Ontario Elite Flag League

Tryout period

1. The OEFL tryout period for a centre runs no earlier than August 1 of the year before the OEFL playing season.

Playing season

1. The OEFL playing season runs January to August each year. Division-specific schedules are published on TeamLinkt at registration.
2. Game days are Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and/or Sundays, depending on the division or tournament.
3. The playing season includes all games played — development, round robin and playoff games.

Playing rules

1. Pool and playoff games are played per IFAF – Flag Football (5v5 or 7v7; mandatory at Provincials and Regional Cups).
2. Age categories align with Football Canada’s technical package, with U10 and U12 added to support athlete development.
3. OEFL plays downs per the IFAF Flag Rulebook with two 20-minute halves or two 10-minute halves.
4. Each team has two time-outs per half in 40-minute regulation games, or one time-out per half in 20-minute regulation games. Divisions can deliver 5v5 or 7v7 flag/touch football.

IFAF rules — provincial & national events

Football Canada and Football Ontario are adopting IFAF rules for sanctioned provincial and national events. Local and regional programming may modify field size for space constraints. Review the rulebook →

Game balls

Size-marked or labelled balls equivalent to the sizes above may be permitted with official and opposing-team permission. All teams supply their own football.

A roster is the list of players registered to play for a team.

1. Maximum roster size is 15 players and 3 coaches, with only 12 athletes permitted to play on game day.
2. Rosters are set each game day or tournament and registered in TeamLinkt (or the applicable event platform). The rostered 12 can change between tournaments from the total 15.
3. Once a player is rostered to an age division, they may only play in that division. With permission, an entire team can play up an age division, but will not be allowed to compete in its own age division. Football Ontario must be notified, and points will not adjust.
4. Rostered players may register and play for one centre only, and remain with that centre through all competitions until the conclusion of the following provincial championship (see Roster movement for exceptions).
5. Rosters must be submitted to OEFL for approval, confirming each player’s eligibility and standing with Football Ontario.

Registration with a centre means a player is registered to play in the OEFL season through their registered centre for that calendar year, or is new to the sport and not registered with another centre for the subsequent calendar year.

1. No centre may open registration before August 1 prior to the OEFL competition playing year.
2. Non-Canadian residents are not eligible to participate in OEFL.

Joining Football Ontario

• Join as a club, league or association: Membership Application
• Register your OEFL teams: Register your teams on TeamLinkt (separate from joining Football Ontario; coming soon)
• Sanction a tournament or league: Sanction Tournament – Application Document

Age divisions — Season One, 2027

Open to club-level teams of Football Ontario–registered athletes, per the Football Ontario Age Policy:

Call ups and playing up

1. Call ups are not permitted.
2. Play ups are permitted if they follow the Football Ontario Age Policy.

Player releases

1. A player with no outstanding fees or debt, or unreturned equipment owed to a centre (evidenced by the centre), is granted an immediate release up to the first game of the playing season.
2. A centre registering a player after the first game or tournament of the season must obtain written confirmation of the player’s eligibility from OEFL.
3. No release is required for a player who has been cut or removed from their official OEFL team roster.
4. A centre registering a player cut or removed from another centre’s roster must obtain written confirmation of eligibility from OEFL before that player may participate in any football-related activity. OEFL will respond within 72 hours.
5. A player may be released for a single tournament, with approval from both the team and OEFL, if their original team is not competing.
6. No player may practice or play with another team until a release has been granted and confirmed by OEFL.

Transfers & alternates

A player is rostered to one club travel team per season; school play is unaffected. Transfers are open until the roster lock, and after that only for relocation or a folded team. A releasing club cannot block a transfer over fees owed. Teams may carry up to four named alternates, callable to fill to minimum, capped per season.

Open for member input: Member consensus from the 2026 townhalls: a short trial window early in the season where a player may leave if the fit is wrong, mandatory coach-to-coach communication before recruiting a rostered player, and a discipline committee review for special release requests. This is being drafted into formal policy language.

Coach movement & transfers

Coaches are held to the same standard as players, so coaching staff do not move between programs during a season.

1. A coach or team manager is rostered to one club travel team per season; school coaching is unaffected.
2. Coach transfers are open until the roster lock. After that, only for relocation or a folded team.
3. A releasing club cannot block a coach transfer over fees owed.
4. Coach-to-coach communication is required before a rostered coach is approached by another centre.
5. No coach may work with another team until a release has been granted and confirmed by OEFL.
6. Tampering rules apply to coaches in the same way as players.

Note: every eligibility, transfer and discipline decision carries a defined appeal path with deadlines and an independent panel (see Protests & appeals).

Tampering means approaching a player already registered with another centre.

1. As of January 1 of a playing year, any coach, coaching staff, manager or organization member must ask a potential player whether they are already registered with another centre.
2. Officially registered OEFL players are considered signed and must not be approached by another centre until a release is granted.
3. Players registered to a program during the fall tryout period may reach out to other centres on their own accord; that communication must be player-initiated.

A centre found tampering is subject to four-step progressive discipline:

1. Appointment of game officials for the Regional Cup is the responsibility of the OEFL division host organization.
2. Officials are selected by local organizations — currently SOTFA.
3. OEFL covers the cost of officials as part of each centre’s registration fees.
4. Unless otherwise stated, all games have a minimum of two officials.

