🏈 Free Flag Football Substitution Calculator

Plan fair rotations for your flag football team. Calculate equal playing time across offense and defense drives for 5v5, 6v6, 7v7, 8v8, and 9v9 formats.

✓ Free Forever✓ No Signup Required✓ Drive-Based Planning

Game Setup

Estimated: ~10 total drives (5 offense, 5 defense)

Player Names (Optional)

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Adjust the settings to generate your flag football rotation schedule

How to Use the Flag Football Substitution Calculator

Our free flag football substitution calculator helps youth coaches plan fair rotations across offense and defense drives. Unlike soccer which is continuous, flag football is possession-based - this calculator accounts for drive changes and ensures equal playing time across both sides of the ball.

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Select Your Game Format: Choose from 5v5, 6v6, 7v7, 8v8, or 9v9 to match your league requirements. The calculator will determine how many field players need rotations and calculate appropriate playing time for your roster size.
  2. Enter Player Names and Count: Add your total roster size (including bench players) using the player count slider. Then fill in player names - this helps create a readable schedule you can print and bring to the game. Player names are optional but recommended.
  3. Set Game Duration and Drive Length: Enter your total game time in minutes and estimate your average drive duration. The calculator will determine how many total drives to expect. Shorter drives mean more rotations and smaller playing time intervals.
  4. Optional - Create Player Groups: Use the player grouping feature to keep friends, siblings, or offensive/defensive combos together. Drag players into color-coded groups and the calculator will try to keep them together during rotations.
  5. Optional - Set Exclusion Rules: If certain players shouldn't play together (due to behavioral issues or skill balance), use the exclusion rules to prevent them from being on the field at the same time. Check boxes to create these constraints.
  6. Review and Print Your Schedule: The calculator instantly generates your drive-by-drive rotation schedule with fairness metrics. Review the playing time breakdown and constraint satisfaction score, then print or email the schedule to parents and assistants.

Why Flag Football Rotation is Different

Flag football presents unique challenges compared to soccer or other continuous sports:

  • Possession-based: Players rotate at drive changes, not time intervals
  • Offense vs Defense: Kids play different roles on each side - total playing time must balance
  • Position specialization: QB and Center roles are limited to certain players
  • Variable drive length: Drives can last 30 seconds or 8 minutes - this tool helps you plan