USIAA Sprint (i.e. Lightweight) Football Rules:
Scholarship & Roster Rules:
- All programs can only have a min of 65 and a max of 85 players during the regular season; the max is lifted to 195 players for preseason tryouts and spring practices only.
- All programs cannot give out any kind of athletic scholarship; however, they can give out purely academic scholarships like all other D3 athletic programs.
- All programs are assessed dues of $2,100 annually for the services of the Commissioner, Sports Information Office, purchasing of awards and conduct of other conference business.
- Any full-time undergraduate student or graduate student of the respective league institution is permitted to play. Students must meet USIAA eligibility as it pertains to normal progress.
- All programs can recruit both Varsity and JV athletes out of high school from anywhere within 700 miles of the program as well as all over the region so long as they weigh 183 pounds or less.
- All programs can only have a max of 60 players on the active roster for all regular season games.
- All programs are required to give all 5-25 inactive players free season tickets in the designated student sections for all home games. In the event admission to a game is charged the home team will provide complimentary tickets for each member of the visiting team listed on their opening season roster and two tickets for each member of the coaching staff. USIAA rules for complimentary admissions will be followed.
- Coaching Staff Size = One (1) Head Coach and a max of Seven (7) Assistants. A "coach" for this rule is defined by NCAA Bylaw 11.7.
- It adds a period for official all-expenses-paid visits that begins April 1 of a recruit's junior year in high school and ends the Sunday before the last Wednesday in June of that year.
- Official visits can’t occur in conjunction with a prospect’s participation in a school’s camp or clinic.
- Coaches employed at a camp or clinic are allowed to have recruiting conversations with prospects participating in camps and clinics and requires educational sessions at all camps and clinics detailing initial eligibility standards, gambling rules, agent rules and drug regulations (effective immediately).
- Coaches can only have 10 days in June and July to participate in satellite camps and clinics; all camps must take place on a school’s campus or in facilities regularly used by the school for practice or competition (i.e. multiple staffs may still work together to host a camp at a school near a recruiting hotbed, but a staff such as Michigan couldn’t take off on a monthlong world tour). Staff members with football-specific responsibilities are subject to the same restrictions.
- Sprint football will still use 11 players on the field.
- There can any number of females on any program.
- It shall be the responsibility of the home team to have a qualified physician in attendance 15 minutes before, during and available after the game.
- All coaches must remain on the field in the coaching area during the conduct of the game. No phones are permitted for use.
- There is a mandatory play stoppage with 2 minutes remaining in each half; After the two-minute warning, the play clock is run only from the snap of the ball to when the referee declares that play dead.
- All players are required to wear knee pads and pants that cover the knees.
- Players must sit at least one game after sustaining a concussion.
- Mouthguards are mandatory for all players.
- Tackling & Contact Rules:
a) Any head down or helmet-to-helmet hit gives a 15yd penalty against the offending team (i.e. a yellow card); on the first offense; the second offense gets the player charged with the penalty suspended for the rest of the game, and the first half of the next game (i.e. a red card).
b) Defensive players are prohibited from leaping over or hurdling the offensive line in an attempt to block field goal or extra point attempts.
c) The nameplate area of the jersey has been added to the current horse-collar tackle rule.
d) When a runner now slides feet first, the runner is considered defenseless, and a hit on the runner will result in a targeting penalty (i.e. meaning a 15-yard personal foul will be enforced and the player will be ejected for at least the remainder of the game after the second offense).
e) Defenders can no longer trip the runner to bring him to the ground; however, this rule does not include defenders attempting to tackle a ball carrier below the waist.
f) All players who leave the tackle box are prohibited from blocking below the waist toward the initial position of the ball.
g) All players must practice tackling and blocking without their helmets at least once per week during the season, & at least once every 2 weeks during the offseason. - Having full-contact practices twice in the same day is prohibited during the preseason, regular-season, & postseason:
a) Teams can still have 2-a-days, but the extra session has to be either film study or walkthrough.
b) No conditioning can take place at the walkthrough, and players can’t be in helmets or shoulder pads. - The defensive line can only hold up or block a receiver within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage.
- The kicker & punter positions will be merged into one, with that player doing all of the punts, kickoffs, and field goals.
