Touch football is a safer alternative for kids than traditional tackle football. When playing touch football, children can learn the basics of football without having to learn about specific formations and technical rules. There are no official nationwide touch football rules for kids, although community touch football leagues usually define a set of rules. The following overview covers some of the basic points needed to play a game of touch football.
Field Size
Children’s touch football leagues typically play on a field approximately 80 yards long by 40 yards wide. Backyard touch football games can be played on smaller fields, but optimally the area should be at least 20 to 30 yards long. The field boundaries should be marked on the grass in chalk or identified by distinct markers to indicate the corners.
Number of Players
Touch football teams usually have seven kids each. Teams can be smaller, but with a minimum of three children on each team to give the quarterback at least two potential receivers.
Positions
On the offensive team, the center stands just behind the football at the line of scrimmage and the quarterback stands about 5 yards behind the center. The rushers are the only players on the defensive team who are allowed to tag the quarterback, and they must start 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
Starting the Game
Teams line up on opposite ends of the playing field. The ball is placed about one-quarter of the way down the field. The team lined up on that end of the field kicks ball to the other team, who catches or picks it up and runs toward the opposing team’s end zone.
The ball is considered dead when it goes out of bounds, when it hits the ground or when the child holding it is tagged by a member of the opposing team. The offensive team begins the next play where the ball was called dead. If the ball was passed and not caught, the next play begins at the previous line of scrimmage.
Turnovers
Touch football teams have four downs in which to make 10 yards of progress down the field. When a team uses its fourth down and has not progressed 10 yards, the ball is turned over to the other team. In backyard football games, when the field is small and does not have yard markings, teams typically play by the rule that they have four downs in which to score. Turnovers also occur when a defensive player intercepts a pass.
Scoring
Any time a team member carries the football across their goal line at the end of the field or receives a pass while already across the goal line, the team scores 6 points. The team then has one chance for an extra point by either lining up 5 yards from the goal line for a 1-point attempt or 10 yards from the goal line for a 2-point attempt. The team who scored then kicks off to the other team as done at the beginning of the game.
