Street football, also known as backyard football or sandlot football, is an amateur variant of American football primarily played informally by youth. It features far less equipment and fewer rules than its counterparts and, unlike the similar touch football, features full tackling. [a]
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An organized version has seven players to a side, such as in the American 7's Football league (A7FL), while other versions have six players on offense and seven on defense. [1] However, such organization is rare, as players per side can range from as few as one ("one on one" football) to dozens. Teams are typically assembled from scratch, with participants playing both offense and defense. Most forms of backyard or street football use ad hoc house rules that vary from location to location and/or game to game. Rules vary greatly across neighborhoods and are customarily set before each game. Penalties are rare and are usually only enforced in the most egregious cases, such as serious injuries or blatant pass interference. Most games use the honor system in lieu of a referee and/or an officiating crew. The game ends when a pre-determined number of touchdowns or points has been scored, or an arbitrary time is reached (for instance, dusk or the start of school).
Games are played on fields generally ranging from as short as 10 to as large as 50 yards, with the occasional game being played on a full-size regulation 100 yard field such as in the A7FL. Generally, the larger the field, the more players that can be incorporated into the game. The A7FL plays on a full-size regulation field in regards to length; however, the width of the field is narrowed, from 53 yards to 40 yards, in order to accommodate fewer players on the field.
As in regular American football, each team usually has four downs per series. In order to achieve a series of downs, backyard football requires the team with the ball to complete two passes or reach a certain point on the field. Few games include enough people, or the proper equipment, to run a chain crew to maintain the 10 yards familiar in most organized leagues. These structures encourage passing plays over running, as does the usual lack of an offensive line and defensive line. Popular passing plays include going long, the hook, the hook and go, and the down and out. A well-practiced pump fake by the quarterback often accompanies the hook and go.
The use of a center is optional, depending on the rules set forth, and other ways to start the play (e.g. the quarterback picking up the ball directly, or holding the ball out prior to starting play, then pulling it back to begin) are often used in lieu of a snap. When a center is used, that player is an eligible receiver. Also, the "center sneak"—wherein the center snaps the ball to touch the quarterback's hands, but retains possession and then rushes—is legal. Most teams that use a line opt for three down linemen, a center and two guards. Some organizations that don't require the center to snap the ball to the quarterback use two linemen.
Play continues until there is a turnover (usually an interception), a turnover on downs (e.g. the offense fails to complete two passes in four downs), or the team on offense scores a touchdown. Touchdowns are worth one, six, or seven points depending on the rules set out before the game. In some instances, depending on factors such as the size of the field, more downs are used or teams are given a certain number of downs to score. For instance, a team might be given eight tries to score a touchdown. Also, the length of a first down may differ due to the lack of a pass rush. For instance, a team may have to advance 15 or 20 yards to get a first down.
To start a game, the two teams organize on opposite sides of the field for the kickoff. Because of skill, field size and other issues, this is usually not a kickoff, but rather a "punt-off" or a "throw-off". Many versions skip this process and start the offense at a certain point, similar to that following a touchback in organized leagues.
Field goals and extra point kicks are nonexistent, as streets and backyards have no goal posts. In games played on regulation fields, these kicks can be attempted, but only in certain scoring systems.
Punts can happen frequently, usually during situations where the offensive team cannot earn a first down (for example, in games played using a "two completions in four downs" rule to earn a first down, reaching fourth down with zero completions).
In the event a touchdown is scored, the team on offense will normally stay in the end zone in which they had just scored and the other team will go into the main field and field the subsequent kickoff (or variant thereof). This convention is sometimes known as "losers walk". Thus, until an interception or turnover on downs occurs, both teams defend and attempt to score on the same end zone.
There can be a rush on the quarterback (commonly called a blitz in this context) depending on the rules set out before the game. Usually, if rushes are allowed, one of two rules is commonly applied:
The above methods may be combined or adapted, depending on local rules.
Two-point conversions usually are not applied, but if they are, there are several conversion systems, including single-point, pass-run, yardage, and runback. The single-point is the simplest, in which any successful conversion is worth one point following a touchdown valued at six (or sometimes seven) points. Pass-run is used in some youth leagues and awards two points for a pass and one point for a run. Usually, all pass-run conversions are attempted from the one- or two-yard line. Another conversion system is the yardage system, similar to that used in the XFL playoffs, the Lingerie Football League, and the Stars Football League. In the yardage system, one-point conversions are attempted from the one- or fove-yard line, and two-point conversions are attempted from the two- or ten-yard line. The runback is the most rare of the conversion rules, and is most often implemented in one-on-one games. In this version, the play does not end once the ball crosses the goal line; instead, the player with the ball must change direction and advance it all the way back to the other end zone for two points.
Street football is usually played as a pick-up game and has very little organization. However, organized "sandlot" football has been around since the early 20th century. In 1908, a circuit was launched in Rochester, New York, after the city banned high school football in its schools. The circuit produced a team known as the Rochester Jeffersons, who later joined the National Football League (NFL) as a charter member in 1920, as well as several other teams that lasted into the 1930s. [5] Minneapolis, too, had a vibrant sandlot league, and in 1905 the Minneapolis Marines first played in the city's sandlots; the Marines joined the NFL in 1921. [6]
Street football has been used as the basis for two very different video games. EA Sports's NFL Street is a rules-light version of football played by NFL stars, similar to the Blitz series created by Midway Games. Atari's Backyard Football series, on the other hand, is a more kid-friendly game with players including child versions of NFL stars.
