Canadian Football League Field Size
American football and Canadian football may look identical at first glance to the casual observer. However, a closer look reveals that despite them sharing many of the same features, there are some important differences between these two styles of gridiron.
Number of Players
Canadian Football League, major Canadian professional gridiron football organization, formed in 1956 as the Canadian Football Council, created by the Western Interprovincial Football Union and the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union. Its current name was adopted in 1958. Learn more about the CFL, including its teams. The Canadian Football League (CFL) and it’s Championship, The Gray Cup has roots back to the 1800’s and the Canadian Rugby Union. In 1909 the Governor-General of, Lord Albert-Henry Earl Grey, donated a trophy to be awarded to the championship amateur football team of Canada, now better known as the Grey Cup. While some games could be played in NFL or college football venues, it would probably be a better idea to instead use home grounds closer to the CFL's 20,000-seat minimum, as long as a CFL field.
Perhaps the most obvious difference between the two sports is the number of players on the field. In Canadian football, there are twelve players on the field for each team whilst American football teams have just eleven on each side.
Timeouts
In the CFL (Canadian Football League), teams have one timeout per half whereas in the NFL (National Football League) each team has three. Warnings are different too with players receiving a two-minute warning and a three-minute warning in the NFL and CFL, respectively.
Downs
To advance the ball ten-yards, teams in American football are allowed four downs, whereas in Canadian football, they are allowed just three.
Scoring
Scoring in both games is almost identical with a safety being worth two points, a field goal three, a touchdown scoring six points and a conversion run being worth two points. A kicked extra point is worth one point in both forms of the game.
However, the exception is the rouge or single point, which is only in Canadian football. This single point is awarded when the kicking team punts the football or misses a field goal and the receiving team catches it and decides not to run the ball out of their own end zone.
Seasons
The NFL regular season runs from September to early January with the Super Bowl being played on the first Sunday of February. In the CFL, the season begins in July and ends in November with their version of the Super Bowl – the Grey Cup – being played on the last Sunday in November.
The number of games in a regular season are different too with NFL teams playing 16 regular games per season and teams in the CFL playing 18 regular season games.
Field Goal Posts
Canadian Football League Field Sizes
In the Canadian Football League, the field goal posts are at the front of the end zone. In the NFL, the posts are at the back of the end zone.
Field Size
The length of an NFL pitch is 120-yards whereas a CFL pitch is 150-yards. Canadian pitches are wider too at 65 yards whereas in the NFL pitches are just over 53 yards wide.
Punt Returns and Fair Catches
In the Canadian Football League, there is no fair-catch rule and the punting team must give the punt returner about five-yards space to allow them to either catch the ball in the air or after it bounces or to pick it up and run after it has stopped bouncing.
In the NFL, there is a fair catch rule and the punt returner can choose to wave their hand to signal a fair catch which means opposition players cannot tackle or make contact with them. However, the returner must not advance the football.
Salaries
The American version of gridiron is much more commercial and this is reflected in players salaries. A survey by Sportingintelligence.com and ESPN revealed that the average annual salary for a Canadian football player was between $94k and $115k, whereas NFL players are compensated much more, with salaries stretching into the tens of millions of pounds for the best players.
Canadian Football League Field Size Dimensions
Football Field Dimensions & Measurements
Most football field dimensions are similar across different levels of competition. Below is a graphic showing a basic football field. We also have explanations below detailing the small differences between the high school, college, and pro ranks of football. You can also check out our Quick Facts About Football Court Measurements.
The Basic Football Field
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Differences Between College, Professional and High School Football Fields
The number one difference between high school and college/pro football fields is the goal post. The width of the goal posts are 23 feet, 4 inches for high school as compared to 18 feet, 6 inches for college and pro ranks. All goal post are 10 feet from the ground. There should be padding on the goal post from the ground up to 6 feet from the ground.
You'll also see a 'G' on high school fields where the goal line is located. It should also be noted that small signs are usually placed on high school fields on the 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 yard lines outside the field as a visual aid for the players.
In professional football fields, the coaches and team's box dimensions may vary a little from college or high school.
Quick Facts About Football Field Measurements
Canadian Football League Field Size Charts
Q: How long is a football field?
A: From end zone to end zone, it is 100 yards or 300 feet. Counting the end zones, it's 360 feet long.
Q: How tall are the goal posts on a football field?
A: At least 20 feet in high school, 30 feet in college and pro.
Q: How wide is a football field?
A: 140 feet.
Q: What is the limit line on football field?
A: Typically the boundary for fans and/or media.
Q: How long is a Canadian football field?
A: 110 yards from goal to goal, which is 10 yards longer than US football fields.
Q: What size are the marks and lines on a football field?
A: Typically 4 inches wide.
An Overview of Football History
North American (or 'gridiron') football is the most popular sport in the United States today. The National Football League's annual revenue dwarfs that of Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association, America's two other dominant sports leagues. It has the most participants of any sport at both the high school and college levels. The Super Bowl is the biggest annual sporting event in the U.S., and college football rankings are always a topic of great debate every year.
Oddly, though, as popular as football is in the U.S., it is not played virtually anywhere besides North America. In fact, in other parts of the world, the term 'football' actually refers to what Americans would call 'soccer.' The sport actually originated from a combination of soccer and rugby, and the first official game of college football, played on November 6, 1869 between Rutgers and Princeton, reflected these origins. It was not until the 1880s, when Yale rugby player Walter Camp began to change the rules of the sport, that North American football came to resemble the sport we know it as today.
That original game featured two teams of 25 players each, and the ball had to be kicked or batted with hands, feet, head, or sides. The size of the teams was reduced significantly over time, down to the 11 players used on the field today. The professional era of football officially began November 12, 1892, when William 'Pudge' Heffelfinger was paid $500 to play a game for the Allegheny Athletic Association in a match against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. The NFL was formed in 1920 and established itself as the premiere professional league by 1922.
Parts of the world outside of the U.S. sometimes still refer to North American football as 'gridiron.' This term came from a description of the sport's playing field, which until the early 1920s was marked with a series of parallel lines in a checkerboard pattern, resembling a literal gridiron. Even though the design of the field would change, the nickname would remain. No matter what the sport is called, however, there is no denying that North American football is king of the hill in the U.S.