Wheelchair American Football is played on a hard, flat surface, either a standard indoor basketball court or an outdoor area on a field that is 30 yards long and 20 yards wide, plus 8-yard end zones. The field is divided into 10-yard segments. It is a coed sport played with 7 players per side on the field. Games consist of four 12- minute quarters with a running clock.

The offense has 4 downs to cross the next 10-yard line marker to earn a first down or score a touchdown worth six points. Two points after touchdown may be scored by rushing the ball into the end zone and one point after touchdown is scored by passing the ball into the end zone.

There is no traditional tackling. A player is ruled down’ when a defender touches the ball carrier with one hand above the waist or forward momentum is halted. Chair-to- chair contact is allowed but checking a player from behind or hitting their large back wheels is a penalty. Players must remain firmly seated in their chairs; lifting both hips off the seat to gain an advantage is illegal.

Defenses can score six points by intercepting the ball and returning it to the end zone and two points from a safety which is awarded if an offensive player is tackled in their own end zone.

Athletes can only use manual wheelchairs, often sharing specifications with Basketball or Rugby Chairs which are lightweight, reinforced, and fitted with anti-tip wheels on the back and protective bumpers on the front, players may also add protective discs to the wheels to help protect the spokes.

Players wear a helmet with a face guard.

A flag football version, where tackles are made by removing a flag from the opponent’s chair is being explored.