Tournaments and league play outside of Provincials and the Regional Cups are at the discretion of the organizers and are tiered accordingly.

1. All teams are required to dress in a professional manner.
2. Equipment must meet the IFAF Rulebook – Flag Football; equipment checks are conducted before every game.
3. Teams that fail an equipment check may correct the deficiency before the game starts; those that do not comply will not be permitted to play.

1. Home and away teams may use their own cameras to record games; cameras cannot be on the team or bench sideline. Filming from an elevated position is suggested; tripods should be on the opposing side, about 4–5 yards from the sideline, at midfield.
2. Recordings are for team use only. They are not to be used on social media without explicit consent from the centres, athletes and coaches shown. This applies to centres and spectators alike.
3. Violations may result in fines and, particularly for the protection of minors, potential involvement of authorities.
4. OEFL may record games and use the media at its discretion, per the Football Ontario Social Media policy agreed to at athlete registration.
5. Communication devices (radios, Bluetooth devices, electronic wristbands) and drones are not permitted.
6. All scores are updated in TeamLinkt after games are played, by the on-site service representative.

Tie games

Regular season and round robin games may end in a tie, per Football Canada’s Technical Package. After regulation in games requiring a result, the visiting team captain calls a coin toss; the winner chooses offence, defence or side of field (this cannot be deferred), and the official relays the remaining options to the team that lost the toss.

Postponement, forfeits & defaults

1. During the regular season or round robin, games are only postponed or cancelled for inclement weather.
2. A game is complete if fewer than 10 minutes remain when inclement weather arrives. With more than 30 minutes left, teams wait 30 minutes at the official’s direction; if the weather has passed, officials may resume at their discretion.
3. A partially completed game that must be rescheduled resumes from the point of suspension, with time, score, downs and field position preserved.
4. Games must be cancelled or postponed if the AQHI reaches 7 or above. Below AQHI 7, the hosting centre may only cancel for air quality on local authority recommendation.
5. In an electrical storm, teams wait 30 minutes before resuming; if the game cannot restart within 2 hours it is deemed a tie.
6. A forfeit or default awards the non-forfeiting team a 6–0 win, per Football Canada’s Flag Football Rulebook. A $500 fine applies: $400 to the hosting centre and $100 to the Football Ontario/OEFL scholarship program.

Coaching and bench personnel

All coaches and bench personnel must hold the qualifications, training, certificates and police clearances required by Football Ontario. Bench personnel over 21 require a Police Clearance with Vulnerable Sector Screening.

Certification requirements

Mirrored from the Football Canada Flag Events Technical Manual. All coaches and team staff must meet these requirements at least one month before a team’s first event.

Failure to meet the certification timeline results in a $250 fine per coach.

Code of conduct

All coaches, bench personnel, players and administrators are expected to conduct themselves professionally at all times. Profanity, hate speech, derogatory comments and bullying will result in disqualification for the current season (and potentially future seasons), assessed from an officials’ report and reviewed by OEFL. Acts of violence, hate speech or assault are strictly prohibited and result in permanent suspension from OEFL; local authorities will be engaged where necessary.

Only head coaches or team managers may communicate with officials, who will be given a copy of the code of conduct. Repeated violations escalate to the league’s disciplinary committee. An individual facing suspension may appeal to a panel of the Referee-in-Chief and Competition Committee members, with a further right of appeal to Football Ontario.

Player misconduct

1. A player receiving a combined total of 2 unnecessary roughness or unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties in a single game is ejected and suspended for the next game, sitting out in game-day jersey and noted on the roster.
2. Players removed under the Rule of Rough Play are automatically suspended for the remainder of that game and the next.
3. OEFL may increase a penalty after hearing from the player and reviewing officials’ and coaches’ input, where the offence warrants it.
4. A player ejected from a second game in a season is suspended until OEFL reviews the case.

Coach misconduct

1. Any coach or club official is suspended for Code of Conduct violations; a first offence draws a one-game suspension, escalating with further offences.
2. A suspended coach, club official or spectator may not attend the next game.
3. Depending on severity, OEFL grants a hearing within 10 days of the suspension, at which further penalties may be determined.

Record keeping

Major penalties are recorded by Football Ontario.

1. Major penalties are reported to Football Ontario for athletes, coaches, and parents or spectators, including unsportsmanlike conduct and ejections.
2. Reports come from officials and from organizations (centres and clubs).
3. Football Ontario may consider further discipline beyond the game to prevent poor behaviour. For example, an ejection carries a suspension.
4. Purpose: keep the spirit of the game across all levels, align with other sports, and support officials.

Reporting misconduct & Safe Sport

1. Misconduct, harassment, abuse or any Safe Sport concern is reported through the Football Ontario website: Safe Sport › Report a Concern.
2. Game-day incidents are also reported by officials and organizations under Record keeping above.
3. Anyone in immediate danger should call 911 first.

1. No game may be protested on an official’s interpretation of the rules.
2. Playoff-game protests are ruled on by OEFL.
3. Protests must be submitted in writing or by email to OEFL, with a $250 fee, held pending the outcome.
4. OEFL will rule on the protest as soon as possible; the decision is binding. The protested game may be awarded to the protesting team, a replay or media clip may be requested if available, or the protest may be disallowed.
5. If the protest is disallowed, the $250 fee is forfeited to OEFL.