End Zone in American Football: History, goal post & controversy

The end zone is what it's all about American Football, but do you also know HOW it works, and what all the lines are for?

The end zone in American Football is a defined area on either side of the field where you play the ball must get in to score. Only in the end zones can you score points by physically carrying the ball in or by getting the goal posts in.

I'd like to tell you ALL about it so let's start with how it works. Then I will go into all the details.

The End of the Football Fields

The Football field has two end zones, one for each side. When the teams switch sides, they also switch which end zone they are defending. All points scored in Football are done in the end zones, either by carrying it over the goal line while you have the ball, or by kicking the ball through the goalposts within the end zone.

Scoring in the End Zone

If you want to score in Football, you have to carry the ball over the goal line while you have the ball. Or you can kick the ball through the goal posts within the end zone. If you do, you've scored!

Defense of the End Zone

When defending the end zone, you must ensure that the opposing team does not carry the ball over the goal line or kick it through the goal posts. You have to stop the opponents and make sure they don't score points.

End Zone Switch

When the teams switch sides, they also switch which end zone they are defending. This means you have to defend the other side of the field. This can be a big challenge, but if you do it right, you can help your team win!

How the end zone was invented

Introducing the forward pass

Before the forward pass was allowed in gridiron football, the goal and end of the field were the same. Players scored one touchdown by leaving the field through this line. Goalposts were placed on the goal line, and any kick that did not score a field goal but left the field at the endline was recorded as a touchback (or, in the Canadian game, singles; it was during the pre-end zone era that Hugh Gall set record for most singles in a game, with eight).

Introducing the end zone

In 1912, the end zone was introduced in American football. At a time when professional football was in its infancy and college football dominated the game, the resulting enlargement of the field was limited by the fact that many college teams already played in well-developed stadiums complete with bleachers and other structures at the ends of the field. the fields, making any significant enlargement of the field impossible in many schools.

A compromise was eventually reached: 12 yards of end zone were added at each end of the field, but before that, the field of play was shortened from 110 yards to 100, leaving the physical size of the field only slightly longer than before. Goalposts were originally kept on the goal line, but after they began interfering with play, they moved back to the endline in 1927, where they have remained in college football ever since. The National Football League moved the goalposts back to the goal line in 1933, then back to the endline in 1974.

Canada's end zone

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Like many other aspects of gridiron football, Canadian football adopted the forward pass and end zone much later than American football. The forward pass and the end zone were introduced in 1929. In Canada, college football never reached a level of prominence comparable to that of American college football, and professional football was still in its infancy in the 1920s. As a result, Canadian football was still being played in the late 1920s in rudimentary facilities.

A further consideration was that the Canadian Rugby Union (the governing body of Canadian Football at the time, now known as Football Canada) wanted to reduce the prominence of single points (then called rouges) in the game. Therefore, the CRU simply added 25-yard end zones to the ends of the existing 110-yard field, creating a much larger playing area. Since moving the goal posts 25 yards would make field goal scoring extremely difficult, and since the CRU did not want to reduce the prominence of field goals, the goal posts were left on the goal line where they remain today.

However, the rules governing singles scoring were changed: teams had to either kick the ball out of bounds through the end zone or force the opposing team to knock down a kicked ball in their own end zone to earn a point. By 1986, with CFL stadiums growing larger and developing similarly to their American counterparts in an effort to remain financially competitive, the CFL reduced the depth of the end zone to 20 yards.

Scoring: How to Score a Touchdown

Scoring a Touchdown

Scoring a touchdown is a simple process, but it takes a bit of finesse. To score a touchdown, you must carry or catch the ball while inside the endzone. When you carry the ball, it is a score if any part of the ball is above or beyond any part of the goal line between the cones. In addition, you can also score a two-point conversion after a touchdown using the same method.

Ultimate Frisbee

In Ultimate Frisbee, scoring a goal is just as easy. You just have to finish a pass in the endzone.

Changes in the rules

In 2007, the National Football League changed its rules so that it is only sufficient for a ball carrier to touch the cone to score a touchdown. The ball really has to get into the endzone.

The Dimensions of an American Football End Zone

If you think American Football is all about throwing a ball, you're wrong! There is much more to the sport than that. One of the most essential parts of American Football is the end zone. The end zone is an area marked with cones at both ends of the field. But what exactly are the dimensions of an end zone?

American Football End Zone

In American Football, the end zone is 10 yards long and 53 ⅓ yards wide (160 feet). There are four pylons at each corner.

Canadian Football End Zone

In Canadian Football, the end zone is 20 yards long and 65 yards wide. Before the 1980s, the end zone was 25 yards long. The first stadium to use the 20-yard-long end zone was BC Place in Vancouver, which was completed in 1983. BMO Field, the home stadium of the Toronto Argonauts, has an end zone of 18 yards. Like their American counterparts, Canadian end zones are marked with four cones.

Ultimate Frisbee End Zone

Ultimate Frisbee uses an end zone that is 40 yards wide and 20 yards deep (37 m × 18 m).

So if you ever get the chance to attend an American Football game, now you know exactly how big the end zone is!

What's in the End Zone?

The Endline

The end line is the line at the far end of the end zone that marks the edge of the field. It's the line you have to throw the ball over for a touchdown.

The goalline

The goal line is the line that separates the field and the end zone. If the ball crosses this line, it's a touchdown.

The Sidelines

The sidelines extend from the field to the end zone, and also mark the out-of-bounds. Throwing the ball over these lines is an out-of-bounds.

So if you want to score a touchdown, you have to throw the ball over the end line, the goal line and the sidelines. If you throw the ball over one of these lines, it is an out-of-bounds. So if you want to score a touchdown, you have to throw the ball over the end line, the goal line and the sidelines. Good luck!

