ECFL Rules of Play

  1. All rules will be in accordance with NFHS rules and standards except for the modifications stated below.
  2. Time of play will consist of two 22 minute halves and a 3 minute half-time.
  3. Each team will receive one 30 second time out per half. No timeouts may be called within the last 2 minutes of the half or game. A team may call a time-out when they possess the ball in their offensive end or the field or if the ball goes out of bounds.
  4. All penalties will be running time. All penalties served will be time and a half. Penalty clock will begin when the official blows the whistle to resume play.
  5. There will be no overtimes.
  6. Substitutions will be on the fly, except when play is suspended after a goal, during an injury time-out, during a team time-out, and after a time-serving penalty. No horns will be allowed for substitutions when the ball goes out of bounds either on the end line or sidelines.
  7. Teams will have 20 seconds to clear the ball over the midline and 10 seconds to advance the ball into the box. There will be no other “in” or “out” calls (including the last 2 minutes of the game).
  8. Limited body checks will be allowed. This is best defined as when given the choice between playing the “man” or the “ball”, a player must choose the ball.
  9. Illegal body checks will include targeting and checking a “defenseless” player. That includes intentional “take-out” checks, checking a player from his “blind side” (even if your positioning is in front of that player), checking a player whose head is down attempting to pick up a loose ball, checking a player turned away from you when receiving a pass (even if that player turns toward the contact immediately before the check), and any direct contact (intentional or not) to a players head or neck. All illegal body checks will receive a minimum 2 minute penalty (3 minutes running time). A player will be automatically ejected from the game if he incurs 3 illegal body check penalties.
  10. Teams will not be permitted to move a player up during a faceoff when they have a non-releasable penalty. Players must keep 3 players in the offensive area and 4 players in the defensive area in all penalty situations.
  11. Taunting, verbal altercations, physically assaulting, or aggressive behavior of any kind will be strictly prohibited. Incidents of this sort to a player or coach from another team or toward an official will result in an automatic unsportsmanlike penalty (and may result in an automatic ejection).
  12. A player or coach that receives an ejection during a game will not be permitted to play/coach in the next game. A player/coach that receives 2 ejections will not be permitted to return to the ECFL.

Final Thought (not a rule) - It’s fall ball! Have fun, play hard, keep safe!!! You are here to keep your stick active, stay in shape, improve on your weaknesses, and have fun with your teammates!!! Don’t do anything to jeopardize your own or anyone else’s health or love of the game!