There are two primary variations of the sport of American football: contact, often called tackle football, and non-contact, usually referred to as flag football.

Contact Football involves players wearing full protective equipment, including helmet and pads, when playing the game. Whether a full 11-a-side game or a modified, smaller-sided version, the level of equipment required is the same.

Flag Football is the fast-paced non-contact version of the sport.?The basic rules of the game are similar to those of the contact version of the game but instead of wearing the protective equipment and tackling players to the ground, the players wear a belt with attached flags (similar to tag rugby) which are pulled off to signify a tackle and end the down.

Whilst at first glance the rules of the sport may seem complex, it is in fact relatively simple. Click here for a quick guide to the rules.

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A beginners guide