Rules of the Arena Football League

The Field

• An indoor padded surface 85 feet wide and 50 yards long with eight-yard end zones.
• Goal posts are nine feet wide with a crossbar height of 15 feet (NFL goal posts are 18-1/2 feet wide with the crossbar at 10 feet).
• The goal-side rebound nets are 30 feet wide by 32 feet high. The bottoms of the nets are eight feet above the ground.
• Sideline barriers are 48 inches high and made of high-density foam rubber.

The Equipment

• The official football is the same size and weight as the National Football League ball. Each ball is manufactured by Spalding.

The Players and Formations

• Eight players on the field; 20-man active roster; four-man inactive roster.
• Four (4) offensive players must line up on the line of scrimmage.
• Three (3) defensive players must be down linemen (in a three or four-point stance). One linebacker may blitz on either side of the center. Alignment is two (2) or more yards off the line of scrimmage. No stunting or twisting.
• Offensive motion: One receiver may go in forward motion before the snap.

Timing

• Four 15-minute quarters with a 12-minute halftime.
• The clock stops for out-of-bounds plays or incomplete passes only in the last minute of each half or when the referee deems it necessary for penalties, injuries or timeouts.
• Each team is allowed three (3) time-outs per half.

Movement of the Ball and Scoring

• Four (4) downs are allowed to advance the ball 10 yards for a first down, or to score.
• Six (6) points for a touchdown.
• One (1) point for a conversion by place kick after a touchdown, two (2) points for a conversion by drop kick and two (2) points for successful run or pass after a touchdown.
• Three (3) points for a field goal by placement or four (4) points for a field goal by drop kick.
• Two (2) points for a safety.

The Kicking

• Kickoffs are from the goal line. Kickers may use a one-inch tee.
• Punting is illegal. On fourth down, a team may go for a first down, touchdown or field goal.
• The receiving team may field any kickoff or missed field goal that rebounds off the net.
• Any kickoff untouched which is out of bounds will be placed at the 20-yard line or the place where it went out of bounds, whichever is more advantageous to the receiving team.

Passing

• Passing rules in Arena Football are the same as outdoor NCAA Football in which receivers must have one foot inbounds. A unique exception involves the rebound nets. A forward pass that rebounds off of the end zone net is a live ball and is in play until it touches the playing surface.

Overtime Rules

• Overtime periods are 15 minutes during the regular season and the playoffs.
• Each team gets one possession to score. If, after each team has had one possession, one team is ahead, that team wins. If the teams are tied after each has had a possession, the next team to score wins.

Playoff Qualifications and Team Selection

The rank order for teams qualifying to participate in playoffs will be established by utilizing the following formula:

Playoff Format

Twelve teams qualify for the playoffs. Playoffs are separated into conferences, with six teams making the playoffs from each conference. Two division winners from each conference will qualify for the postseason. Four wildcard teams (teams with the remaining best records within the conference) will also make the playoffs from each conference. Winners of the Divisional Playoff rounds within each conference advance to their respective Conference Championship Games. Winners of the Conference Championship Games advance to the ArenaBowl.

Tiebreakers to determine Division Champion

1. Record in head-to-head games.
2. Record within the division.
3. Record against common opponents.
4. Margin of victory in head-to-head games.
5. Margin of victory in games against common opponents.
6. Coin toss.

(Clarification: Any non-Division Champion is not included in any tiebreaker, of which their own Division Champion is a part, until that Division Champion has been seeded.)

Tiebreakers to determine wildcard seedings

If, at the end of the regular season and after Division Champions are determined, two or more clubs are tied with identical won-lost percentages, the following steps will be followed to determine playoff seeds.

Two Clubs

1. Head-to-head (best won-lost percentage in games among clubs).
2. Point differential in those head-to-head games.
3. Best won-lost percentage in common games, if applicable.
4. Strength of schedule (strength up).
5. Best net (total) touchdowns in all games.
6. Coin toss.

Three or More Clubs

If two clubs remain tied after a third club is eliminated during any step, tiebreaker reverts to step 1 of the two-club format. If one team wins multiple-team tiebreaker to advance to playoff round, remaining teams revert to step 1 of the two-club format. (All teams must have played head-to-head for step 1 to be utilized in a multiple-team tie.)

1. Head-to-head (best won-lost percentage in games among clubs).
2. Best won-lost percentage in common games, if applicable.
3. Strength of schedule (strength up).
4. Best net (total) touchdowns in all games.
5. Coin toss.

Contact AFO
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