Dimensions Guide

Football

Football is a team sports played in a football field by two competing teams that aim to score by kicking the ball into the end of the field of the other team. In order to win the game, players should prevent their opponents from getting the ball into their side of the field. Aside from knowing the basic rules and mechanics of the game, it is necessary to learn the different dimensions of a football field to have advantages over the opposing team.

High School League, College League and the National Football League (NFL)

What are the dimensions of a football? The measurements of a football field depend on the league that uses it. For instance, the overall dimensions of fields used in the high school, college and the National Football League are the same. The length measurement should be 360 feet or 120 yards while the width measurement should be 160 feet or 53 ½ yards. The end zone depth of the fields must be 10 yards. Finally, the fields used in these leagues have field numbers of 6 foot by 4 foot for every line marker of 10 yards.

Canadian Football League (CFL)

In the Canadian Football League, the length of the field should be 450 feet or 150 yards. The width of the field used in this league is 195 feet or 65 yards. The end zone depth should measure 20 yards.

Goal Posts

The measurements of goal posts for the high school league differ in the college league, NFL and CFL. In the high school league, the height of goal posts should be 10 feet while the width must be 23 feet and four inches. For the college league, National Football League and the Canadian Football League, the height of the posts is 10 feet while the width is 23 feet and four inches.

Hash Mark

Hash marks in high school leagues have a width of 53 feet and four inches while in college leagues; the marks have a width of 40 feet. The marks at the National Football League and the Canadian Football League are 18 feet and six inches wide as well as 17 yards wide, respectively.

Other Dimensions

The other dimensions of a football are similar in all the leagues mentioned above. The end line border or the dead line border measures six feet. In order to restrain non-players from entering the playing area, all fields have restraining line that measures six inches.

BCS stands for Bowl Championship Series, which is a selection system that offers the two leading teams of the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision the chance to play in a national championship game. In order to identify the relative team rankings, computer selection methods and polls are used by the BCS. Likewise, these methods are also used to narrow the selection to just two teams, which will compete in the BCS National Championship Game. The championship trophy for this prestigious event is called the AFCA National Championship Trophy. Aside from these interesting facts, it is also good to know the different BCS trophy dimensions.

Dimensions of the BCS Trophy

The winner of the BCS National Championship Game is to be awarded with the AFCA National Championship Trophy. It has a height of 34 inches and weighs close to 45 pounds. The football part of the trophy alone weighs close to 8 pounds. The estimated value of this award is $30,000. Aside from an ebony base, one of the main features of the trophy is a football made from fine crystal glassware called Waterford Crystal. Each year, a trophy is handed to the winning school.

Additional Facts and Other Interesting Details

AFCA stands for the American Football Coaches Association, which is responsible for awarding the AFCA National Championship Trophy to the winner of the BCS National Championship Game. It usually takes 3 months to finish, which is handmade by an artist residing in Ireland.

This particular trophy has gone through a number of sponsorship changes throughout the years. During the 1986 and 1987 seasons, the Gerrits Foundation was the main sponsor. In the 1988 and 1989 seasons, Pepsi signed as a co-sponsor for this special sporting event. From 1990 to 1992, McDonald’s earned the exclusive right to sponsor such important national football event.

In 1993, Sears was the sponsor of the trophy, which lasted until 2001. In the 2002 season, the sponsorship duties were passed on to Circuit City. Starting from 2003 until 2005, ADT Security Service became the sponsor of the trophy.

Today, this award is completely referred to as the American Football Coaches Association National Championship Trophy. It is commonly called the Coaches’ Trophy. In 1986, Penn State won the trophy led by head coach Joe Paterno. The following year, Miami won the trophy, led by head coach Jimmy Johnson. Some of the most recent recipients of the trophy include Florida in 2006, LSU in 2007 and Florida once again in 2008.

American football is definitely one of the most exciting and much anticipated international sports today. It is not only popular in the United States, but also in Canada. An integral part of this game is a field goal, which is usually made during general play. For those who want to learn more about this sport, it is important to know the different dimensions of a standard football goal.

