Capital Area Minor Football Association
Middle Level Rules and Regulations

                                                                                                                      Revised December 10, 2008

The following Rules and Regulations apply to Capital Area Middle Level teams:

Game Dress Code

All players are to have their game jerseys tucked inside their pants. Repeated failure to do so will be penalized.

Fair Play

(1) One of our major goals is to ensure that every player gets on the field as much as possible. Consequently, during the regular season, when a team has at least 24 players available to play, a maximum of 4 players can play both offense and defense in the same quarter. Exceptions to this rule can be made when players are not playing for disciplinary reasons (ex.- not attending practices) or a player is clearly not suitable to play a position (ex.- a very small player playing a line position).

(2) During the playoffs there will be no limitation on the number of players allowed to play both offense and defence in the same quarter. 

Good Sportsmanship Rule

Once a team takes and maintains an 18 point lead:

a) The starting running backs can no longer play offence. They are still permitted to play defence.

b) No player is permitted to play both offence and defence in the same quarter. OR
    Where a team does not have 24 players ready to play every player must now be a starter on
    offence or defence.

Roster Size
A team may have a maximum of 35 players on its roster. 

Mercy Rule
When a team has taken and maintained a lead of at least 30 points, the remainder of the game will be timed "straight time".

Length of Games

If schedules, officials, opponents and daylight permit, all Capital Area Middle School games will consist of 4 quarters, each of 15 minutes in length.

Number of Downs

(1) In order to stimulate the development of the passing game, Middle School teams will play 4 down football.

Teams will play 4 down football with the one yard neutral zone. The offence must throw a legal forward pass on at least one of the first three downs in each series of downs. 

Failure to do so will result in an "Illegal Procedure" penalty. Officials will not stop play until the ball is dead. Attempting to pass and getting sacked or being forced to run will not satisfy this rule. The ball must be thrown as a legal forward pass. A lateral pass will not satisfy this rule. Officials should point this out to a team that has just thrown a lateral pass. Any pass that is little more than a glorified handoff will not satisfy this rule. A five yard penalty will be applied and the down repeated. The offensive team will still be obligated to pass the ball again after the penalty has been applied.

The defensive team has the option to decline the penalty, let the play stand and bring up fourth down. The offensive team can run the ball on fourth down.

In order to avoid this penalty teams are strongly advised to pass on either first or second down. 

Provincial PeeWee Playoffs

Capital Area Minor Football enters a team in the New Brunswick PeeWee playoffs. PeeWee teams are governed by the PeeWee Rules and Regulations of the New Brunswick Minor Football Council.