Coach's Guide to Football Canada Tackle Football U9-U14 2026-27

• At High School level or equivalent and below, a game is 48 minutes of actual playing time in four 12-minute periods (60 minutes in four 15-minute periods is the standard length for older levels).
• Half time is 20 minutes, or such other rest period as the league decides.
• Each team has two 1-minute time outs in each half. Time outs cannot be carried from one half to the next, and there are no team time outs in overtime.
• Leagues may shorten games to fit a time slot, but no timing change may lengthen a game.
• Mercy rule: after the first half, if the score difference reaches 35 points or more, the clock runs for the rest of the game except for injuries, scores, time outs or any reason the Referee deems necessary. It does not apply at U Sports and CJFL levels.
• For games shorter than 48 minutes, the rule book recommends that time stops once the first down distance has been made.

Source: Canadian Amateur Rule Book for Tackle Football 2026-2027, Rule 1, Sections 3 and 5, and Rule Modifications.

The modifications apply to pre-high school levels and support Football Canada's Long Term Athlete Development Model and Skill Development Progression. The rule book lists a penalty of L5 for breaking them.

U9 (Fundamental stage)

• Defence: static front with the offensive centre uncovered; each defensive lineman covers one offensive player (except the centre); no cross plays by linemen and no stunts by linebackers; pressure only from defenders positioned on the line of scrimmage; man to man pass coverage.
• Offence: no unbalanced line; minimum of 2 running backs; no pre-snap motion by eligible receivers; only the quarterback can throw a forward pass; running backs cannot run pass routes from the backfield; no cut blocks across the entire offensive front; at least one pass attempt in every three plays.

U11 (Learn to Train stage)

• Defence: 4 defensive linemen are mandatory; static front with the centre uncovered; each defensive lineman covers one offensive player; pressure from a maximum of 4 players, all on the line of scrimmage at the snap; man to man pass coverage.
• Offence: no unbalanced line; minimum of 2 running backs; no trips formation (three receivers to one side of centre); no pre-snap movement by eligible receivers or running backs; running backs can now run pass routes from the backfield; no cut blocking across the entire offensive front; at least one pass attempt in every three plays.

Source: Canadian Amateur Rule Book for Tackle Football 2026-2027, Rule Modifications (10 or 12 A-Side Football).

Defence

• 4 defensive linemen are mandatory.
• Static front with the offensive centre uncovered, and each defensive lineman must cover one offensive player.
• Pressure can be applied by a maximum of 5 players, who must come from a position in the box.
• Pass defence is man to man coverage.

Offence

• No unbalanced line.
• No formation without a running back.
• No cut blocks across the entire offensive front.
• Running backs can run pass routes from the backfield.
• Formations with three receivers to one side (trips) are now allowed.
• At least one pass attempt in every three plays.

Which age group each stage applies to is decided by the provincial or territorial football association (PSO), based on the players' developmental age and playing experience.

Source: Canadian Amateur Rule Book for Tackle Football 2026-2027, Rule Modifications (10 or 12 A-Side Football, Learn to Train Stage, U13).

The rule book lists these modifications to the 12-player game.

6-a-side

• Wherever the rule book says 12 players, use 6; wherever it says 20 yards, use 10 yards.
• For ball placement, subtract 5 yards from the indicated number (the ball must not be placed on the 5 yard line unless by penalty).
• Field: 100 yards goal line to goal line, 40 yards wide; end zones 10 yards deep; hash marks 13 yards from the sidelines.
• Game: 40 minutes of playing time, four 10-minute periods; the three-minute stop-time provision at the end of the 2nd and 4th quarters is played as two minutes.
• At least 3 offensive players must be stationary on the line of scrimmage when the ball is put into play.
• The centre is an eligible receiver if lined up on the end of the line wearing an eligible receiver's number; any other non-outside player on the line is ineligible.
• A kicked convert is worth 2 points; a convert by running or passing is worth 1 point.

9-a-side

• Wherever the rule book says 12 players, use 9; wherever it says 20 yards, use 15 yards.
• Subtract 5 yards from the indicated number for ball placement, except for converts.
• Field: 100 yards long, 50 yards wide; end zones 15 yards deep; hash marks 15 yards from each sideline.
• Game: 48 minutes of actual playing time in four 12-minute periods for all playoffs, with a 15 minute rest after the 2nd period (or another rest period the teams mutually agree).
• At least 5 offensive players must be on the line of scrimmage when the ball is put into play.

Source: Canadian Amateur Rule Book for Tackle Football 2026-2027, Rule Modifications.

All players must wear equipment designed and manufactured by a professional manufacturer, without alteration:

1. Knee protection: soft padding entirely captured within a continuous material, or protection designed for and insertable in football pants. It cannot include any buckle, Velcro, clip or strap that could come undone during play.
2. Thigh guards.
3. Hip pads with tailbone protector.
4. Shoulder pads.
5. A mouthguard covering all the upper jaw teeth. A second mouthguard (including an extra-oral guard attached to the helmet or facemask) is illegal.
6. Shoes meeting the footwear specification, or shoes with no cleats (such as ripple soles).
7. A helmet and face guard.