- All kickoffs will be administered from the kicking team's 25-yard line, as to decrease touchbacks and increase coverage opportunities:
a) In addition, 8 players on the receiving team must line up between the kicking team's 35-yard and 45-yard lines for the possibility of decreasing "high-impact collisions".
b) Once a kickoff passes the 45 yard line, fielding rules became similar to punts in that the kicking team is not allowed to recover and regain possession (except for the kicker & any player(s) behind the kicker). - Any player can kick the ball at any time:
a) On any kick, only the kicker and any member of the kicker's team behind the kicker at the time of the kick may legally recover and advance the ball so long as the ball travels at least 10 yards; the ball doesn't have to be touched by the receiving team in order for the possession to count.
b) In such a case, the kicker or player is exempt from the No Yards rule. Thus, a player from Team A may punt or kick the ball 40 yards, chase the ball upfield, then recover an untouched ball for a Team A first down. Such instances are rare since the player would have to elude plenty of blocking to reach the ball. When it does happen, this play is highly exciting.
c) Examples = Montreal at Toronto - Wild Ending - October 29, 2010, Montreal Alouettes Perfect Fake Field Goal vs. Lions Wk. 11 2012. - No Yards Rule:
a) Punt or kick coverage teams must give a 5 yard empty zone around the opposing receiver until he has received the ball. This is called the "No Yards" rule; exceptions to the no yards rule include the kicker or a player behind the kicker.
b) Kick or punt receivers must field all kicks and punts, with no exceptions.
c) The ball is live under almost all circumstances during a legal play within bounds at any time during the game except for incomplete forward passes.
d) All of the players offside at the time of the kick may neither touch the ball nor be within five yards of the member of the receiving team who fields the kick; violation of this rule is a penalty for no yards. The penalty for no yards is 15 yards if the kick is in flight and 5 yards if it has been grounded. - Scoring System:
a) 6 points for a touchdown
b) 1 for a kicked convert; Extra points will be attempted from 35 yards out.
c) 2 for a passed or rushed convert (2yds)
d) 3 for a passed or rushed convert (3yds)
e) 3 for a field goal (under 50 yds); 4 for a field goal (50+ yds),
f) 2 for a safety touch; the team being awarded the 2 points has the option of either a) scrimmaging from their own 25-yard line, b) kicking the ball off from their own 25-yard line, or c) having the opposing team kick off the ball from their own 20-yard line.
g) 1 for a rouge - A rouge (also called a single) is awarded to a kicking or punting team (Team A) if an opposing player (Team B):
a) catches or recovers a kickoff, punt, or a missed field goal in his own end zone but is prevented by Team A from returning the ball back out onto the field of play (similar to a safety), or
b) elects to drop to one knee while still in the end zone before having returned the ball to the field of play, or
c) elects to run with the ball from the end zone out of bounds rather than enter the field of play. - A rouge is also awarded to a kicking or punting team (Team A) if:
1) the ball goes through the uprights or the end zone during either a kickoff or punt longer than 50yds; in that case, the ball is called as a touchback with the ball placed on the 25yd line. Hitting the goalposts won't count unless the ball bounces off the post into out-of-bounds territory.
2) the ball goes through the end zone on a field goal attempt or a punt, but only for attempts at least 50 yards or longer. - A rouge is also awarded to a team on defense (Team A) if they:
a) force an interception, or
b) recover a fumble, or
c) blocks a field goal, or
d) force a turnover on downs. - On a field goal attempt, the defending team may return a missed field goal to the kicking team's end zone for a Touchdown.
- On a convert attempt after a touchdown, the defending team may return a missed kick convert to the kicking team's end zone for 1 point, or if the convert was a rush or pass play may return a fumble or interception for 2 points.
- Prior to the snap of the ball:
a) All offensive and defensive backfielders and receivers, except the quarterback, are allowed unlimited motion in any direction provided that they remain behind the line of scrimmage.
b) Offensive & Defensive linemen must not move. - No Yards Rule:
a) Punt or kick coverage teams must give a 5 yard empty zone around the opposing receiver until he has received the ball. This is called the "No Yards" rule; exceptions to the no yards rule include the kicker or a player behind the kicker.
b) Kick or punt receivers must field all kicks and punts, with no exceptions.
c) An unhandled ball from a place kick or punt may be legally recovered by the kicker or any player behind the kicker at the time of the kick. In such a case, the kicker or player is exempt from the No Yards rule. Thus, a player from Team A may punt or kick the ball 40 yards, chase the ball upfield, then recover an untouched ball for a Team A first down. Such instances are rare since the player would have to elude plenty of blocking to reach the ball. When it does happen, this play is highly exciting.
d) The ball is live under almost all circumstances during a legal play within bounds at any time during the game except for incomplete forward passes.
