Football Play Call Sheet Template (Free PDF)
A call sheet is the one page you hold on the sideline. It is not your playbook. It is the short list of plays you trust this week, sorted so you can find the right one in the few seconds between the whistle and the next snap.
This post covers how to lay one out by situation, what goes in each box, and how to tie it to a QB wristband so the call you make and the call your quarterback reads are the same number. At the end there is a free sample PDF with both.
Why organize by situation
Most coaches start with a list sorted by play type: runs, passes, screens. That works on a practice script. It does not work on the sideline, because on 3rd and 2 you are not asking which runs you have. You are asking what you call on 3rd and short.
Sorting by situation does that thinking on Thursday instead of Friday night. Each box holds the two to five plays you would call in that spot, in the order you would call them. When the down and distance comes up, you look in one box and pick.
It also shows you gaps. If your 3rd and long box has one play in it, you know before kickoff that you need another.
A play can appear in more than one box. Your best inside run might sit under 1st down, 2nd and short and goal line. That is fine. The sheet is organized for finding plays, not for listing each one once.
The situation boxes
The Atlas Chalk call sheet uses 12 boxes, in this order. Use the ones that fit your level and leave the rest empty. A youth team may never need a two-minute box; a college staff may want every one.
| Box | What belongs in it |
|---|---|
| Openers | Your first plays of the game, scripted in order. Use them to see how the defense lines up against your base formations. |
| 1st down | Base runs and safe passes that keep you on schedule. Plays that get four yards more often than they lose one. |
| 2nd & short | A shot play or a play-action pass. You have a free down here, so this is the place to take one. |
| 2nd & long | Plays that get you back to a manageable 3rd down: draws, screens, intermediate passes. |
| 3rd & short | Your most reliable short-yardage runs and a quick pass with a sure throw. |
| 3rd & medium | Concepts that beat man and zone to the sticks, plus a run your line can lean on. |
| 3rd & long | Your best pass concepts against the coverage you expect, and a screen in case they bring pressure. |
| 4th down | Your one or two plays you would bet the game on. Keep it short. |
| Red zone | Plays that work in a compressed field, inside the 20: quick throws, high-low reads, runs that attack a spread-out box. |
| Goal line | Heavy runs and a play-action pass off them, for the last few yards. |
| Backed up | Safe calls inside your own 10: runs with no backfield exchange risk, a high-percentage throw. |
| Two minute | Plays you can call fast from one formation, with the sideline and clock in mind. |
For each play the sheet lists its name, its number, and the personnel and formation it runs from. That is enough for a coach who drew the play to call it. The diagrams live on a separate play sheet PDF, which is what you hand to players and assistants.
Wristband cards
A wristband lets you call a play with one number. You signal or shout 23, and the quarterback reads the full call off his band. That only works if the number on your sheet and the number on his band always match.
In Atlas Chalk each play gets one number, and the call sheet and the band print the same one. Both come out of the same download, so the sheet and band cannot drift apart.
- One PDF holds the call sheet followed by the QB wristband card pages.
- The call sheet prints on landscape Letter paper, in four columns.
- Two band sizes: Adult, 4.75 × 2.75 in, and Youth, 4 × 2.25 in.
- Each play keeps the same number on the sheet and on every band card.
Print the band pages on card stock, cut on the lines and slide them into the wristband windows. Print spares. They get wet.
Free template download
The sample PDF is a full call sheet with all 12 boxes filled, followed by the matching wristband cards. Use it as a model for laying out your own.
To build your own, draw your plays in Atlas Chalk by picking a formation and a concept from the menus, or drag players and draw routes by hand. Save them to your playbook and tag each one with its situations. Then tick the plays you want in the library, pick a band size, and download one PDF with the call sheet and the wristband. The call sheet and wristband are on the free plan, and no card is needed.
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FAQ
What should be on a football call sheet?
The plays you trust this week, grouped by situation: openers, each down and distance, red zone, goal line, backed up and two minute. Each play needs its name, a number for the wristband, and the personnel and formation it runs from.
How do you number plays on a QB wristband?
Give every play one number and print that same number on the call sheet and the band. Atlas Chalk prints the sheet and the band in one PDF from the same plays, so the numbers match.
Is the call sheet template free?
Yes. The sample PDF is free with your email, and building your own call sheet and wristband in Atlas Chalk is part of the free plan with no card required.