Flag football is a version of American football or Canadian football that is popular worldwide. The basic rules of the game are similar to those of the mainstream game (often called "tackle football" for contrast), but instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier ("deflagging") to end a down. In most organized play, players wear a belt. These belts vary from "Triple Threat" where the entire flag belt is removed, to "Sonic Pop" where only the flag is pulled.

Chiefly because there is no dominant sanctioning organization for the sport, the game has mutated into many variations: 9-man, 8-man, 7-man, 5-man, and 4-man on a side; with kicking and punting and without; with point-after conversions (including some with 1, 2, and 3 point tries) or without; and field sizes that vary from full CFL size, NFL size (120 yards long by 53 1/3 yards wide), to fields a third that size.

An important distinction is whether linemen are allowed to catch passes ("Eligible Linemen") or, as in the CFL / NFL, are not allowed to do so ("Ineligible Linemen"). Flag (and touch) football may also be divided into "contact" or "non-contact", depending on whether or not blocking is allowed; if allowed, blocking is usually restricted to the chest.

Joe Albi Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Spokane, Washington. Primarily used for football, it is located in the northwest part of the city, just east of the Spokane River. It opened in 1950 as "Memorial Stadium," with a natural grass field, cinder running track, and a seating capacity of 25,000. In 1962 it was renamed for Joe Albi, a renowned local sports booster who led the efforts to construct it.

AstroTurf was first installed in 1970, and after several replacements was changed to infilled FieldTurf in 2006. The stadium has a current seating capacity of 28,646, and the playing field runs in the traditional north-south configuration at an elevation of 1890 feet (576 m) above sea level.

Over the years it has hosted various events (including Elvis Presley in 1957) and teams, most notably the Washington State Cougars of the Pac-10, who played several games per season at the stadium for more than three decades. On the professional level, the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL played their second preseason game in franchise history at Joe Albi on August 7, 1976, losing 27-16 to the Chicago Bears.