• Quarters: Four (4) quarters per game.

  • • Spring: 8-minute quarters.

    • Fall: 10-minute quarters.

• Direction of Play: Teams must change direction at the end of each quarter.

• Halftime: 10 minutes (Maximum 20 minutes for Homecoming). Reference Homecoming Rule

• Running Clock: TYFA does not use a running clock except when the Mercy Rule is invoked. 

• The play clock is (25) seconds following a stoppage.

• The play clock is (40) seconds when the previous play ends inbounds without an administrative stoppage.

• Referees maintain the official game clock on the field unless a designated Referee is assigned to operate the scoreboard clock.

• Referees or Black Shirts may reduce halftime or time between games when required to prevent suspension or postponement due to darkness or adverse weather conditions.

• The game clock stops and restarts on the Referee's signal for the following: 

  • • First Down

    • Penalty Administration

    • Injury Timeouts

    • Measurements

    • Inadvertent Whistle

    • Incomplete Forward Pass

    • Head Coach Challenge

• The game clock stops and restarts on the snap of the ball for the following: 

  • • Team Timeouts

    • End of Quarter

    • Change of Possession

    • Ball out of bounds, Incomplete Pass or Spiked Ball within the last (2) minutes of each half

• The game clock does not run during: 

  • • Point After Try (PAT) plays

    • Period Extensions

    • Overtime

• There is no longer a running clock at any time. Reference Mercy Rule

• The two-minute warning is an automatic full timeout that occurs in the final (2) minutes of the second quarter and the fourth quarter.

• Standard Team Timeouts

Each team is allotted (3) timeouts per half, each lasting (30) seconds.

• Equipment / Uniform Timeouts

A player with an equipment or uniform issue must leave the game and may not return until the issue is fully corrected.

• Injury Timeouts

• All non-injured players must move to the hash marks for hydration and coaching.

• The injured player must leave the field for at least (1) play, unless either team calls a timeout and is charged accordingly.

• Players are not required to take a knee. Coaching is permitted at a low volume.

• Blood Timeouts

  • A player who is bleeding or has excessive blood on their uniform must leave the game and may not return until the bleeding stops or the uniform is replaced.

• On-Field Minimum of Players

  • If by a player having to leave the field causes the team to drop below the minimum of (11) eligible players,  reference On Field Minimum Rule.