Football 101: The Field

"You've heard about the Rubber Band Defense that bends but never breaks? Ours doesn't break either, but it streches 101 yards."
-Don Smith, New York Giants publicist, 1971

An American football field is rectangular -- 100 yards long and approximately 50 yards wide. The field is marked by lines running across it like marks on a ruler. These lines are called "yard lines" and, indeed, are used to mark the field in yardage. The midfield "yard line" is the 50-yard line, as, sure enough, there are 50 yards in each direction to the ends of the field. There are two 40-yard lines; two 30 yard lines, etc.

(The field)

Beyond both ends of the field, are the goal areas, called "end zones". These are ten yards deep.

The point of the game is to advance the ball into this "end zone", thus scoring points, as many times as possible, and then to prevent the other team from doing the same.

Additionally there are goal posts at the back of both end zones and points can also be scored by kicking the ball through these goal posts.

(Note: There are several variations in field dimensions, most notably in the Canadian version of the game, which is longer and wider than the American field. In the OFL the field is seventy-five yards long and usually forty yards wide, and with ten yard end zones. The field is not actually marked.)