Standard Football Goal Dimensions

What are the dimensions of a standard football goal? Based on the official rules of the game, players can score a field goal by kicking the ball through a crossbar, which is basically set up 10 feet high from the ground. The crossbar is made up of two upright posts, which are 5.6 meters or 18 feet and 6 inches apart. In case the ball hits the crossbar or an upright, a field goal is still credited to the team who made it. Each successful kick through the football goal comes with a score of 3 points.

Additional Facts and Other Highly Interesting Details

Just like all the other sports out there, American football is a game of strategy. The team who executes better game play and strategies are more likely to win the game. Every field goal made has a score of 3 points. Meanwhile, the basic score for a touchdown is 6 points, which can actually go up to 7 points in case the extra point is made by the offensive team.

This sport is made popular by the professional league called the National Football League. Jason Elam made the longest kick ever recorded in the history of this league for the Atlanta Falcons, which was 63 yards. He shares this prestigious feat with Tom Dempsey, who once played for teams like the Buffalo Bills, the Houston Oilers and the Los Angeles Rams.

To score a field goal, players can use different kicking styles. Some of the most popular strategies are the drop kick, the straight-ahead style and the soccer style. Unlike today, kicking was a highly emphasized aspect during the early years of the game.

The scoring system was devised in 1883, a time when conversions and touchdowns were scored 3 points while every field goal was scored 5 points. The score for a touchdown was increased to 5 points sometime in 1897. During that very same year, the score for every conversion was reduced to a single point. Aside from Elam and Dempsey, other National Football League players were able to score highly impressive goals such as Matt Bryant of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ola Kimrin of the Denver Broncos and Shayne Graham of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Owned by the Football Association, Wembley Stadium can be found within Wembley Park in the City of London in England. Although it was primarily designed to serve as a venue for association football, it is also used to hold various kinds of sporting events as well as music concerts. It serves as the home court of the England national football team for international competitions. After Camp Nou, it is the second biggest stadium in the whole of Europe. In addition to these important facts, there are more to learn about this venue including the size of Wembley Stadium.

The Size of Wembley Stadium

How big is Wembley Stadium? The circumference of Wembley Stadium is measured at 0.6 miles or 1 kilometer. It has a 6,350-tonne roof enough to cover a total land area measuring 11 acres or 45,000 square meters. The moveable roof covers 4 acres or 16,000 square meters. In addition, the stadium also has a circular section lattice arch, the internal diameter of which is 23 feet or 7 meters. It has a span of 1,033 feet or315 meters.

In terms of capacity, this stadium can seat 86,000 individuals for American football games, 90,000 people for rugby league and football and 68,400 to 72,000 people for athletics. In case it is used for concerts, it can seat approximately 75,000 to 90,000, plus another 15,000 standing spectators. The foundations of this sports facility are made up of 4,000 separate piles, the deepest point of which measures 115 feet or 35 meters.

The stadium features 2,618 toilet seats, which no other venue in the world has yet to match or surpass. Overall, the length of its escalators measures 400 meters. Since 2007, it has been home to a number of different tenants including the Football League Playoffs and Finals, the FA Cup Finals and the England national football team.

Wembley Stadium also served as venue for numerous memorable concerts featuring world-class performers and international artists like Coldplay in September 2009, Madonna in September 2008 and George Michael in June 2007. The very first football match that was held inside this venue was a close door game between the staff of Wembley Stadium and Multiplex.

On December 3, 2008, it hosted the very first rugby union game between the teams Australia and the Barbarians. The very first National Football League regular season game held outside of North America took place in this stadium, when the New York Giants emerged victorious over the Miami Dolphins with a score of 13-10. New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning scored the very first touchdown inside this venue.

A popular sport that is played by two opposing teams in a large and spacious field, football tests the ability of players to work with their teammates to attain the game’s primary objective. The main objective of the game is to score by kicking the ball to the end line of the opposing team. To be advantageous over their opponents, players should have ideas about the various football dimensions. Provided below are the comparisons of the dimensions of fields used in high school league, college league, National Football League (also known as NFL) and the Canadian Football League (also known as CFL).

