Things You'll Need:
- Eight to 10 committed players
- A football
- Cones
- A ball marker
- A flat, level and open field
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Step 1
Start by recruiting players. Find out when people can make it, time and day, and get commitments. A couple of weeks notice usually is needed. One of the trickiest parts of putting together a touch football game is getting an even number of evenly matched players to show up. Eight (four on four) is the best. Ten is good, too. Anything more or less is unsatisfying for a variety of reasons, from everyone getting too tired too quickly to the feeling of never getting a chance to touch the ball.
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Step 2
Secure a large level field that you know will be open (reserve if you can).
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Step 3
Get to the field early enough to set up the cones and stretch and warm-up yourself. You'll need to establish the out of bounds areas but also the first down markers and the end zones. Intramural rules work best, with four downs to get 15 yards or so.
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Step 4
Introduce everyone, and go over the rules before you start playing. Set the tone of mutual respect and make sure everyone understands the quirks of touch football versus tackle.
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Step 5
Make the teams even. It doesn't matter so much if there are really good players and bad players on the same field. As long as the teams are evenly matched, it will be fun.
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Step 6
Have one team wear dark colored shirts and the other wear white (not yellow or light gray). Make sure to have each person bring both to the game, so you can adjust the teams as needed.
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Step 7
Take a halftime break. Give people a chance to get water and rest for a minute.
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Step 8
End when you say you are going to end. People are busy, and no one wants to be stuck somewhere longer than they committed. It's always best to leave the players wanting more. That way, there always will be another game.
