So, just what type of equipment is needed to play flag football? Let’s answer this question by looking at three categories of the game: basic game play equipment, players’ equipment, and field equipment for more advanced, official play.

BASIC PLAY EQUIPMENT

For the sake of basic play with four men on each side (the most basic style of play) utilizing an open sandlot or unmarked field the amount of equipment is relatively simple. It is important to note that the list of equipment shown illustrates what must be used, or else the game you are playing is not flag football. You generally need the following items:

• A leather ball fashioned after the style made by the Wilson Sporting Goods Company, NCAA 1001 Traditional, model number F1001
• A flag belt for each player with two removable flags attached. The flag belt should be patterned after the style sold by the Flag-A-Tag Company. The general style is one flag on each side of a player, however there are teams that play with a triple flag belt system which allows for a third flag that hangs in the middle of the belt to the back of the player. The flags are attached by means of a hook and loop type of fastener or the patented ‘sonic’ release that the Flag-A-Tag Company has made popular.
• For basic play soft, flexible pylons should be utilized as goal markers to designate the goal lines, end lines, and the sidelines of the field.

PLAYER EQUIPMENT

The above list must be had in any or all attempts to play flag football. Without the basic equipment there is no flag football. The following items extend to the individual players and what they should have in a more advanced style of play at a level above the basic game.

• Each player must wear regular football jerseys with number in a blocked solid format on the front and back of the jersey. Titeus Cornell has a website at www.titeus.com that specializes in football jerseys typical of the style used to play flag football. Players of opposing teams should wear colors that contrast with the other team.
• Shoes made from canvas, leather or a synthetic material sufficient to cover the whole foot with a leather, rubber or composite sole material. Rubber cleats are permitted, but are not necessary.
• Headgear consists of stocking caps or ski caps.

FIELD EQUIPMENT

For the most advanced play, consideration should be made for field equipment as warranted by the United States Flag Football Association. All equipment that has been mentioned above must be utilized along with:

• Boundary lines designating inbounds and out-of-bounds as well as the end zones. The marking of the lines can be done with a field marker such as a chalk marker or an acrylic latex paint field marker.
• Goals in the form of two uprights extending twenty feet above the ground and twenty-three feet four inches apart (inside to inside measurements). A horizontal bar shall connect the two uprights at a measurement of ten feet above the level of the field.
• A down marker to mark the farthest advance of a down and to indicate the number of the down

This list is the fullest extent of all flag football equipment. There is nothing else needed to play the game either at a basic form of the sport or at its most advanced sanctioned league play as put forth by the United States Flag Football Association.

However, along with touch football came arguments, fights, and other major disagreements over the validity of the ball carrier being downed by an opponent. Then in the early Sixties a variation of touch football came into being. It involved all the players taking a pair of colored socks, each team deciding on the color of the socks used for their team, placing the toe end of the sock up under the belt on each side of the waist, and voila, flag football and flag football flags were born.

Flag football permits the teams to play a heads-up form of football that moves away from much of the brutality of the sport, and instead focuses on the finesse and strategy of the game. The methodology of quickness and avoidance become the hallmarks of play for the ball carrier.

Flag football has enjoyed a growth that takes it to practically every continent on the planet. The socks were quickly replaced in 1962 when Gene Steinkamp invented the first flag football belt. He patented his invention and soon was manufacturing them by the name of Rip Flag®. The company is still in business and has a website whereby the belt and flags can be ordered. The website is www.ripflag.com.

A sports manufacturer named Flag-A-Tag invented another type of flag football flags called the ‘Sonic Boom Flag’. The ‘Sonic Boom Flag’ produces an audible noise at the point when the flag is pulled, thus denoting the downing of the ball carrier. It is also quite popular, especially among younger flag football players.

The basic budget for procuring flag football flags should run just a little less than $2.00 per player for a system that has detachable flags and belts utilizing the hook and loop fasteners. For Flag-A-Tag systems the cost is a little more running at an average of just short of $5.00 per player.

Walmart, Target, K-mart, and Dick’s Sporting Goods Stores are all good resources to buying flag football flags and belts. If you are of a mind to make your own flag football flags and belt sets, you should see the accompanying article by the same author.

1. Purchase a ¾” x 50’ roll of polypropylene webbing for about $12.00 from sources like American Home & Habitat Inc., 14396 Highway 1458, Sealy, Texas 77474 or order online at www.ahh.biz. This material can be cut and made into enough belts for twenty youngsters or twelve well-built men. You will also have to buy some “D” rings for the buckles from the same company at $22.00 for twenty belts. The rip stop nylon flag material comes in rolls 60-inches wide and it is sold by the yard at approximately $7.50 per yard from companies like Beacon Fabric & Notions, 8331 Epicenter Boulevard, Lakeland, Florida 33809. Their website is www.beaconfabric.com. They also sell hook and loop fastener systems such as Velcro® at $.69 per foot for ¾” wide adhesive back white hook and the same price for ¾” wide adhesive back white loop.
2. Gather the measurements for all the lengths of belts you need. Cut the webbing material for each belt adding approximately 6” for the pull tag and the buckle tag. Fold the buckle tag over and through two (2) “D” rings. Sew the buckle tag at about ¼” to 3/8” from the fold with a cross-box seam locking the “D” rings in place as the buckle. At the pull tag simply whip stitch over the end to reinforce it and to keep it from raveling.
3. Cut the flag material into 9-inch lengths. At one end fold it over to make a 1-inch pass-through loop for the belt to slide through. Allow for about a 1-inch extra tag for the loop beyond the loop. Sew the loop tag with the same type of cross-box seam used for the buckle tag.  Cut off the remaining length of the flag and set it aside for the moment. Cut and sew a square of the loop portion of the hook and loop fastener material onto the flag loop tag with the loop portion facing out. Now cut and sew the same size square of the hook portion of the hook and loop fastener material at one end of the remaining length of the flag that you set aside. You now have a detachable flag that will slip over the pull end of the belt. Make two flags per belt, unless you are making belts for three-flag flag football, whereupon you will need to make three flags per belt.

