---
title: How do I set up game rules for my league?
description: "Set up game rules in Football Play Card so the live scoreboard matches your league: periods, clock, timeouts, downs and blitz limits, saved as a template."
---
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October 31, 2026
# How do I set up game rules for my league?
## Save your league's periods, timeouts and downs once, make them your team default, and every new game starts with them.
Game rules tell the live scoreboard how your league plays: how many periods and how long, how many timeouts, and how downs work. Football Play Card comes with four common sets, and you can save your league's own.
### Which rules come with Football Play Card?
| **Template** | **Periods** | **Timeouts per team** | **Downs** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Flag · 50-yard field** | 2 halves of 20 minutes | 2 each half | 4 downs to reach midfield, then 3 to score |
| **Flag · 60-yard field** | 2 halves of 20 minutes | 2 each half | 4 downs to reach midfield, then 3 to score |
| **Flag · 80-yard field** | 2 halves of 20 minutes | 2 each half | 4 downs to reach each next 20-yard line |
| **Tackle · 100-yard field** | 4 quarters of 10 minutes | 3 each half | 4 downs to gain 10 yards |
### How do I save my league's rules?
1. Select **Schedule** in the side menu.
2. Open the **⋮** menu at the top of the schedule and select **Rules**.
3. Select **New template**.
4. Enter a **Template name**, then set the sport, field length, first downs, downs, periods, period length and timeouts. Turn on **Limit defensive blitzes** if your league limits them.
5. To have every new game start with these rules, tick **Team default for new games**.
6. Select **Create template**.
You can also make any template the default later: open its menu and select **Set as team default**.
*The Team default badge marks the rules every new game starts with.*
### How do I pick rules for one game?
In the game's **Game rules** field, pick a template, **No special rules**, or **Custom rules…** to set them for that game only. You can also adjust them at kickoff in **Confirm game rules**, or during the game from **Rules for this game** on the scoreboard.
### Frequently Asked Questions
### If I change a template, do games I set up earlier change?
- Not straight away. A game picks up the template's latest rules the next time you edit and save it. A game whose rules you changed on its scoreboard keeps its own.
### Can I change a provided template?
- Yes, everything except its name, sport and field length. Your changes apply to your team's copy, and **Reset to default** puts it back. Provided templates cannot be deleted.
### Why did my tackle game start on flag rules?
- A team with no default rules starts every new game on the rules for what it plays, as set under **This team plays** in My Team: **Tackle · 100-yard field** for tackle, and **Flag · 50-yard field** for flag or 7 on 7. If you coach more than one team, only your primary team's setting is read, so your other teams start on **Flag · 50-yard field** until they have a default. A tackle game on flag rules means your team default is a flag template, the team is set to flag or 7 on 7, or it is not your primary team. Set **Tackle · 100-yard field**, or your own template, as your team default and it will not happen again. Until your team has a default, **Confirm game rules** offers **Make these my team’s default rules** at every kickoff. It starts unticked, so check the rules and tick it only if you want them for every game after.
### Who can manage game rules?
- Coaches on a **State Champion** plan or above. The **Rules** item appears only for coaches.
*Everything in this article works on the Football Play Card website on any device. If something is not in your mobile app yet, it is coming in an app update soon.*
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