Discover the best flag football plays—and use our basic guide to create some of your own.

You’ve bought the cleats, prepped your flags, and now it’s time to equip yourself, and your team, with flag football plays and formations for your upcoming season.

To set up flag football teams for success, we put together a guide that prepares all levels of players. Whether this is your first season coaching, or you’re coming back for your tenth championship, our flag football plays and formations outline will provide a strong foundation for your team.

Quick Links: Football formations | Best flag football routes | Best flag football plays | 5 on 5 flag football plays |

FOOTBALL FORMATIONS

We recommend beginning coaching with a strong set of fundamentals before conquering complex setups. Some of the best football plays are actually quite simple. That’s why our guide provides needed information—from basics to more advanced football formations—for 5 on 5 flag football plays.  

What is a football formation? At the beginning of all offensive plays, players on the field must create an offensive formation at the line of scrimmage. Football formations give each player a specific location on the line of scrimmage to begin their play. This prevents players from running into each other, crowding on the field, and promotes safety.