RULES

Follow these rules correctly and calmly or the Referees do not have to honor a challenge.

1. Only the Head Coach speaks to the Referees. Assistant Coaches, Board Members and Support Staff do not have a voice in the process.

   1. • Board Members that are also Head Coaches, but not the Head Coach of the team playing do not get to talk to the Referee.

2. Excessive arguing, mouthing off or loss of control by the sideline and the Referees will end the challenge, and can throw an Unsportsmanlike on the team.

3. The Head Coach must PROVE their point by showing the Referees the rule or policy using the volunteer.tyfa.com tool. There is no paper or PDF copy of some old rules that will be acceptable.

4. The challenge is between the Referees and the challenging Head Coach. There is no debating with the opposing Head Coach.

5. If a Head Coach declares a challenge and they are proven wrong, they will be penalized a timeout or a Delay of Game if no timeouts left.

6. If a challenge is proven, the White Hat informs the opposing Head Coach of the result. THERE IS NO NEGOTIATING. 

PROCEDURE

1. If a Head Coach wishes to challenge a Rule, they should first notify the Side Referee.

2. The Side Referee will then pause the game and inform the White Hat.

3. The White Hat will approach the challenging Head Coach and ask if they have supporting evidence from TYFA's Rules Portal to justify the challenge.

4. If the Head Coach cannot provide valid proof using the proper tool, the challenge is dismissed, and the game resumes.

5. If proof is available, the White Hat will ask the Head Coach to clearly state the issue and present their supporting evidence.

TYFA uniquely allows Head Coaches to challenge rule enforcement.

1. A Head Coach may request a challenge if they believe a rule was incorrectly applied or enforced (e.g., not awarding two points for a forward pass XP), as long as another play has not yet occurred.

2. To initiate a challenge, the Head Coach must signal the Side Referee, who will pause the game and inform the White Hat. The Head Coach must then use  TYFA's Rule tool to locate the relevant rule — no other sources will be accepted. They will have two minutes to do so.

3. If the Head Coach cannot find the rule in time, argues without using the tool, or references an unofficial source, the team will be charged a timeout.

4. If no timeouts remain, the will be penalized a Delay of Game, and play will resume without further discussion.

5. If the rule is found within the time limit, the Head Coach has one minute to present their case. The Referees will review the information and consult with any monitoring TYFA Black Shirt.

6. If an error is confirmed, the situation will be corrected.

7. If the challenge is unsuccessful, the team will be charged a timeout.

8. If no timeouts remain, the will be penalized a Delay of Game, and play will resume without further discussion.