Canadian Football Vs American Football

In a football scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at the principal differences between the two great games of American and Canadian football.

  • The official playing field in Canadian football is larger than the American, and similar to American fields prior to 1912. The Canadian field of play is 110 by 65 yards (100.6 by 59.44 m), rather than 100 by 53 1 ⁄ 3 yards (91.44 by 48.77 m) as in American football.
  • See full list on rulesofsport.com.

Origin: The origins of both of these sports lie in the British sport of Rugby. British soldiers brought the game over to North America, and the humble beginnings of football lie in the games that they played in the University of Harvard in the U.S. and McGill University in Canada. The first football scoreboards to be produced were then utilized as McGill University went on to play Harvard in a series of games, and a tradition was born.

Size of pitch: The field is smaller in American football because in the early days of playing rugby at Harvard the available fields were smaller than in Canada. Nowadays, the Canadian pitch is 110×65 yards, whilst the American pitch is 100×53 yards. The difference in field sizes also explains the positioning of the goalposts: in the U.S. they are on the end line whilst in Canada they are on the goal line.

Sep 11, 2017 Both leagues have standards for the minimum and maximum size their footballs but the Canadian ball is, generally, slightly larger. If a CFL ball is constructed to the maximum specifications and the NFL ball the minimum, which is how they’re currently made, the Canadian football would be a 1/4 of an inch longer and 1/8 of an inch bigger around. Nov 05, 2010 Canadian vs American Football Canadian Football 12 Players 65 Yards Wide 110 Yards Long 20 Yard End Zone 5 Yards for Punt Team 1 Pt. For Kick in End Zone After Field Goal 35 or Kick Goal Post on Goal Line 1 Yard Neutral Zone 25 Second Play Clock PlayRead More. Jul 07, 2010 Two other differences deserve a closer look: field size and number of downs. The Canadian football field is absolutely huge and dwarfs the size of its American counterpart. 100 yards field of play is just the beginning. The endzones are twice the length at 20 yards each compared with American versions at 10 yards.

Canadian Football Vs American Football Compare And Contrast

Number of players: The smaller pitch in American football led to a trimming of the number of players on each team so that the field was not too crowded, and as a result American football has one less player per team than Canadian (11 as apposed to 12). Both games require the same number of players in the scrimmage, but Canadian football has one additional player at the back. This affects the offense and the defense – in Canada they have 2 slot backs and 2 defensive halfbacks and a single safety. In the U.S. there is one tight end and 2 safeties respectively.

Number of downs: American football has 4 downs and Canadian has 3, and this remains the most significant difference between the two games. This affects the game as a whole – it is more pass and kick orientated in Canada as a result of the reduced number of downs.

Kicking: There are some differences in the kicking rules too. Firstly, the Canadian game does not have the fair catch rule, in which the returner can signal for a fair catch and end the play if he feels that he has no chance of moving the ball forward. Another difference is that in Canada the kicker can recover and advance his own kick. This makes kicking a much bigger part of the game for the Mounties. A third difference in Canadian football is that from the kicking team, only the kicker and players behind him may be within 5 yards of the ball if the ball has not been touched by an apposing player. Also, in Canadian football any kick that goes into the end zone is a live ball except for successful field goals. Lastly, a ball kicked into the end zone in Canadian football is live (not including successful field goals), unlike in American football.

There are some minor differences in the two games in addition to those given above (such as time rules), but they are relatively insignificant.

For more information, go to:
en.wikipedia.org

NFL vs CFL

The difference between NFL and CFL covers a number of areas from the size of the teams to playing rules. NFL and CFL are two football leagues, an American and a Canadian respectively. Football is football you would say whether it is played in the US or across the border in Canada. But there are glaring differences between the NFL and CFL, and one needs to see matches in action to feel the differences. For laymen, NFL stands for the National Football League, which is played in the US, and CFL refers to Canadian Football League, played in Canada. Of course, the game is football, or soccer as it is called by some, so there are bound to be similarities, but this article will highlight some of the major differences between NFL and CFL.

What is NFL?

