Girls Flag Football Rules
All games across all levels are 7v7. All games shall be governed by current year official Montana Girls Flag Football Rules adopted at the Montana High School level of play, with the following exceptions:
ARTICLE 1 - ELIGIBILITY OF PLAYERS
Section 1.1 - There are two (2) divisions in the Helena Small Fry ("HSF") Girls Flag Football league, 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. Grade level is the primary criteria to determine the division in which a player shall play in. A player’s date of birth may be considered, where safety of the player or other players is of concern, and is at the sole discretion of the HSF Board. The physical size of a player shall have no bearing on which division she plays.
Section 1.2 - Junior Division – 5th and 6th Grade Eligibility Requirements - Only female players entering the 5th Grade and 6th Grade, for the current Fall school year are eligible.
Section 1.3 - Senior Division Eligibility Requirements – Only female players entering the 7th Grade and 8th Grade for the current Fall school year are eligible.
ARTICLE 2 - GAME OFFICIALS
Section 2.1 - The HSF Board will attempt to secure the best game officials for each game. 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. The sideline volunteers shall remain neutral during the game while operating the chains.
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 players who reside in specific geographic areas set by the HSF Board, which generally follow grade school boundaries. Maps of the geographic areas will be available for coaches and the public upon request. 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 HSF Board.
Section 3.2 - Requests for team placement exceptions will be submitted in writing to the HSF Board. A determination will be made by the full HSF Board based on approved hardship or extenuating circumstances.
Section 3.3 - Efforts to register using a fake or invalid address to circumvent geographical team formation may result in that player’s suspension from the league for the season.
Section 3.4 - Players who register after July 31st may be assigned to a team outside of their geographical area based on team size and overall registration numbers. Priority for geographic sign-ups will be given based on sign-up date.
ARTICLE 4 - REGISTRATION PROCESS
Section 4.1 - Registration shall be completed on HSF’s website.
(a) Parents shall complete the player registration online in a timely manner. Increased registration fees apply after July 1st.
(b) Players are not considered registered until full payment is made.
Section 4.2 - Concussions Requirements and Return To Play Policy is as follows:
(a) During online registration parents/legal guardians must acknowledge they have read and understand concussion protocol and the return to play policy.
(b) Return to Play - In accordance with USA Football guidelines, a coach or official shall remove a player from participation at the time the player exhibits signs, symptoms, or behaviors consistent with a concussion. The player cannot return to play until he/she is evaluated by a licensed health care professional and receives written clearance to return to play from the licensed health care professional.
Section 4.7 - Refund Policy - HSF does not issue refunds after a player 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 or before September 30th.
ARTICLE 5 - EQUIPMENT
Section 5.1 - The HSF 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 HSF 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 mouthguard during practice and games;
(b) Jerseys - HSF 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 cleats are allowed.
Section 5.2 - The HSF 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 a 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 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 - GAME BALL:
Section 9.1 Game balls used in the Senior Division are Youth or Size 8 footballs. Game balls used in the Junior Division are Junior or Size 7.
ARTICLE 10 - PLAYING RULES
Section 10.1 - 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 HSF Board. A copy of the Montana Flag Football Rule Book can be located on the HSF website, under the Girls Flag Football tab, or by copying and pasting into a search browser the website address below:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q5WhsjGV2JVMVcQjEAPORCdLp-hYNSmm/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=109298091046088900012&rtpof=true&sd=true
PLEASE NOTE - HSF DOES NOT OWN OR EDIT THIS DOCUMENT.
Section 10.2 - Scoring Values:
(a) Touchdown = 6 points
(b) Extra Points
(i) 5-yard line = 1 point
(ii) 10-yard line = 2 points
(iii) 15-yard line = 3 points
(iii) Extra Point and Field Goals are not permitted in any HSF Girls Flag Football Game.
Section 10.3 - 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 11 - REGULAR & POST SEASON GAMES
Section 11.1 - The HSF 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 Montana's High School Girls Flag Football Rule Book.
Section 11.2 - The HSF Board shall schedule all post season games. Brackets for the post season will be posted online each year.
Section 11.3 - The seeding for post season playoff games will be determined by (a) Record; (b) Head-to-Head; (c) Points Differential (Max 14 per game); and (d) Coin Flip. 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 (1) Points Differential (Max 14 per game) and next (2) a coin flip held by HSF between the coaches involved.
(c) For the championship game teams with higher seeding will be the home team.
Section 11.4 - HSF teams must play only other association teams unless approval to play a non-association team is granted by HSF.
ARTICLE 12 CONDUCT OF COACHES & PLAYERS
Section 12.1 - Unsportsmanlike Conduct. No coach, player or spectator 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 HSF Board tend to make a travesty of the game.
Section 12.2 - The penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct will be enforced in accordance with the Montana High School Girls Flag Football Rule Book.
Section 12.3 - Any player who is ejected from a game shall not be allowed to play in the next regular season game.
Section 12.4 - 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 or her actions before a special meeting of the HSF Board. Depending on the severity of the coach’s actions, the HSF Board may decide to take additional disciplinary action, including dismissal.
Section 12.5 - At the HSF 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.
Section 12.6 - At the official’s discretion, a spectator violating HSF’s Code of Conduct may be ejected from attending any game. Officials will report to the HSF Board any spectator removed from a game for unsportsmanlike conduct. The HSF Board reserves the right to take additional action against spectators where appropriate, including but not limited to police and legal action.
Last updated July 2026