What Football Does The NFL Use?
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The Wilson football is the official ball of the National Football League.
American Football
American football, gridiron is a sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with the ball, attempts to advance the ball down the field by running with or passing the ball, while the defense, the team without the ball, tries to stop the offense’s advance and take control of the ball for themselves. The offense must advance the ball at least ten yards in four downs or plays; if they fail to do so, they turn over the ball to the defense. Points are scored primarily by advancing the ball into the opposing team’s end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponent’s goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
The birth of American Football
In 1892, William Heffelfinger was paid $500 to play in a game for the Allegheny Athletic Association, becoming the first professional football player.
In 1920, the American Professional Football Association was formed. The first game was played on October 3rd between the Dayton Triangles and the Columbus Panhandles in Dayton, Ohio. The Association became the National Football League in 1922.
The first professional American Football league
The first professional American football league was the National Football League (NFL). It was founded in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA) before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season.
Canadian Football
The game of Canadian football is very similar to the game of American football. The main differences are in the number of players on the field, the size of the field, and the number of downs. Canadian football also has a slightly different shaped ball. The Canadian Football League (CFL) is the professional league for Canadian football. The CFL was founded in 1958, and the current champion is the Toronto Argonauts.
The birth of Canadian Football
While the Canadian Football League (CFL) is distinctly different from the National Football League (NFL), the game has its roots in American football. In fact, Canadian football was born out of a desire to create a game that would be more similar to rugby than to the American game.
In 1874, a group of McGill University students wrote down a set of rules for a new game that they called “football.” These rules were based on those of rugby, but with some important modifications. For example, instead of having 15 players on each side, the new game would have 12. Moreover, instead of there being two 30-minute halves, there would be four 15-minute quarters.
These McGill students went on to found the first Canadian football team: the McGill Redmen. In 1876, they played their first game against a team from Harvard University. This game is widely considered to be the first ever Canadian football game.
Interestingly, while American football would eventually evolve into a completely different sport from rugby, Canadian football has remained fairly true to its roots. To this day, it retains many features that are similar to those of rugby, such as the size and shape of the field and the number of players on each side.
The first professional Canadian Football league
The United States is not the only country with a professional football league. In fact, their northern neighbors have had their own version of the game for just as long. The Canadian Football League (CFL) was founded in 1958, and though it has changed over the years, it’s still going strong. Here are some facts about this exciting league.
The CFL was not the first professional Canadian football league. That honor goes to the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union, which was founded in 1907 and lasted until 1955. The IRFU was a regional league made up of teams from Ontario and Quebec.
The CFL was founded in 1958 as a replacement for the IRFU. The new league consisted of eight teams: the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Montreal Alouettes, Ottawa Rough Riders, Toronto Argonauts from Ontario; and the BC Lions, Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Eskimos, and Saskatchewan Roughriders from Western Canada.
The CFL has changed a lot since its inception 60 years ago. The league has expanded several times, most recently in 2002 when they added the Ottawa Renegades as their ninth team. They currently have nine teams spread across Canada: BC Lions (Vancouver), Calgary Stampeders (Calgary), Edmonton Eskimos (Edmonton), Saskatchewan Roughriders (Regina), Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Winnipeg), Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Hamilton), Toronto Argonauts (Toronto), Montreal Alouettes (Montreal) and Ottawa Redblacks (Ottawa).
European Football
gridiron football, more commonly known as football or American football, is a sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end.
The birth of European Football
In 1848, a group of Englishmen founded the Football Association, which was the first governing body for the sport of football. The rules they created were based on the existing rules of rugby football. In 1863, another group of Englishmen founded the Football Association of England, which improved upon the original rules and codified them. These rules quickly spread throughout England and then to other European countries.
The first European country to adopt these rules was Denmark, in 1871. By 1900, all major European countries had adopted them. In 1904, FIFA (the Fédération Internationale de Football Association) was founded; its purpose was to standardize the rules of football across all countries. Today, FIFA is responsible for organizing and managing international tournaments like the World Cup.
The first professional European Football league
The first professional European Football league was founded in 1892, and was called the English Football League. This league was made up of 12 clubs from England and Wales. The English Football League is the oldest professional football league in the world.
Australian Football
Football is a footy game that many Aussies love. It is a contact sport played between two teams of eighteen players each, with a ball similar to a rugby ball but slightly smaller and more egg-shaped. The game is played on a large oval field, with four goalposts at each end. The object of the game is to score goals by kicking the ball through the opponents’ goalposts.
The birth of Australian Football
In 1858, Tom Wills--a cricketer who played for the Victorian cricket team--suggested that a game similar to rugby football be created in order to keep cricketers fit during the winter months. Later that year, Wills was one of the founders of the Melbourne Football Club, and he codified a set of rules based on those of rugby football.
These rules were further refined by subsequent teams in the late 1800s, and by 1900, there were more than 100 clubs playing Australian football throughout Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia. In 1906, representatives from these four colonies came together to form the governing body for the sport, now known as the Australian Football League (AFL).
The AFL continued to expand in subsequent years, adding new teams from other states and territories; it now comprises 18 teams from across Australia. Australian football is now one of the most popular sports in the country, with millions of fans tuning in to watch games each week.
The first professional Australian Football league
The first professional Australian Football league was formed in 1897, with eight clubs from Melbourne and Geelong. The Victorian Football Association (VFA) was the second oldest professional competition in the world behind only the United States’ National Football League (NFL), which was formed in 1892.
Unlike the NFL, which has undergone significant changes since its inception including a merger with another league and various rule changes, the VFA remained largely unchanged for nearly its entire existence. This made it one of the longest running professional leagues in Australian sport, and saw it develop a strong following among Melbourne’s working class population.
International Football
American football is a game played using an oval-shaped ball on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. Down-and-distance rules are used to keep track of the progress of the ball. The team that has the ball is called the offense, while the team that is trying to stop the offense is called the defense.
The birth of International Football
The first international football match was played in 1872 between England and Scotland, in Glasgow. The two teams played each other in a game of “knock out” football, which was essentially a way to determine the best football team in the world. The English won the game 1-0.
The first official international football match was played in 1873 between England and Scotland. The game was played under the newly created set of rules known as the “Laws of the Game”. These laws were created by Englishman, Ebenezer Cobb Morley. The game ended in a draw, 0-0.
In 1882, England played their first ever official away international fixture when they travelled to PlayAgainstScotlandinGlasgow. The game ended in a 0-0 draw.
In 1883, England played their first ever official home international fixture when they hosted Scotland at The Oval in London. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.
The first professional International Football league
In the early 1900s, American football was not yet a professional sport and the various college leagues were not yet unified. This led to a situation where there were multiple different types of football being played in the United States. In order to create a more organized and standardized game, a group of professional football teams from Ohio formed the first professional International Football league in 1903.
This league would eventually come to be known as the National Football League (NFL), which is still in operation today. The NFL follows a set of rules that are slightly different from the college game, but it is still fundamentally the same sport. If you are interested in learning more about American football, the NFL is a great place to start.