Overall Football Dimensions

The overall dimensions in the first three leagues are the same. The length of the fields is 120 yards. The fields have a width of 53 ½ yards. On the other hand, in the Canadian Football League, the field has a length of 150 yards and a width of 65 yards.

End Zone Depth

When it comes to the end zone depth, the fields used in the NFL, high school league and college league have an end zone that measures 10 yards. The end zone in the CFL measures 20 yards.

Dimensions of the Goal Posts

Goal posts used in the high school league has different dimensions with the posts used in the other leagues. For the first mentioned league, the posts have a width of 23 feet and four inches and a height of 10 feet. In the other leagues, the goal posts have a width of 18 feet and six inches while the height measures 10 feet.

Hash Marks and Team Benches

When it comes to the hash marks, players participating in high school leagues should know that the marks in the fields are 53 feet and four inches wide. On the other hand, in college leagues, the marks measure 40 feet wide. For the NFL, the width of the marks measure 18 feet and six inches while for the CFL, the marks measure 17 yards wide. In all the leagues, the team benches are found at the middle of the 30 yard markers parallel to the restraining line.

Other Important Football Dimensions

The other important football dimensions include the dead line or the end line border as well as the restraining line. The dead line or the end line border has the same dimensions in all the leagues, which is six feet long. To prevent non players from going to the playing area, every football field has a restraining line which is six inches long In order to restrain non-players from entering the playing area, all fields have restraining line parallel to the side lines.

The dimensions of a football field are generally the same. However there are some small differences in the other aspects. The measurements for the NFL, college and high school games are outlined below.

NFL Measurements

The field measures 360 ft long (120 yards) and 160 feet wide (53 1/3 yards). The end zone has a depth of 10 yards. The end line border is 6 ft. This is the rear of the end zone. The benches are set at the 30 yard marker along the restraining line.

The field numbers are 6 ft tall with a width of 4 ft. The restraining line measures 6’ by the sides. This is the nearest point where players can get near the field. The hash marks are 70 ft 9 in at the sidelines. It is 18 in 6 in wide.

With these dimensions of a football field, it means the hash marks measure the same as the same as that of the goal posts’ width. The NFL goal posts measure 10 ft tall and 18 ft 6 in wide.

College Football Measurements

As with the NFL, the length is 360 ft (120 yards) and 160 ft wide (53 yards). The NCAA end zone is 10 yards deep. The end line has a 6 ft border line. This denotes the end of the end zone. The field numbers are the same (6 ft tall and 4 ft wide). The collegiate restraining line is 6’.

The dimensions of a football field in college have other similarities to the NFL. The team benches for instance, are also situated between the 30 yard lines.

The hash marks are 40 ft 60 in and commence along the sidelines. This is wider than that used in the pros but narrower than the high school mark. The goal posts are usually 18 ft 6 in total width.

High School Football Measurements

The field measures 360 ft (120 yards) with a width of 160 ft (53 1/3 yards). The end zone also has a depth of 10 ft. The end line has a total length of 6 ft. It is designated the end zone termination point in the dimensions of a football field in high school play.

The field numbers are also 6 ft tall and 4 ft wide. The markers are set every 10 ft. The restraining line is also 6’. As in college and pro levels, the benches are placed in the midst of the 30 yard mark.

The hash marks are 53 ft 4 in wide. This is wider than in the colleges and the pro game. The goal posts in high school games is 19 ft tall and 23 ft and 4 in wide.

Canadian Football (CFL) Field Measurements

Canadian football has a larger field (450 ft or 150 yards) long and 195 ft (65 yards) wide. While the NFL has an end zone of 10 ft, the CFL measures 20 yards. The CFL hash marks are set at 51 ft (17 yards).

The dimensions of a football field may have only subtle variations, but it affects the play a lot. Keep these things in mind when you watch the game and you’ll see how much difference these few inches make.