The sport

Flag football vs tackle football

Updated November 3, 2026 · 3 min read

Same ball, same idea: get it into the end zone. But no tackling changes almost everything else. Here is the difference, side by side.

	Flag football	Tackle football
Contact	None: pull a flag to stop the runner	Tackling and blocking
Players	5 on 5 (7 on 7 in high school)	11 on 11
Field	25 × 70 yd (NFL FLAG)	53⅓ × 120 yd
Gear	Flag belt, mouthguard, cleats	Helmet, shoulder pads, full pads
Who can catch	Everyone on offense, the center too	Only eligible receivers
Quarterback	7 seconds to throw; can't run past the line (NFL FLAG)	No clock; can run
Kicking	No kickoffs or punts (NFL FLAG, IFAF)	Kickoffs, punts, field goals
Where it goes	Youth, girls' high school, women's college, pro (from 2027), Olympics (2028)	Youth to the NFL

What carries over

Almost everything that isn't contact: routes, catching, the quarterback's footwork and reads, coverage, angles, speed and football sense. Flag players also touch the ball much more, because everyone is eligible on every play.

What the research says about safety

Head impacts: a CDC study that put sensors in the mouthguards of 524 players aged 6 to 14 found tackle players were 14.67 times more likely to take a head impact per game or practice, and took 23 times more high-magnitude hits.
Injuries overall: a 2017 study of 3,794 players in grades 2 to 7 found more injuries overall in flag than in tackle, and no significant difference in severe injuries or concussions. Its authors wrote that they "cannot conclude that youth flag football is safer than youth tackle football."
The recommendation: the Aspen Institute's Project Play argued in 2018 that youth football would benefit if flag became the standard way to play before high school, with tackling taught in practice in the years before tackle.

How many kids play each?

Among US kids aged 6 to 12, 4.0% played flag football in 2024 against 2.7% for tackle. Among 13- to 17-year-olds, tackle leads, 6.4% to 2.8%. From 2019 to 2024 flag was the only team sport tracked by SFIA that grew among 6- to 17-year-olds.

Which should my child play?

Many families start with flag and decide about tackle later; plenty of kids play both. For girls, flag is the main path: high school, college and the Olympics. For a first step, see flag football for kids and how to play.

Questions

Is flag football safer than tackle football?

It has far fewer head impacts: in a CDC sensor study tackle players took 14.67 times more. But a 2017 study found overall injuries were not lower in flag, and no clear difference in concussions. Fewer head hits, still a sport with injuries.

What is the difference between flag and tackle football?

Flag football has no tackling or blocking, 5 (or 7) players a side, a smaller field, a 7-second pass clock, and no kicking. A defender stops the runner by pulling a flag from her belt.

Can flag football players switch to tackle?

Yes. Routes, catching, reads and coverage carry over. Tackling and blocking have to be learned, and Aspen's Project Play suggests teaching them in practice in the years before kids start tackle.

Do more kids play flag or tackle?

Among ages 6 to 12, flag: 4.0% against 2.7% in 2024. Among teenagers, tackle still leads.