If you were to buy ready-made flag football flags and belts you could pay upwards of $40-$60 for twenty belt sets for the hook and loop fastener types. For Flag-A-Tag systems you could pay approximately $100.00 for twenty belts. And the Triple Threat flag football flags sets for twenty players could cost in the neighborhood of $170.00.

So, do the homework, and develop a plan to have flag football grow in your community. At least you will have enough information through this article to prepare you for making your own flag football flags.

A fellow by the name of Gene Steinkamp invented and patented the first flag football belt in 1962. He manufactured and marketed the product under the name of Rip Flag®. The unique feature of the Rip Flag® belt is the use of hook and loop fasteners for the attachment of flags to the belt. The Rip Flag® belt comes in three basic models: Flag Runner, Slidemaster Pro, and Quick Release.

Flag-A-Tag is another provider of flag football belts. They feature the ‘Sonic Boom Flag’ that emits an audible popping noise when a flag is pulled from the belt. The sound signals that the play is dead and the runner is down at that point. There is not questioning when a player is down with the audible and visible combination.

A company located in Humboldt, Iowa, named Hadar Athletic offers a simple set of flag football belts made from heavy-duty cotton webbing with a quick release buckle. The flags are constructed from nylon-reinforced vinyl and use Velcro® fasteners to attach them to the belt.

And yet there is another company that has come up with another solution to the problem of losing the flags from the belts. Triple Threat manufactures flag football belts with three flags permanently sewn to a web belt. When an opposing team player grabs the ball carrier’s flag, the entire belt comes off by way of a tension sensitive unbreakable polyethylene clip. The washable belt of vinyl-coated polyester will not tear and uses an adjustable slide for sizing. What’s more, the belts are available through most Walmart stores or online through their.

Most belt sets come in a package of 12 so factor that into your buying decision depending on whether you are ordering for your team or your league.

There are several places where you can purchase flag football belts. Simply decide on the price and options available that make the most sense for your team.

But then along came Baunfire Athletics who developed The Official Flag Football Jersey that is specifically designed for flag football. What they have done is combined the removable flags system with the jersey.

What this innovative design has done is to provide for a waist-length jersey with Velcro® attachments at just the right locations for the flags to be attached in a uniform, fast, simple way. With this garment there is no need to wear the old fashion belt. By having all the players dressed in this type of jersey, flag football now can have a more consistent manner of play.

Some of the problems that are eliminated by wearing this type of jersey:

• Referees no longer must remind players to tuck their shirttails under their flag belts to inhibit the grabbing of the flag.
• Flying shirttails no longer hide the flags, nor are the flags placed out of position.
• No more problems with belts becoming detached inadvertently in the course of play.
• Intentional flag wrapping is now impossible.
• No longer is there any danger brought on by flying belt buckles or other hardware.
• Time is saved through easier re-attachment of pulled flags that once forced extended huddle time to re-attach pulled flags on wayward belts.

Baunfire Athletics really seem to have a great product with their Official Flag Football Jersey. Not only does it provide a better mechanical approach to the sport, it is rather stylish due to its form-fitting and tapered design.

YBA Shirts, Inc. of Pleasant Grove, Utah, offer more traditional flag football jerseys. Their jerseys appear similar to regular football jerseys with these features:

• Reversible nylon/poly micro mesh material
• Ribbed crew neck or v-neck collar
• Raglan sleeves
• Double stitch seams with reinforced construction
• Custom printing and ink for standout team identification and numbering
• Shoulders that are not designed to be worn over shoulder pads

These jerseys come in a rainbow selection of colors that will hold up to countless washings and cleanings to provide long-term satisfaction for your team. Flag football jerseys never looked so good nor offered better unique styling points.

A football set is all that is needed to start a team of players. Some sets are for ten men teams. Some are for twelve men teams. Then there is the Flag-A-Tag® Sonic flag football program kit that provides twenty-four belts with flags, two storage rings, and a flag football rule book for only $155.00 through the Sports Authority website.

Depending upon the style of flags will dictate the cost of the flag football set you choose. The hook and loop fastening system, which is most prevalent, is the least costly presenting prices that average right at $1.67 per player. The Triple Threat Flag Football set of twelve will average approximately $3.89 per player. The Flag-A-Tag® Sonic flag football program kit raises the average to $6.46 per player.

With the player belt sets you should also consider buying jersey sets for your team. There is a need to be consistent on this matter, for there must be a continuity of presentation of your team identification as you hit the field. Flag football jerseys are slightly different than traditional football jerseys because they are fitted to the true shoulder of the player and are not designed to fit over any shoulder pads. The best possible deal for the flag football set of choice on jerseys will probably rest with your local sporting goods store owner, for he will not only try to get you a good deal by volume for the jerseys, but you may be able to strike up a special deal for your team as a supporter beyond team spirit. There are a lot of ancillary pieces of equipment for individual player like shoes, shorts, and pants to consider.

Now along with determining just what flag football belt and flag set you need to buy, you also need to consider another flag football set for field equipment. Pro-Down Flag Football Sideline Markers Set provides sideline markers that lay out the standard twenty-yard zones between goal lines. The five-piece set sells for $199.99 from the Sports Authority website.

Okay, gather up your stuff. Get your assistants together, and go out and have some fun especially since you have done your homework and have gotten just what you need for your particular flag football set.