e) All of the players offside at the time of the kick may neither touch the ball nor be within five yards of the member of the receiving team who fields the kick; violation of this rule is a penalty for no yards. The penalty for no yards is 15 yards if the kick is in flight and 5 yards if it has been grounded. - All redshirt players can appear in up to 4 varsity regular-season games (plus 1 post-season game) and still retain redshirt status for that season, but only under the following circumstances:
a) If their respective position has the 1st-string & 2nd string players are either injured or suspended (for academic and/or athletic reasons like failing to maintain the minimum GPA or committing two spearing penalties in a single game); coaches can also change a red-shirt player's position to fill a need and maybe tryout a new role for that player.
b) All red-shirt players can only play in varsity games after the JV season ends unless the team has at least 8 players in all of the related position(s) (i.e. offensive & defensive lineman, cornerbacks & safeties, wide receivers & tight ends, etc.) either injured or suspended from varsity competition.
c) If a player(s) opts to enter the NFL draft over playing in a bowl game.
- A coin toss at the start of overtime determines the team that first receives possession in overtime, and which end zone will be used.
- Each team in turn receives one possession starting with first-and-10 at the defense's 25-yard line.
- The game clock does not run, but the play clock is enforced.
- At all levels, possessions end when the offensive team either 1) scores a touchdown or 2) turns the ball over. Field goals and convert kicks are not allowed in overtime—all conversion attempts must be scrimmage plays (i.e., two-point attempts at minimum).
- The defensive team to score after gaining possession on a turnover can advance the ball upon gaining possession; if it scores a touchdown, it will satisfy the condition of each team having a chance to score and thus end the game.
- Each team has 1 timeout per overtime period.
- If the score remains tied at the end of an overtime procedure, another procedure follows (except as noted below), with the team that had the second possession in the previous procedure having the first possession of the next procedure.
- In regular season games, the USIAA allows a maximum of three procedures, with the game declared a tie if it remains level. In postseason games, procedures continue until a winner is decided.
- 4 points for a win.
- 2 points for a draw.
- 1 "bonus" point for scoring at least 4 touchdowns.
- 1 "bonus" point for winning while scoring at least 3 more touchdowns than the opponent.
- 1 "bonus" point for losing by 8 points or less.
- 1 "bonus" point for losing in overtime.
- No student athlete may begin official practice including drills or other football-related activities (with or without equipment) until they have demonstrated one the following:
a) A body weight of 178.0 lbs. (81 kg) or less.
b) A body weight of 183.0 lbs. (83 kg) or less while simultaneously (within ½ hour) having body fat of 5% or greater and urine specific gravity less than or equal to 1.020. The student athlete will be permitted to achieve this standard as many times as they like, but will be withheld from all practice activities until achieving the 183 lbs. (83 kg) standard.
c) First-year players (i.e. players who have never participated in Sprint Football) are exempted from this requirement in an attempt to allow newcomers the opportunity to adjust their body weight. Any athlete previously on a roster, at any time, must meet the 183.0 lb practice standard.
d) A list of all practice players must be submitted on the last day of pre-season to the Conference Commissioner on a standard form provided by the League and must include name of player, year in school, urine specific gravity, % body fat, body weight and must be signed by the coach and sports medicine staff. - Official weigh-ins must take place 1) four days and 2) two days before each game with players allowed to gain back weight after meeting the weight limit but must remain under 184 pounds to practice with the team.
- Body fat and urine must be tested at least once during the preseason.
- No student athlete may compete in any pre-season contest involving another football team until they have demonstrated the following on either the first or second weigh-in of a particular week:
a) A body weight of 183.0 lbs. or less while simultaneously (within ½ hour) having body fat of 5% or greater and urine specific gravity less than or equal to 1.020. - No student athlete may compete in any regular-season contest involving another Sprint team until they have demonstrated the following on either the first or second weigh-in of a particular week:
a) A body weight of 178.0 lbs. or less while simultaneously (within ½ hour) having body fat of 5% or greater and urine specific gravity less than or equal to 1.020. - In subsequent weeks after achieving the 178.0 lb hydrated weight standard, student athletes will be required to weigh 178.0 lbs or less on Monday and Wednesday, before a Friday contest (Tuesday/Thursday before a Saturday contest, etc.) each week of the season in which they have a game. The one exception to this rule is if a school plays a Sunday game which is followed the next week with a Friday game, they would only have to weigh-in on Wednesday before that Friday game. Body fat and hydration measures are not required for the weekly weight certification once the hydrated standard has been achieved at the 178 lb level. Failure to achieve this weight on either date will result in the student athlete being withheld from competition in that week's contest.
- Coaches must ensure that unsafe weight loss practices such as the use of saunas, rubber suits, diuretics, etc. are prohibited.
