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What a football scrimmage is
A football scrimmage is a practice game against another team, outside league standings. In a controlled scrimmage, each offense runs a set series of plays from a fixed spot while coaches manage the tempo. In a game-style scrimmage, teams play timed quarters. A jamboree brings several teams to one field for short games against each other.
How to find a football scrimmage in 4 steps
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Set your team and how far you'll travel
Pick your team in Next Play. Football teams are matched by birth year, gender (boys, girls or co-ed) and level (recreational, development, competitive or premier), within your club's travel radius. Tackle and flag teams have different needs, so say which you play in your invite. If you'll play up or down, such as "will play up to 2 years older," the app shows where ranges overlap.
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Send a friendly invite
Choose an opponent and send an invite with your team, the date, the kickoff time and who hosts: your field or theirs. The other club accepts, suggests another time or declines with a reason.
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Post an open date or invite a known program
Have field time and no opponent? Post an open game with the date, the time window and the field, and matching teams can claim it. Planning a jamboree, or want a program you already know? Invite any club by name, even one that isn't on Play 2 Earn Sports, and Next Play emails the invite with one reminder.
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Agree the format and play
Once the game is booked, confirmed games go on your team's schedule. Use the staff chat to settle the play count, contact level and special teams, and request a referee crew if you want one.
How long is a football scrimmage?
It depends on the format, and these are general patterns rather than rules. Agree your own with the other coach.
- Controlled scrimmage: a common setup is a fixed series of plays per side, for example 10 to 15 snaps from the 40-yard line, rotating offense and defense, run for about 60 to 90 minutes. Coaches often stand on the field and reset the ball after each series.
- Game-style scrimmage: many clubs play four shortened quarters on a running clock, sometimes after a controlled period, in roughly 90 minutes to two hours.
- Jamboree: each team often plays one short game, or a single half or quarter, against two or three different opponents on the same field.
- Flag football: games are usually shorter and faster, often two halves on a running clock, and several flag games can run on one field split into smaller areas.
Tackle scrimmages also depend on contact readiness. Many leagues expect a set number of practices in full pads before live contact, so check your league's acclimatization rules before you book an early-season scrimmage.
What to agree before the game
- Tackle or flag, and contact level: full tackle, "thud" with no taking to the ground, or flag, and whether quarterbacks are live.
- Format: controlled series, timed quarters or both, and how many snaps each side gets.
- Special teams: live punts and kickoffs, a dead-ball punt, or the ball placed at a set spot.
- Player matching: your league's age and weight rules, and whether younger or lighter players stay in a separate rotation.
- Officials: a full crew, one or two referees, or coaches managing a controlled session; who brings chains and a down marker.
- Field and clock: who hosts, game clock or coaches' stopwatch, and the hard finish time on the field.
- Score and jerseys: keep score or just chart plays, and who wears home and away colors.
- Medical and safety: an athletic trainer or first aid lead on site, the concussion protocol both teams follow, and heat and lightning plans.
Why clubs use Next Play for football scrimmages
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The right opponent for your roster
Matching uses sport, birth year, gender and level within your travel radius. Play-up and play-down ranges show when two teams overlap, which helps when you're matching size and experience for contact.
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Referee crews on request
Ask for one referee or a full crew from the booked game. The host club and the referee agree the fee, and Next Play doesn't charge for it.
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Staff-only planning
Both clubs' staff talk in one thread per game. Players and parents can't read it, and report and block are built in. It's a clean place to agree play counts, contact rules and medical cover.
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Recognition for showing up
Records come from friendlies both clubs confirmed: games, wins-losses-draws, late cancels and no-shows. After 5 confirmed games a team can show the "Reliable" badge, after 10 it's a Featured club for 30 days with a social post, and after 25 it gets the On Fire Streak. No money, no prizes.
Questions
Pick your team in Next Play and browse football teams that match your birth year, gender and level within your travel radius. Send a friendly invite with the date, kickoff time and field, or post an open date so a matching team can claim it. Say in your invite whether you play tackle or flag so the other coach knows what to expect.
A controlled scrimmage is a structured session where each offense runs a set number of plays from a fixed spot, often around the 40-yard line, while the other team defends. Coaches usually stand on the field, reset the ball after each series and stop play to teach. It gives players real reps against a new opponent with less risk than a full game.
A jamboree is an event where several teams meet at one field and each plays short games, often a single quarter or half, against two or three different opponents. It's a common preseason format because teams see more than one opponent in a single day. In Next Play, you can invite each club by name or post open slots for matching teams to claim.
Yes. Next Play covers football, and you choose your own format with the other coach. Flag scrimmages are often shorter, on a running clock, and several can share one field. Note in the invite and the staff chat that you play flag, and agree team size, field layout and any rules on rushing the passer before kickoff.
No. Friendlies booked in Next Play are kept separate from league standings. One club enters the score after kickoff, and the other confirms or disputes it within 48 hours. Confirmed games build your team's friendly record of games, results, late cancels and no-shows, which other clubs can check before they book with you.
Next Play is for adult club staff: owners, club managers, team managers and coaches the club allows. Players and parents don't use it, and the game chat is staff only. Next Play is free for clubs to use. Get the Next Play app from the Next Play page and start finding football teams to play.