Canadian football, or simply football, is a sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field 110 yards (101 m) long and 65 yards (59 m) wide, attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's end zone.
A play from scrimmage is the sequence in the game of gridiron football during which one team tries to advance the ball, get a first down, or score, and the other team tries to stop them or take the ball away. Once a play is over, and before the next play starts, the football is considered dead. A game of American football consists of many such plays.
The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually considered the leader of the offense, and is often responsible for calling the play in the huddle. The quarterback also touches the ball on almost every offensive play, and is almost always the offensive player that throws forward passes. When the QB is tackled behind the line of scrimmage, it is called a sack. The position is also colloquially known as the "signal caller" and "field general".
The shotgun formation is a formation used by the offensive team in gridiron football mainly for passing plays, although some teams use it as their base formation. Instead of the quarterback receiving the snap from center at the line of scrimmage, in the shotgun he stands further back, often five to seven yards off the line. Sometimes the quarterback will have a back on one or both sides before the snap, while other times he will be the lone player in the backfield with everyone spread out as receivers.
Touch football is an amateur variant of American football and Canadian football. The basic rules are similar to those of the mainstream game, but to end a down, the person carrying the ball need only be touched, instead of tackled, by a member of the opposite team. This rule change gave the game its name, to differentiate it from other variants. It is similar to street football, another amateur variant, however in street football full contact is allowed.
Gridiron football, also known as North American football, or in North America as simply football, is a family of football team sports primarily played in the United States and Canada. American football, which uses 11 players, is the form played in the United States and the best known form of gridiron football worldwide, while Canadian football, which uses 12 players, predominates in Canada. Other derivative varieties include arena football, flag football and amateur games such as touch and street football. Football is played at professional, collegiate, high school, semi-professional, and amateur levels.
This is a glossary of terms used in Canadian football. The Glossary of American football article also covers many terms that are also used in the Canadian version of the game.
American and Canadian football are gridiron codes of football that are very similar; both have their origins partly in rugby football, but some key differences exist between the two codes.
Strategy plays a crucial role in American football. Both teams carefully plan various aspects of their gameplay in an effort to win. This includes deciding on formations, selecting players for specific positions, and assigning roles and instructions to each player on offense and defense.
Gameplay in American football consists of a series of downs, individual plays of short duration, outside of which the ball is or is not in play. These can be plays from scrimmage – passes, runs, punts or field goal attempts – or free kicks such as kickoffs and fair catch kicks. Substitutions can be made between downs, which allows for a great deal of specialization as coaches choose the players best suited for each particular situation. During a play, each team should have no more than 11 players on the field, and each of them has specific tasks assigned for that specific play.
In sports, offense or offence, known as attack outside of North America, is the action of attacking or engaging an opposing team with the objective of scoring points or goals. The term may refer to the tactics involved in offense, or a sub-team whose primary responsibility is offense.
A trick play, also known as a gadget play, gimmick play or trickeration, is a play in gridiron football that uses deception and unorthodox tactics to fool the opposing team. A trick play is often risky, offering the potential for a large gain or a touchdown if it is successful, but with the chance of a significant loss of yards or a turnover if not. Trick plays are rarely used not only because of the riskiness, but also to maintain the element of surprise for when they are used.
In American football and Canadian football, a quarterback kneel, also called taking a knee, genuflect offense, kneel-down offense, or victory formation, occurs when the quarterback touches a knee to the ground immediately after receiving the snap, thus downing himself and ending the play. It is primarily used to run the clock down, either at the end of the first half or the game itself, to preserve a lead or ensure a game goes into overtime if the game is tied and in the fourth quarter. Although it generally results in a loss of some yardage and uses up a down, it minimizes the risk of a fumble, which would give the other team a chance at recovering the ball.
A halfback (HB) is an offensive position in American football, whose duties involve lining up in the offensive backfield and carrying the ball on most rushing plays, i.e. a running back. When the principal ball carrier lines up deep in the backfield, and especially when that player is placed behind another player (usually a blocking back), as in the I formation, that player is instead referred to as a tailback (TB).
In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitutions", meaning that they may change any number of players during any "dead ball" situation. This has resulted in the development of three task-specific "platoons" of players within any single team: the offense, the defense, and "special teams". Within these three separate "platoons", various positions exist depending on the jobs that the players are doing.
The slotback (SB), sometimes also called a slot receiver, is a position in gridiron football. The "slot" is the playing area between the offensive tackle and the wide receiver. A player who lines up between those two players and behind the line of scrimmage fills that "slot".
A comparison between American football and rugby league is possible because of their shared origins and similar game concepts. Rugby league is arguably the most similar sport to American football after Canadian football: both sports involve the concept of a limited number of downs/tackles and scoring touchdowns/tries takes clear precedence over goal-kicking.
In American football, a play is a close-to-the-ground plan of action or strategy used to move the ball down the field. A play begins at either the snap from the center or at kickoff. Most commonly, plays occur at the snap during a down. These plays range from basic to very intricate. Football players keep a record of these plays in a playbook.
The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see Glossary of Canadian football.