American football American football American football, referred to as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, which is the team controlling the oval-shaped football, attempts to advance down the field by running with or passing the ball, while the defense, which is the team without control of the ball, aims to stop the offense's advance and aims to take control of the ball for themselves. The offense must advance at least ten yards in four
Comparison of American football and rugby league England a schism developed in rugby football between those who favoured strict amateurism and those who felt that players should be compensated for time taken off work to play rugby. In 1895, this resulted in the formation of a break-away sport, rugby league, which permitted player payments. At first, the two rugby codes differed only in how they were administered; over time, their playing rules diverged to the point that they are now distinctly different forms of football. American football is played on a rectangular field long by 53 1⁄3 yards (48.8 m) wide. Near each end of the field