Team sport
American Football
Four downs to move ten yards. Everything else follows from that.
- Origin
- United States, 1869
- Players
- 11 per side on field
- Governing body
- NFL / NCAA / IFAF
- Game length
- 4 × 15 min
- Field
- 100 yd plus end zones
- Olympic
- Flag football from 2028
Three ways in
Option one
Rules & how to play
Everything you need to follow a game of american football: the objective, the field, the fouls and the officials.
6 sections
Option two
History & origins
Where american football came from and how it grew, told as a timeline of the moments that changed it.
11 milestones
Option three
Players
Search the greats by name, country or honour — or scroll the list to find someone you've never heard of.
10 profiles