- All weight certifications must be conducted by members of the athletic medicine staff or by an administrator with responsibility for the sport at the respective institution, and not members of the coaching staff. Every form submitted should be signed by the institution's supervising official and the head coach. The supervising official may not be a coach. The Conference Commissioner or designee may spot check a team weigh-in at least once a year.
- Medical staffs at the individual institution will provide the necessary guidance in accordance with their own best practices about how a student athlete who does not certify at the required weight should achieve the standard.
- A detailed weight certification sheet must be submitted to the opposing coach on a standard form provided by the League and prior to the start of each game. This same form must be submitted to the League by the end of the week following the game. The detailed weigh-in sheet will include for all players: name, number, position(s), year in school and the exact weight for both weigh-ins for that game.
- Organized practice sessions (there may be two in one day) will be limited in number with no more than 16 prior to the first scheduled game in September between any two league opponents. Games against a non-CSFL team will count as a game but not a practice.
- The first 3 days will be conditioning (non-contact) workouts, and are included in the 16 practice sessions. Helmets and jerseys are permitted during non-contact practices.
- Organized practice sessions are any workout conducted with coaches present.
- All teams may conduct 5 of the 16 allotted spring practices with helmets, jersey, and balls to allow for weight management, recruitment of potential players from the student body, and the retention of current players.
- The last day of pre-season is the second Friday of September. This is the last Friday before the first weekend of competition between conference opponents. Adjustments may be made if the final league schedule changes the date of the first game.
- All programs will submit to their Conference Commissioners on the last day of preseason a practice schedule detailing the practice sessions allotted.
- The position of Conference Commissioner will be reviewed on a yearly basis. If possible, it would be most equitable to rotate the responsibilities every three (3) years among the athletic staffs of the member institutions. At the end of the second year the next league commissioner will be elected in order to spend a year learning from the sitting commissioner.
- All programs must have 2 full-contact preseason scrimmages before the last day of pre-season.
- All programs must have a full-contact preseason scrimmage against any of the following 2 weeks before the start of the regular season:
a) A team consisting of sprint football alums,
b) A team consisting of other former college players currently not playing professional football (if the school has both traditional & sprint football), or
c) A combination of both
d) All alums must pay a $2 fine for each pound overweight (i.e. over 178 lbs.) in order to play. - A preseason scrimmage between any league opponents may be allowed in lieu of an alumni game:
a) This scrimmage will be arranged between league opponents and will be counted as one of the 16 practices.
b) It is intended that the scrimmage be highly controlled.
c) The Regional Commissioners will be notified of all scheduled scrimmages. - All programs must have an additional full-contact preseason scrimmage against the JV team of a varsity D1, D2, or D3 American football team within 700mi of the sprint football program in question 1 week before the start of the regular season:
a) JV players must pay a $1.50 fine for each pound overweight (i.e. over 178 lbs.) in order to play. - All programs play an 8-game season (4h/4a) against other sprint football teams beginning in the third Friday/Saturday combination of September and ending in the first Friday/Saturday combination of November.
- All programs are required to play at least 6 in-region games, with 3 home and 3 away games.
- A max of 2 (1h/1a) non-conference games are required to be against teams that are within 700 miles away from the program in question.
- It is recommended that the home team provide two (2) 40/25-second clocks and an official 40/25-second clock operator for all games. If possible, clock operators should be certified.
- The Tournament begins on the first week after the regular season and ending four weeks later.
- To be eligible for the post season, all programs must have a minimum record of 4-4 (or 3-5 with good academic standing), and not be on probation.
- The annual coaches meeting will be held in November, after the completion of the league schedule. If required, a second meeting may be held in the spring.
- Each institution may nominate players for both the 1st and 2nd All-League Offensive and Defensive Teams according to the place finish and the following formula:
a) 1st place = 15 nominations; 2nd place = 14 nominations; 3rd place = 13 nominations; 4th place = 12 nominations; 5th place = 11 nominations, 6th place = 10 nominations, 7th place = 9 nominations, 8th place = 7 nominations. Head coaches will have one vote for the individuals by position.
b) Head coaches will have one vote for the league Most Valuable Player (the James Kay Award).
c) Head coaches should submit a list of the players on their team that they consider deserving of selection to honorable mention all league.
d) Special Teams player and All-Purpose player (one player each) will be selected when appropriate, and they will be in addition to the nominations listed above. The All League Punt and Kick Returner will be determined by the highest punt or kick return average with a minimum of 8 returns. - All tournament games must be on either Thursday or Saturday.