Football is the world’s most popular sport, played by people of all ages and from a wide variety of backgrounds. It is a team game, and players need to work together to play successfully. Teamwork skills include listening to teammates and respecting one another’s roles in the team. Football is also a physical game, and players need to be in good health to participate.
The objective of football is to score points by getting the ball across the opponent’s end zone. This can be accomplished by throwing and catching the ball, running it in, or kicking it through the goal posts for a field goal. The team that scores the most points wins. The game lasts one hour, and teams can stop the clock by running out of bounds or by calling a timeout.
Each team has 11 players on the field. The bulk of the game pits offense (the team with the ball, trying to score) against defense (the team without the ball). There are also specialized “special teams” players.
An important aspect of the game is the line of scrimmage, an imaginary line that determines where a team can run, pass, and kick. It runs along the sidelines and parallel to the end lines. There are two 10-yard-wide (9-meter-wide) areas at each end of the field, called the end zones, which compose a rectangular area around the field. Two pylons flank the end of each end zone.
During a play, a runner is out of bounds when any part of his body other than his feet or hands touches the ground or goes over the end or sideline. A player can also be out of bounds when he steps on or touches a team member, an official, or anything else that is on or past the end or sideline. A defender can tackle the ball carrier by bringing him to the ground, which ends the play.
At the beginning of each play, the team with the ball faces a first and 10 yard line. If the team makes a first down, it gets another chance to advance the ball before facing a second and 10. If the team fails to make a first down, the other team gets possession.
During a play, the quarterback (QB) passes or handoffs the ball to a running back and/or fullback for yardage. The wide receivers and tight ends take the ball and run with it, or they block the defense so that the quarterback and running back can gain yards. The safeties play deep behind the rest of the defense and break up passes from the quarterback. They can also tackle runners and cover wide receivers on some plays.