NFL vs CFL
The difference between NFL and CFL covers a number of areas from the size of the teams to playing rules. NFL and CFL are two football leagues, an American and a Canadian respectively. Football is football you would say whether it is played in the US or across the border in Canada. But there are glaring differences between the NFL and CFL, and one needs to see matches in action to feel the differences. For laymen, NFL stands for the National Football League, which is played in the US, and CFL refers to Canadian Football League, played in Canada. Of course, the game is football, or soccer as it is called by some, so there are bound to be similarities, but this article will highlight some of the major differences between NFL and CFL.
What is NFL?
NFL stands for the National Football League. This is played in the US. NFL was first established in 1920. Currently there are 32 teams who play in the NFL. NFL is the most popular of the sports league in America. The current NFL champions are New England Patriots. The number of players in a NFL team is 11.
When it comes to the playing field, without counting the 10-yard end zones, the playing area in NFL is 100 yards and the width of the field is 53.5 yards. Coming to the timeouts, each team has three timeouts in each half. The scoring of NFL goes as follows. A touchdown gets 6 points; kicked convert gets 1 point; passed or rushed convert gets 2 points; field goal gets 3 points; safety touch gets 2 points, and rouge gets 1 point.
What is CFL?
CFL stands for Canadian Football League. This is played in Canada. CFL is the highest sports league in Canada in the professional sports category. CFL was found in 1958. Currently there are nine teams that are playing in the CFL. The most recent CFL champions are Calgary Stampeders. Twelve (12) players make up a team in CFL. This extra player in CFL usually stays in the backfield. This means seven players on the offense and five on the defense. Thus, there is an extra receiver in a team in CFL.
When it comes to the playing field, playing area in CFL is larger than that used in NFL. In CFL, the end zones are 20 yards and the width of the field is 65 yards. The length of the CFL field is 110 yards. If you consider the timeouts, each team has one timeout in each half. The scoring of CFL goes as follows. You can see that the scoring is same as the NFL. A touchdown is given 6 points; kicked convert is given 1 point; passed or rushed convert is given 2 points; field goal is given 3 points; safety touch is given 2 points; rouge is given 1 point.
What is the difference between NFL and CFL?
Definitions of NFL and CFL:
NFL: NFL stands for the National Football League. This is played in US.
CFL: CFL stands for Canadian Football League. This is played in Canada.
Characteristics of NFL and CFL:
Number of Players:
NFL: NFL has 11 players on the field during a game.
CFL: CFL has 12 players on the field during a game.
Size of Field:
Field Width:
NFL: The field width in NFL is 53.5 yards.
CFL: The field width in CFL is 65 yards.
Field Length:
NFL: The field length of NFL is 100 yards.
CFL: The field Length of CFL is 110 yards.
End Zones:
NFL: NFL has two 10 yard end zones.
CFL: CFL has two 20 yard end zones.
Balls:
Though white balls are used in both NFL and CFL, there are some differences in the balls used.
NFL: The white ball used in NFL has no stripes over it and is smaller in circumference compared to the balls used in CFL.
CFL: The ball used in CFL is bigger, having a larger circumference and has stripes over it.
Time Outs:
NFL: There are three timeouts in NFL for each team in each half.
CFL: There is only one timeout in each half for CFL teams.
Play Clock:
This is the rest time taken by an offensive team to prepare for the next game play.
NFL: Play clock is 40 seconds in NFL.
CFL: A play clock of only 20 seconds is provided in CFL.
Sudden Death:
NFL: If the game is tied after the duration, NFL makes use of sudden death to decide the winner.
CFL: In CFL, each game is given two possessions if the game is tied after the duration. If the teams are still tied, the game is declared a tie. For a tie game, CFL teams get one point, whereas there is no such system in NFL. There is either victory or a loss. In CFL, teams with highest points make for playoffs.
Number of Downs:
NFL: The offensive team in NFL needs to make 4 downs to make first down, score a touchdown or kick a field goal.
CFL: For the same, a team in CFL needs only 3 downs.
Money:
Players play for money apart from fame, and it is NFL that is far ahead of CFL in terms of player salaries. This is the reason why many talented players from Canada are always anxious to play in NFL.
There are many other minor differences apart from these major differences in CFL and NFL.
Images Courtesy:
- National Football League game by Lpdrew (CC BY-SA 2.0)
- Canadian football game by D’Arcy Norman (CC BY 2.0)
