Flag Football Gear

Unlike the equipment used in contact football, the gear associated with flag football is much less expensive and significantly less complicated. While many flag football players wear team hats and matching jerseys or t-shirts, they do not wear bulky shoulder and leg pads or cleated shoes. Most do not wear helmets, but, for younger players, soft helmets may be required for league play.

The major piece of playing gear is a flag football belt which holds a strip of plastic in the team's color. This strip is usually attached to the player's flag belt with velcro. Velcro makes it easier for a defensive player to "pull" the flag off the belt during play. The flag can only be pulled from an offensive player who is actually carrying the ball.

Non-Player Gear

Flag football usually requires the presence of officials during games. These officials wear striped jerseys or pinnies and hats, and they wear whistles around their necks in order to control play. In addition, they also carry penalty markers in the form of yellow flags similar to those used during contact football games. Most officials also wear black and white socks.

Naturally, the head official needs a flag football rule book to understand the basics of the game and how to manage it. Finally, items such as sideline markers and down markers are essential, especially when there are no white lines on the field of play. Because flag football can be played on any grassy area that is large enough to accommodate two teams, some teams purchase flag football field kits that include pylons, markers, and even white-line writers.