Sideline Warning

[DJ_NV]

IMO, (in Fed) it's an important part of the mechanic to throw the flag. We had this debate a year or so ago in our association because some thought that it's just a warning and not a foul and therefore no flag was needed.

I disagree. It's important to remember that this is a foul, and there is a prescribed penalty by rule. It's just that the penalty for the first offense is a warning. More importantly, we can't disregard the psychological effect that the flag has on both sidelines even though no yardage is assessed.
So get that flag up there where everyone can see it, just do it early and be aware of the game tempo, momentum, etc. when you do it and it's a very effective, though underutilized tool that we have at our disposal.