NFL stands for the National Football League. This is played in the US. NFL was first established in 1920. Currently there are 32 teams who play in the NFL. NFL is the most popular of the sports league in America. The current NFL champions are New England Patriots. The number of players in a NFL team is 11.

When it comes to the playing field, without counting the 10-yard end zones, the playing area in NFL is 100 yards and the width of the field is 53.5 yards. Coming to the timeouts, each team has three timeouts in each half. The scoring of NFL goes as follows. A touchdown gets 6 points; kicked convert gets 1 point; passed or rushed convert gets 2 points; field goal gets 3 points; safety touch gets 2 points, and rouge gets 1 point.

What is CFL?

Canadian

CFL stands for Canadian Football League. This is played in Canada. CFL is the highest sports league in Canada in the professional sports category. CFL was found in 1958. Currently there are nine teams that are playing in the CFL. The most recent CFL champions are Calgary Stampeders. Twelve (12) players make up a team in CFL. This extra player in CFL usually stays in the backfield. This means seven players on the offense and five on the defense. Thus, there is an extra receiver in a team in CFL.

When it comes to the playing field, playing area in CFL is larger than that used in NFL. In CFL, the end zones are 20 yards and the width of the field is 65 yards. The length of the CFL field is 110 yards. If you consider the timeouts, each team has one timeout in each half. The scoring of CFL goes as follows. You can see that the scoring is same as the NFL. A touchdown is given 6 points; kicked convert is given 1 point; passed or rushed convert is given 2 points; field goal is given 3 points; safety touch is given 2 points; rouge is given 1 point.

What is the difference between NFL and CFL?

Definitions of NFL and CFL:

NFL: NFL stands for the National Football League. This is played in US.

CFL: CFL stands for Canadian Football League. This is played in Canada.

Characteristics of NFL and CFL:

Number of Players:

Canadian Football Rules Vs American Football

NFL: NFL has 11 players on the field during a game.

CFL: CFL has 12 players on the field during a game.

Size of Field:

Field Width:

NFL: The field width in NFL is 53.5 yards.

CFL: The field width in CFL is 65 yards.

Field Length:

NFL: The field length of NFL is 100 yards.

CFL: The field Length of CFL is 110 yards.

End Zones:

NFL: NFL has two 10 yard end zones.

CFL: CFL has two 20 yard end zones.

Canadian Football Vs American Football

Balls:

Though white balls are used in both NFL and CFL, there are some differences in the balls used.

NFL: The white ball used in NFL has no stripes over it and is smaller in circumference compared to the balls used in CFL.

CFL: The ball used in CFL is bigger, having a larger circumference and has stripes over it.

Time Outs:

NFL: There are three timeouts in NFL for each team in each half.

CFL: There is only one timeout in each half for CFL teams.

What's The Difference Between Canadian Football And American Football

Play Clock:

This is the rest time taken by an offensive team to prepare for the next game play.

NFL: Play clock is 40 seconds in NFL.

American

CFL: A play clock of only 20 seconds is provided in CFL.

Memes

Sudden Death:

NFL: If the game is tied after the duration, NFL makes use of sudden death to decide the winner.

CFL: In CFL, each game is given two possessions if the game is tied after the duration. If the teams are still tied, the game is declared a tie. For a tie game, CFL teams get one point, whereas there is no such system in NFL. There is either victory or a loss. In CFL, teams with highest points make for playoffs.

Number of Downs:

NFL: The offensive team in NFL needs to make 4 downs to make first down, score a touchdown or kick a field goal.

CFL: For the same, a team in CFL needs only 3 downs.

Canadian Football Vs American Football Player Thighs

Money:

Players play for money apart from fame, and it is NFL that is far ahead of CFL in terms of player salaries. This is the reason why many talented players from Canada are always anxious to play in NFL.

There are many other minor differences apart from these major differences in CFL and NFL.

Images Courtesy:

Football

Canadian Football And American Football

  1. National Football League game by Lpdrew (CC BY-SA 2.0)
  2. Canadian football game by D’Arcy Norman (CC BY 2.0)

Canadian Football Vs American Football

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