Canadian football

Canadian football, or simply football, is a popular sport in Canada. Two teams of 12 players try to move a pointed oval-shaped ball into the other team's end zone on a field that is 110 yards long and 65 yards wide.

Canadian football is similar to American football but has some important differences. In Canadian football, teams get three chances, called downs, to move the ball, and there are twelve players on each side. The field is also wider and longer, with deeper end zones and goalposts in front of them.

The sport began in the early 1860s, brought to Canada by British immigrants. Today, the Canadian Football League is the professional league, and its big championship game, the Grey Cup, is one of Canada's biggest sporting events. Canadian football is also played at high school, college, and other levels across the country.

History

The first recorded football match took place on November 9, 1861, at University College, University of Toronto. One of the players was Sir William Mulock, who later became the school's chancellor. Soon after, a football club was formed at the university.

The first written record of a game happened on October 15, 1862, at the Montreal Cricket Grounds. It was played between two military teams, with the Grenadier Guards winning. In 1864, students at Trinity College in Toronto created new rules based on rugby football. The sport grew in popularity, and several clubs were formed, including the Hamilton Football Club in 1869 and the Montreal Football Club in 1872. The Toronto Argonaut Football Club started in 1873, and the Ottawa Football Club in 1876. Today, only the Toronto club still exists.

The sport became popular at McGill University in Montreal. In 1874, McGill challenged Harvard University to a series of games using a special mix of rugby rules. Efforts to create official rules began in 1873 with the Foot Ball Association of Canada. Later, the Canadian Rugby Football Union was formed in 1880. More groups joined over time, leading to the creation of the Canadian Football League in 1958.

In 1903, new rules called the Burnside rules were introduced. These rules changed the game to have 12 players per team and three chances to move the ball forward. Forward passes were not allowed until 1929. The Grey Cup, donated by Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey, became the championship trophy in 1909. It started as an amateur competition but later included professional teams. The modern era of Canadian football began with the formation of the Canadian Football League in 1958.

For many years, the sport was called rugby football. By the mid-1900s, it looked more like American football than rugby. When the CFL was formed, it was named Canadian football. The last amateur group to compete for the Grey Cup was the Ontario Rugby Football Union, which left after the 1954 season.

Canadian football mostly stays in Canada. The United States once had CFL teams, but that ended in 1995. The CFL has held games in Atlantic Canada, but some areas like Prince Edward Island and Northern Canada have not hosted major games yet.

In February 2023, Football Canada and the International Federation of American Football announced that Canadian amateur rules could be used for international games, though not for world championships.

League play

Canadian football is played at many levels in Canada. The top league is the Canadian Football League (CFL), which has nine teams. The CFL season starts in June, and the big championship game, the Grey Cup, happens by late November. In some cities with outdoor stadiums like Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Regina, cold weather and icy fields can change how games are played.

There are also amateur teams, university teams, and junior teams. University teams compete for the Vanier Cup, and junior teams compete for the Canadian Bowl. Semi-professional leagues have become more popular too. Women’s football has also grown, with leagues like the Maritime Women’s Football League and the Western Women’s Canadian Football League.

Field

The Canadian football field is 150 yards long and 65 yards wide. The goal areas are 20 yards deep, and the goal lines are 110 yards apart. Goalposts, which are 40 feet high, stand at each goal line. These goalposts have two uprights joined by a crossbar.

White sidelines mark the sides of the field, and white or yellow lines run across the field every 5 yards. These are called yard lines. Hash marks are painted parallel to the yard lines. In some stadiums with running tracks, the end zones are cut off in the corners to fit the track.

Gameplay

Teams move across the field using quick plays, with each team having 12 players. They try to move a special ball, which is brown and pointy at both ends, into the other team’s end zone. The ball has two white stripes.

At the start of the game, a coin is tossed, and the team that wins gets to choose whether to kick the ball or receive it, or which way to play. Play begins with one team kicking the ball from their own end of the field. Both teams try to catch the ball. The player with the ball can run with it or pass it to a teammate.

Play stops when a player is tackled, when a pass is not caught, when a touchdown or field goal is scored, when the ball goes out of bounds, or when a player can’t move forward anymore. Each play is called a "down," and the team must move the ball at least ten yards in three downs or they lose the ball. If they make it, they get another three downs.

Positions

In Canadian football, players have special jobs to help their team score points. The main teams are the offence, defence, and special teams.

Offence

The offence tries to move the ball toward the other team's end zone. They need at least seven players near the line where the ball is placed. Some players, like wide receivers, can catch passes. Others, like offensive linemen, protect the quarterback and help block players trying to stop them.

Defence

The defence tries to stop the offence. They must stay back a little until the play starts. They have different jobs too, like rushing the quarterback or covering receivers.

Special teams

Special teams help with kicks, like punts and field goals. They have jobs like snapping the ball, holding it for kicks, or catching kicked balls and running with them.