee, an umpire, a linesman, and a line judge. One of those officials will serve as official timekeeper.
Section 2.4 - Other required game personnel include one team volunteers to operate the down marker. The home team is responsible for running the down marker in the first half and the away team is responsible for the second half.
Section 2.5 - Game fees will be paid to all referees, umpires, head-linesmen and line judges.
ARTICLE 3 - ASSIGNMENT OF PLAYERS TO TEAMS
Section 3.1 - Teams are composed of all eligible female players who reside in specific geographic areas. Those geographic areas are set by the Board and generally follow grade school boundaries. Maps of the geographic areas will be available for coaches and the public. Players who reside within the geographic areas can only play on the team designated for that geographic area unless an exception is approved by the Board.
Section 3.2 – Exceptions for team assignments under Section 3.1 shall be brought to the full Board for approval and will only be approved if a hardship is proven.
Section 3.3 – Anyone caught using fake addresses to circumvent geographical team formation may be suspended by the league for the season.
Section 3.4 – Late signups may be assigned to teams outside of their geographical area based on team size. Priority for geographic signups will be given based on sign up date.
Section 3.5 – The HSFF Roster Committee will make recommendations to the board following the sign-up period. The geographic location of the student will be the main criteria, but number of signups may create a need for the committee to combine geographic regions or transfer some based on the sign-up date.
ARTICLE 4 - REGISTRATION PROCESS
Section 4.1 - All registrations are completed on the HSFF website and begins at 9 AM on May 1st or earlier as opened by HSFF.
Section 4.2 - Registration is the responsibility of the player's parents or guardians. Registration must be completed in a timely manner. Late fees will be assessed as outlined on the website. Players are not considered registered until full payment is made.
Section 4.3 - Concussions Requirements and Return To Play Policy is as follows:
a) Return to Play - In accordance with USA Football guidelines, a coach or official shall remove a youth athlete from participation at the time the youth exhibits signs, symptoms, or behaviors consistent with a concussion. The youth cannot return to play until she is evaluated by a licensed health care professional and receives written clearance to return to play from the licensed health care professional.
b) Athletes’ and Parents’ Awareness and Notification - During online registration the athlete and parents/legal guardians must acknowledge they have read and understand the information regarding concussions.
Section 4.4 - Refund Policy - The policy of HSFF is to issue no refunds after a child has been assigned to a team. Team assignments occur in August every year. Prior to a player being assigned to an official team, a refund of the registration fee less a $50 administrative handling fee will be issued. If there are extenuating circumstances after team assignments (i.e. injury, illness, moving out of the area, etc.), parents can appeal in writing for a refund (less a $50 administrative handling fee). An official notification must be sent in writing to league administration (helenasmallfry@gmail.com) requesting the refund and arranging for the return of all equipment and discount cards if applicable before a refund is processed. Refunds will be issued on September 30th.
ARTICLE 5 - EQUIPMENT
Section 5.1 - The Board will issue flag football equipment to each player in the Girls Flag Football program. Exceptions to use of that equipment must be made in writing and be approved by the Board. Coaches shall continually inspect and approve the equipment used by each player on their team. Failure to wear the required equipment will result in the disqualification of the player from participation until correction is made, A player shall wear:
(a) Mouthguard - All players must wear a mouth guard during practice and games;
(b) Jerseys - HSFF will provide game jerseys as part of the player registration fee; and
(c) Shoes - Any soft or semi-soft soled tennis or basketball shoe is allowed. Cleats are encouraged but only molded non-removable rubber cleats are allowed.
Section 5.2 - The Board shall not allow illegal equipment to be worn by any player. Types of equipment which shall always be declared illegal include but not limited to:
a) Projecting metal or hard substance on clothes or person;
b) Any substance such as leather, rubber, plastic, plaster, or fiberglass which is hard in its final form and worn on the elbow, hand, wrist or forearm must be covered in a minimum of 1/2 inch padding. Padding must be inspected, and thickness must be agreed upon by coaches from both teams before the game. If a coach does not think the thickness meets requirements, then the padding must be inspected by a board member before the player can take the field. Any player in a cast must have written permission from a parent to be playing in the cast;
c) Knee braces made of hard unyielding material unless hinges are covered on both sides and all of its edges overlapped and worn under the pants. Unless covering is provided by the manufacturer, any portion of the brace made of hard material and extending below the pants must be covered;
d) Forearm pads, hand pads or gloves, unless made entirely or soft nonabrasive, non-hardening material which poses no danger to the wearer or other players;
e) Athletic tape may be used at each end to anchor such pads;
f) Tape, bandage or support wrap on the hand or forearm, unless made of non-hardening, nonabrasive, and necessary to protect an existing injury;
g) Shin guards which are not covered in the same manner as thigh guards;
h) Ball colored towels, pads, or gloves;
i) Any slippery or sticky substance of a foreign nature on equipment or exposed part of the body; or
j) or any other item prohibited in the rule book.