Items 1 to 4, including back plates and rib protectors, must be covered by the pants or jersey (except snap-in soft foam hip and tail pad systems). Gloves with webbing between the digits are illegal, and so is adhesive material, grease or other slippery substance on a player or clothing. Tying or knotting jerseys is illegal.

Source: Canadian Amateur Rule Book for Tackle Football 2026-2027, Rule 1, Section 11, Article 1.

• Only helmets and facemasks approved by the National Operating Committee on Safety in Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) may be worn.
• Visors must be clear, not tinted, and no medical exceptions are allowed.
• A player must wear the helmet while in bounds and must not voluntarily remove it while play is in progress.
• If a helmet involuntarily comes off during a play (other than from a foul), the player must leave the game for 3 plays.
• A player who loses their helmet must stop participating in the play (penalty L10).
• Hitting a player who has lost their helmet is Unnecessary Roughness.
• Using the helmet or other objects to deceive opponents about the location of the ball is illegal.
• A player may choose to wear a manufactured protective helmet cover ("Guardian Cap") in practices and games. It must be designed and made by a professional manufacturer and cannot be altered.

For a NOCSAE, visor, removal or deception breach, the player is removed until corrected and the team is penalized 10 yards.

Source: Canadian Amateur Rule Book for Tackle Football 2026-2027, Rule 1, Section 11, Article 2.

Mouthguard: every player must wear an intra-oral (within the mouth) mouth and tooth protector in the proper position while participating. It has an occlusal portion (protecting and separating the biting surfaces) and an optional labial portion (protecting the lips). A mouthguard made from an impression of the player's teeth, or fitted by impressing their teeth into the protector, is recommended.

• 1st infraction: the Referee warns the player.
• 2nd and later infractions by a previously warned player: L5 and the player is removed until properly equipped (immediate substitution allowed).
• Deliberate subsequent infractions are penalized as objectionable conduct.

Footwear: a cleated shoe is accepted if it has at least 7 cleats per sole with a minimum tip diameter of 3/16 inch (4.8 mm), and a maximum cleat length of 1/2 inch (12.7 mm). Turf or running shoes are also acceptable. Metal cleats, or cleats with a metal tip or made of any material that burrs, chips or fractures, are illegal (L5, and the player is removed until the equipment is replaced).

Source: Canadian Amateur Rule Book for Tackle Football 2026-2027, Rule 1, Section 11, Articles 3 and 4.

The head coach, or a designated representative, must certify to the umpire before the game that all players:

• have been informed of the mandatory equipment and what equipment is illegal;
• have been provided with the mandatory equipment;
• have been instructed to wear the mandatory equipment, and how to wear it during the game; and
• have been instructed to notify the coaching staff when equipment becomes illegal for any reason during the game.

The prime responsibility for proper equipment rests on the head coach or their designate.

Source: Canadian Amateur Rule Book for Tackle Football 2026-2027, Rule 1, Section 11, Articles 1 and 5.

No player may target and make forcible contact to the head or neck area of an opponent with the helmet, forearm, hand, fist, elbow or shoulder. The foul needs at least one indicator of targeting, and when in question, it is a foul. Indicators include (but are not limited to):

1. Launch: leaving the feet to attack an opponent with an upward and forward thrust of the body, making forcible contact in the head or neck area.
2. Crouch and thrust: a crouch followed by an upward and forward thrust to attack the head or neck area, even with one or both feet still on the ground.
3. Leading with the helmet, shoulder, forearm, fist, hand or elbow to attack the head or neck area.
4. Lowering the head before attacking by initiating forcible contact with the crown of the helmet.

Penalty: L25 and the player is disqualified from the game. At levels U14 and below the player receives a warning for a first offence.

Source: Canadian Amateur Rule Book for Tackle Football 2026-2027, Rule 7, Section 2, Article 6.

The rule book lists ball sizes by age (equivalent makes also meet the specification):

The Home Team provides a league approved ball or balls, and the Referee's decision on the suitability of the ball is final. On wet days at least three balls are recommended.

Source: Canadian Amateur Rule Book for Tackle Football 2026-2027, Rule 1, Section 2.

Only the field officials, the downs box official, the yardstick officials, the timekeeper and the scorer may occupy the sideline. The team bench area is for substitute players and authorized team personnel: coaches, doctors, trainers and equipment personnel.

• The bench area sits 5 to 10 yards (metres) from the sideline.
• It is enclosed by a 4 inch (10 cm) line at least 2 yards (metres) from the sideline (5 yards or metres is optimum), plus a line 5 yards (metres) from each end of the bench.
• Bench occupants must stay inside the enclosed area, except during legal substitution or with the Referee's express permission.
• Penalty: L10 (10-yard loss), no option, from the point where the ball would have been put in play.

During an official time out, or any significant stoppage such as a measurement or injury, a sideline conference between coaches and players is legal.

Source: Canadian Amateur Rule Book for Tackle Football 2026-2027, Rule 1, Section 13.