Today, football has grown to become one of the most beloved sports in the world. The Super Bowl, or the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL), is one of the most-watched events every year, with a record-breaking 114.4 million viewers in 2015. Since football was created, more and more rules have been introduced in order to maximize the safety of the players and to prevent teams from exploiting any loopholes, while still keeping the game exciting and interesting.
Latest Football rules
- Pitches will be sized within the following parameters: 30m wide, 50m long
- The penalty box will be determined by the size of the pitch but is usually 2.5 times the width of the goals are the following parameters: 3.6m wide and 1.8m high
All matches will be played according to the Laws of the Game with the following exceptions:
- Teams will be told which way they are kicking at the start of the game.
- Teams cannot score directly from a kickoff.
- There is no offside
- All free kicks and corners are direct and the opposition must be 3 metres away.
- Goal kicks are to be taken anywhere inside the penalty area. The opposition must be 3 metres away and the ball must leave the penalty area for play to recommence.
- Substitutions can be made at any time from the halfway line. The substituted player must leave the pitch before the replacement goes on.
- Compulsory line up and handshake to finish.
- Games will be 10 minutes each way in duration with a 2 minute half time
- There is a 6-minute gap between each game. Teams must be ready to take the pitch as soon as the previous match has concluded.
- A size 4 football shall be used
- Teams to have a matching kit in school colours with the goalkeeper having a distinctly different coloured shirt – a bib may be used to facilitate this differentiation
- Correct equipment i.e. long socks, shin pads, football is a compulsory requirement
Scoring
To determine the overall final positions in the tournaments the points allocated will be:
Win – 4 points, Draw – 2 points, Defeat – 1 point
The deciding criteria for “breaking” a tie is as follows:
- Head to head result
- Points difference (goal difference) (between tied teams)
- Points scored (between tied teams)
- Points against (between tied teams)
If there is still a tie:
- Points difference (goal difference) (between all teams)
- Points scored (between all teams)
- Points against (between all teams)
- The procedure for “breaking” a 3-way tie follows the same criteria as above
- Once a tie break has been resolved additional ties will be resolved in the same format using the same sequence of procedures beginning with the head to head result (point 1)
- There is no extra time scheduled for round-robin games in football.
Football overtime rules for NFL Regular Season
- At the end of regulation, the referee will toss a coin to determine which team will possess the ball first in overtime. The visiting team captain will call the toss.
- No more than one 10-minute period will follow a three-minute intermission. Each team must possess, or have the opportunity to possess, the ball. The exception is if the team that gets the ball first scores a touchdown on the opening possession.
- Sudden death play — where the game ends on any score (safety, field goal or touchdown) — continues until a winner is determined.
- Each team gets two timeouts.
- The point-after try is not attempted if the game ends on a touchdown.
- If the score is still tied at the end of the overtime period, the result of the game will be recorded as a tie.
- There are no instant replay coach’s challenges; all reviews will be initiated by the replay official.
Overtime Rules for NFL postseason games
Unlike regular-season games, postseason games cannot end in a tie, so the overtime rules change slightly for the playoffs.
- If the score is still tied at the end of an overtime period — or if the second team’s initial possession has not ended — the teams will play another overtime period. Play will continue regardless of how many overtime periods are needed for a winner to be determined.
- There will be a two-minute intermission between each overtime period. There will not be a halftime intermission after the second period.
- The captain who lost the first overtime coin toss will either choose to possess the ball or select which goal his team will defend unless the team that won the coin toss deferred that choice.
- Each team will have an opportunity to possess the ball in overtime.
- Each team gets three timeouts during a half.
- The same timing rules that apply at the end of the second and fourth regulation periods also apply at the end of a second or fourth overtime period.
- If there is still no winner at the end of a fourth overtime period, there will be another coin toss, and play will continue until a winner is declared.
Source:
https://www.rookieroad.com/football/rules-and-regulations/
https://www.nordangliaeducation.com/nais-pudong/news/2022/01/01/football-rules-and-regulations
https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/nfl-overtime-rules/