Flag football · Free playbook builder
Build a flag football playbook
in minutes, not weeks.
Create a flag football playbook for 5v5, 6v6, or 7v7. Draw routes in the play editor, organize plays by situation, and take the same plan to practice and game day. Start free; Team Coach adds personalized wristbands and advanced game-day tools.
New to playbook design? Start with the step-by-step guide to building a flag football playbook.
From first play to a game-day playbook
1. Create the plays
Draw your routes or begin with a concept from the Football Library. Choose the football format your team plays.
2. Organize the calls
Name and number plays, group them by situation, and keep a small installation package your players can learn.
3. Take it to the field
Print a basic playsheet for free. Team Coach adds personalized wristbands and game-day tools using the same playbook.
The free plan includes the editor, player invites, and basic watermarked playsheets. Team Coach adds assistant-coach collaboration, higher capacity, personalized wristbands and watermark removal. Compare current limits and plans.
Read the Team Coach wristband and call-sheet guide, or follow the four-play beginner install. For film, practice planning and the wider coaching workflow, take the product tour.
Everything you need to run a flag football team
Drag-and-drop play designer
Place receivers, draw route trees, set defenders. Built around real football primitives — formations, route templates, defensive coverages — so the diagrams are coach-accurate, not generic shapes.
Organize plays into playbooks
Group plays by situation: 3rd & long, red zone, two-minute. Re-order, duplicate, version. Your playbook lives online and stays in sync across every device.
Share with your team
Invite assistants and players to view (or edit) your playbook. Coaches see the install order; players see their assignments. No more emailing PDFs.
Wristbands + game-day sheets
Print basic playsheets for free with an XO Gridmaker watermark. Team Coach adds personalized wristband inserts and watermark-free printing; set dimensions to match your wristband.
Coach Cal — your AI assistant
Ask Coach Cal to draw a 5v5 mesh against Cover 2, build a 6-play install for tonight's practice, or scout the defense you saw last week. Plays land in your playbook with one click.
Find your football format
Choose the matching collection for starter guidance, diagrams and rules context. Player count and the ruleset both matter.
7-on-7 passing / touch
XO has a 7v7 Touch editor format, but no dedicated passing-tournament library collection. The 7v7 Flag collection is not a tournament-ready substitute.
For example, USA Football’s 7on7 passing rules prohibit running plays and use a four-second release clock. Plan a passing progression within your event’s clock, and confirm center eligibility and permitted contact before adapting a concept.
8v8 and other formats
There is currently no dedicated 8v8 editor preset or library collection. The editor offers 4v4 Flag, but the library has no dedicated 4v4 collection either. Eight-player tackle and 8v8 flag are separate games; removing players from an 11-player diagram does not establish a legal formation.
Check your association’s field dimensions, line/back alignment, eligible receivers and blocking rules. Nebraska’s eight-player tackle differences illustrate the changes, but are not an 8v8 flag rulebook or a universal state standard.
Explore 5v5 flag concepts
Every concept below is in the free Football Library — open a diagram, then check the call against your league’s rules before adding it to your playbook.
Why coaches pick XO Gridmaker
- Real football engine — Cal and the editor share the same play model, so a 5v5 mesh looks like 5v5 mesh, not a generic shape.
- Variant-aware — eligibility, field size, and player counts adjust per 5v5 / 6v6 / 7v7 / tackle automatically.
- Start free with play design, player invites and basic printing; Team Coach adds staff collaboration, wristbands and more coaching tools.
- Works on phone, tablet, and laptop — design at the kitchen table, share to the sideline.
Frequently asked questions
- Is XO Gridmaker free to use?
- Yes. Start with the full play editor, player invites, and basic watermarked playsheet printing. Team Coach adds larger capacity, assistant-coach collaboration, personalized wristbands, and more Coach Cal usage.
- Does it work for 5v5, 6v6, and 7v7 flag football?
- Yes. Every play in the library is tagged by variant (5v5 flag, 6v6 flag, 7v7 flag, 11-on-11 tackle), and the editor enforces the right number of players, eligible receivers, and field size per variant.
- Can I print wristbands?
- Yes. Personalized wristband printing requires Team Coach, including eligible league coverage. Set the dimensions for your wristband window and print at Actual Size.
- Do I need to start from scratch?
- No. The free Football Library has every common flag concept — Mesh, Smash, Snag, Four Verticals, sweeps, RPOs — already drawn and ready to drop into your playbook.
- Can my players see the playbook?
- Yes. Invited team members get a player-view of every play (their assignment, the route, the snap count) on their phone. Coaches see the full install.