The BAFA Rules Committee has announced the contact football rule changes that will be brought into play on 1st March (except for the remainder of the BUCS season). The BAFA changes also reflect changes made by IFAF and NCAA.
Horse-collar tackles
The main playing rule change this year is to increase player safety by banning ALL horse-collar tackles. Previously, those that took place in the tackle box were allowed.
Note that many coaches and players are confused by the definition of a horse-collar tackle and mistakenly believe that any tackle involving grabbing the back of the jersey is illegal. As well as grabbing the inside back/side collar of the shoulder pads or jersey, the runner has to be abruptly pulled towards the ground, usually involving a buckling of their knees. Especially when other defensive players are involved, if the force takes the runner sideways or forward to the ground, it is probably not a horse-collar tackle.
Timing changes
We have for many years had a rule to cover situations where a team gains an advantage by committing certain fouls, having an injured player, or a player’s helmet coming off in the last minute of a half. That rule gives the opponent the option of a 10-second runoff on the clock. This option now extends to the last two minutes of each half. There is also a special measure that can mean the half is over if an injury or helmet off occurs in the last 10 seconds of the half. As always, if the other team has a timeout left, it can use that to avoid the 10-second runoff.
Two-minute warnings remain unchanged. NCAA introduced a timeout at two minutes, but IFAF did not adopt that change.
Field markings
This year continues the phasing in of 90-yard fields as the minimum length, which will be completed in 2026.
For 2025, a 90-yard or 100-yard field is mandatory for all National League games, extending to BUCS teams in 2026. The two exceptions remain:
- A team may apply to the competition authority or the BAFA Rules Committee for an exemption if its stadium does not have room for a 90-yard field but is otherwise of good standard.
- The referee may allow a game to proceed if the reason for the breach is either (a) that a team has had to move venue at short notice or (b) due to an error in field marking that cannot be rectified before the scheduled kickoff time.
Otherwise, if the field is not of the minimum length and can’t be fixed, then the game will not take place. The minimum remains at 80-yards for leagues/divisions where the new rule has not yet been introduced.
Also, if the field is not a multiple of 10 yards (i.e. 100 yards, 90 yards or (in BUCS only) 80 yards), the game will not be played.
We have also introduced a rule to address issues raised by colour-blind participants. Red lines on a green field (or vice versa) are prohibited. This will be reported by the officials but the game may still proceed.
We have more detailed advice on all aspects of field markings.
Jerseys
Last year, we increased the penalty for illegal numbers on a jersey. This is usually because the colour of the numbers does not sufficiently contrast with the colour of the jersey (e.g. black numbers on a dark blue background). This year we are applying the same penalty for teams whose jersey does not sufficiently contrast with that of their opponent.
NCAA rules expect that the visiting team wears a white jersey and the home team wears a coloured jersey. We in BAFA have long acknowledged that not all teams possess both white and coloured jerseys, so we have allowed both teams to wear coloured jerseys, providing they are different colours! Since the rules allow first choice of colour to the home team (except in BUCS, where the visiting team get first choice), the teams must make sure they communicate in the days leading up to the game as to who is wearing what, so as not to incur a penalty. If there is a clash, it will almost always be the visiting team that gets penalised (home team in BUCS). Where there is a potential clash and neither team has a set of jerseys in a second colour, we encourage teams to borrow jerseys from another club.
The penalty now is that the offending team will be penalised 15 yards after the opening kickoff of each half, and will be charged a timeout (or a delay of game penalty if they are all used up) at the start of each quarter.
It is now illegal to wear a hoodie under a player’s jersey if the hood sticks outside the jersey. This is because it might increase the chances of a horse-collar tackle.
We have more detailed advice on all aspects of uniform.
Medical facilities
The medical requirements changes we announced in 2022 take a further step up this year.
From this season, all adult games (including BUCS) will need to have an “immediate care practitioner” available – many games already have a medic (often a paramedic) with this slightly higher qualification. This is addition to the first aider that all teams are required to have.
In addition, we are announcing that from 2026 onwards, all U-19 and U-16 games must also have an immediate care practitioner.
While it isn’t technically a medical facility, it is worth mentioning here that the certification signed by the head coach before the game will now include an additional statement that “All players are fit to play”. This is to address rumours we’ve heard that teams have been kitting up injured players in order to meet the minimum number requirement. This is unethical and must stop.
Other changes
- Touchbacks and fair catches on a kickoff will now bring the ball out to the 25-yard line instead of the 20.
- It has been clarified that when Team B has the privilege to match up with any Team A substitutions, that privilege ends if it doesn’t start its substitutions within 3 seconds of the latest Team A substitute entering the field, or if the substitute or replaced player don’t enter/leave the field quickly.
- If a backward pass ends up going out of bounds forward of the spot where it was released, the ball will now come back to the spot of the pass. The same has been true of fumbles for many years.
- Requesting use of replay inappropriately (e.g. a coach attempts to show an official some video on their phone) is now explicitly classed as unsportsmanlike conduct. Of course, this doesn’t apply to a head coach properly requesting replay when it is available.
- There have been tweaks to the instant replay rules to allow catches and interceptions to stand if the passer was erroneously ruled down by an onfield official. The rule also clarifies which penalties are and are not enforced if replay subsequently rules that the ball was dead prior to them taking place.
- If a game is delayed or suspended, the referee should consult (where possible) the head coaches of any teams playing at the same venue later that day in making decisions about the length of the delay.
- Accessibility provisions previously only available to prosthetic users have now been extended to any disabled participant. Reasonable adjustments to the rules can be agreed with BAFA (contact the Rules Editor in the first instance) subject to a risk assessment.
- The rules have tightened up on defensive line movement prior to the snap. No player within one yard of the line of scrimmage (stationary or not) may make quick, abrupt or exaggerated actions that are not part of normal defensive player movement.
- An editorial change clarifies the safety situation near the field, ensuring people or things are not going to be run into by players. Spectators and the media (except for team videographers in the team area) cannot be within 18 feet of the field, unless they are behind a safety fence. People who are allowed in the safety zone must remain on their feet and able to move quickly out of the way should a participant approach them. Provision will be made for disabled coaches.
- Finally, a rule has been introduced to ensure that officials who are working multiple games at different venues on the same day get an appropriate rest period between the games. This will take into account their expected travel time between the venues.
- There have been minor changes to the 9-a-side, 7-a-side and 5-a-side rules.
- There are no changes to flag rules this year.
BAFA regulations changes
A few amendments to the general BAFA regulations have been made. The most significant are to increase penalties for abusing BAFA employees and volunteers, and to ensure that player-coaches appear on the roster in both categories. The thresholds for clubs to notify BAFA of fines they levy on members has been raised to £50.
Dr Jim Briggs, Chair of both the BAFA Rules Committee and the IFAF Rules Committee said, “Each year we make improvements to the rules to make the game safer for all participants, and to encourage better sportsmanship. In addition, we are looking to gently raise standards in important areas such as fields and uniforms. We aim to bring greater clarity to players, coaches and officials about what is safe and fair.”
There are a number of other minor rule changes. The full list is available here in PDF format. Note that the rulebook on the BAFA rules website has been updated with these changes.
Important links
Full list of 11-on-11 rules changes for 2025
Full 2025 rulebook (PDF and HTML versions)
BAFA rules website