ARTICLE 6 - FOOTBALL PRACTICES
Section 6.1 - There shall be no Girls Flag Football practices before the first date allowed of the current league calendar.
Section 6.2 - Practice sessions may be held Monday through Friday, at the discretion of the coach, except on days when a game competition is scheduled. No practice session shall be longer than two hours.
ARTICLE 7 -INSURANCE
Section 7.1 - The Small Fry Football Association, Inc. shall secure an appropriate level of health insurance, liability insurance and storage insurance to adequately protect players, officials, members, and equipment of the Association. Insurance is intended to supplement, not replace, the personal insurance coverage of the participants in the program. A copy of the league insurance policy will be available to all head coaches in the event a question arises concerning coverage.
ARTICLE 8 - PLAYING FIELDS
Section 8.1 - The size of the playing field is 80 yards between goal lines and 40 yards wide with 45 ft hash marks. End zones shall be 10 yards.
Section 8.2 - The team box boundaries are between the 20-yard lines.
Section 8.3 - Field Conditions - The Board shall have sole discretion to decide whether fields are unplayable on the day of the game.
ARTICLE 9 - PLAYING RULES
Section 9.1 - All games shall be governed by current year official football rules as adopted by the Montana Flag Football Rule Book, except where those rules are specifically amended in writing by the Board. A separate document containing current season rules is maintained by the board and is posted on the HSSF website.
Section 9.2 - Early Termination of Game - If a team is 19 or more points ahead when the Referee announces the 2-minute warning for the 4th period, the game shall be over.
ARTICLE 10 - REGULAR & POST SEASON GAMES
Section 10.1 - The Board shall schedule all regular season games. During the regular season, if a game ends in a tie then overtime will be played in accordance with the Montana Flag Football Rule Book.
Section 10.2 - The Board shall schedule all post season games. Brackets for the post season will be posted online each year.
Section 10.3 - The seeding for post season quarter-final playoff games will be determined by won lost percentage. In the event there is a tie in the season ending standings, the tie shall be resolved as follows:
a) Head-to-Head Result;
b) In the event the tied teams did not meet during the regular season or there is a tie among more than two teams, the ranking shall be determined by a coin flip held by HSFF Board members between the coaches involved.
c) For the championship game teams with higher seeding will be home team.
Section 10.4 - Association teams must play only other Association teams unless approval to play a non-Association team is granted by the Board.
ARTICLE 11 CONDUCT OF COACHES & PLAYERS
Section 11.1 - No player or coach shall act in an unsportsmanlike manner immediately before, during or after a game. Examples of such behavior include:
a) Insulting language or gestures or baiting acts or words that engenders ill-will.
b) Intentionally kicking or swinging at any player even though no contact may or may not be made.
c) Attempting to influence a decision by a game official by disrespectfully addressing the official or vehemently objecting to his decision.
d) Coaches who address their own players or the players on other teams in an abusive or unprofessional manner.
e) Players who address their own teammates or players on other teams in an abusive or degrading manner.
f) Use of unfair acts which in the opinion of the game official and/or the Board tend to make a travesty of the game.
Section 11.2 - The penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct during a game are as stated in the Montana Girls Flag Football Rule Book.
Section 11.3 - Any player who is ejected from a game shall not be allowed to play in the next regular season game.
Section 11.4 - Any coach who is ejected from a game shall not be allowed to attend the next regularly scheduled game. In addition, the coach shall explain his actions before a special meeting of the Board. Depending on the severity of the coach’s actions, the Board may decide to take additional disciplinary action, including dismissal.
Section 11.5 – At the Board’s discretion, a coach may be removed from his or her position at any point in the season due to behavior, health concerns or other potential risks to the players or the program.