Comparison of American football and rugby union possession of the ball at their own 20-yard (25 yard line in College Football) line. An important difference between the two sports involves the aftermath of a score. In American football, the scoring team kicks off, except after a safety. In rugby union, the team conceding the score kicks off (in rugby sevens, a variant of rugby union featuring seven players per side, the scoring team kicks off). An American football team consists of an offensive unit, a defensive unit and a "special teams" unit (involved in kicking and kick returns). Only eleven players can be on the field at
American football field Goal posts are padded at the base, and orange ribbons are normally placed at the tip of each upright. According to the high school rulebook recommendations, the field should be angled at approximately 1.2° (rising inch per foot, or 1 in 48) upward from each sideline to the center of the field so that the center is higher than the sidelines. American football field American football games are played on a rectangular "Field of Play" that measures long between goal lines, and () wide. In addition, there are end zones extending another past the goal lines to the "end lines",