What is Flag Football?
Flag football is a popular recreational team sport played between two teams on a football field with end zones. It is a lower contact form of traditional American football.
Defensive players must pull flags attached to ball carriers instead of tackling them, allowing it to be played more safely.
What is American Football?
American football is the full contact tackle version of the sport played widely in the U.S. It involves heavy protective gear due to intense physical collisions between players when advancing the ball or making defensive stops. Eleven players per team try to score in end zones.
How Flag Football is Played
Like American football, the objective in flag football is to advance the ball down the field into an end zone to score. Teams of around 5-7 players take turns playing offense and defense on typically smaller fields. In Malaysia, mostly 5 vs 5 is played.
No tackling or body contact is allowed and players wear no protective gear. Defenders instead pull flags from belts to end plays. This allows wider recreational participation.
In Summary
Flag football takes the fundamental concepts of American football like downs, end zones and advancing the ball but removes tackling contact for safety.
Recreational leagues exist for men and women of all ages to enjoy the sport with just flags replacing tackles. It maintains football fun for casual play or tournaments globally while reducing physical intensity and injury risk.
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