The Goalpost

Where is the goal post?

The location and dimensions of a goal post vary by league, but it is usually within the boundaries of the end zone. In previous Football games (both professional and college level), the goal post started at the goal line and was usually an H-shaped bar. Today, for player safety reasons, nearly all goalposts in the professional and college levels of American football are T-shaped and are just off the back of both end zones; first seen in 1966, these goalposts were invented by Jim Trimble and Joel Rottman in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Goalposts in Canada

Goal posts in Canada are still on the goal line rather than behind the end zones, in part because the number of field goal attempts would drastically decrease if the posts were moved back 20 yards in that sport, and also because the larger end zone and wider field makes the resulting interference in play by the goal post a less serious problem.

High school level goalposts

It is not unusual at the high school level to see multi-purpose goal posts that have Football goal posts on top and a Football net on the bottom; these are usually seen in smaller schools and in multi-purpose stadiums where facilities are used for multiple sports. When these or H-shaped goalposts are used in Football, the lower parts of the posts are covered with several centimeters thick foam rubber to protect the safety of the players.

Decorations on an American Football Field

Logos and team names

Most professional and university teams have their logo, team name, or both painted on the background of the endzone, with team colors filling the background. Many college and professional level championships and bowling games are commemorated by the names of the opposing teams each being painted in one of the opposing endzones. In some leagues, along with bowl games, local, state, or bowl game sponsors may also place their logos in the endzone. In the CFL, fully painted endzones are non-existent, although some have club logos or sponsors. In addition, as a live ball portion of the field, the Canadian endzone often has yardage stripes (usually marked every five yards), much like the field itself.

No decorations

In many places, especially smaller high schools and colleges, endzones are undecorated, or have simple white diagonal stripes several yards apart, instead of colors and decorations. A notable higher-level use of this design is with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who painted both endzones at Notre Dame Stadium with diagonal white lines. In professional football, the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers have since 2004 painted the south endzone at Heinz Field with diagonal lines during most of its regular seasons. This is done because Heinz Field, which has a natural grass playing field, is also home to the college football's Pittsburgh Panthers, and the markings simplify field conversion between the two teams' markings and logos. After the Panthers' season, the Steelers' logo is painted in the south endzone.

Unique patterns

One of the great hallmarks of the American Football League was its use of unusual patterns such as argyle in its endzones, a tradition resumed in 2009 by the Denver Broncos, themselves a former AFL team. The original XFL normalized its playing fields so that all eight of its teams had uniform fields with the XFL logo in each endzone and no team identification.

End Zone Controversy: A Story of Drama

It may seem simple, but there have been many controversies surrounding the end zone. A recent controversy in the NFL occurred during a Seattle Seahawks – Detroit Lions game in the 2015 regular season. The Lions were on a late, fourth-quarter comeback against the Seahawks, driving into the Seattle end zone.

Seattle led by three points, and the Lions drove for a touchdown. Lion's wide-receiver Calvin Johnson had the ball as he plunged toward the goal line and Seattle safety Kam Chancellor shook the ball loose just short of the end zone.

At that point, if the Lions had resumed the ball, it would have been a touchdown, completing the improbable comeback. However, Seattle linebacker KJ Wright made a deliberate effort to hit the ball out of the end zone, preventing a possible Detroit touchdown.

Deliberately hitting the ball out of the end zone is a violation of the rules, but the referees, notably back judge Greg Wilson, believed Wright's action was unintentional.

No penalties were called and a touchback was called, giving the ball to the Seahawks on their own 20-yard line. From there, they could easily outrun the clock and avoid the surprise.

Replays Show Intentional Action

However, replays showed that Wright deliberately hit the ball out of the end zone. The correct call would have been to give the Lions the ball at the point of the fumble. They would have had a first down, because the attacking side gets a first down if the defending side is guilty of the offense, and chances are they would have scored from that position.

KJ Wright Affirms Intentional Action

The coup de gras was that Wright admitted to deliberately hitting the ball out of the end zone after the game.

“I just wanted to hit the ball out of the end zone and not try to catch it and fumble it,” Wright told media after the game. "I was just trying to make a good move for my team."

Football: What is an End Zone?

If you've never heard of an End Zone, don't worry! We will explain everything you need to know about this mysterious place on a football field.

How big is an End Zone?

An End Zone is always 10 yards deep and 53,5 yards wide. The width of an entire Football field is always 53,5 yards wide. The play zone, the place where most of the action takes place, is 100 yards long. There is an End Zone on each side of the playing zone, so an entire Football field is 120 yards long.

Where are the goalposts?

The goalposts are behind the End Zone on the end lines. Before 1974, the goal posts were on the goal line. But for reasons of safety and fairness, the goalposts have been moved. The original reason the goal posts were on the goal line was because kickers struggled to score field goals and too many games ended in a draw.

How do you score a touchdown?

To score a touchdown, a team must get the ball over the goal line planet. So if you get the ball in the End Zone, you've scored a touchdown! But watch out, because if you lose the ball in the End Zone, it's a touchback and the opponent gets the ball.

FAQ

Are End Zone Chairs Good For An American Football Game?

End zone seats are the best way to experience an American Football game. You have a unique view of the game and the events surrounding it. You see the strong bears fighting each other, the quarterback throwing the ball and the running backs having to dodge the opposing team's tackles. It's a spectacle you won't get anywhere else. Moreover, you can count the points from your end zone chair, because you can see when a touch down is scored or a field goal is shot. In short, end zone seats are the ultimate way to experience an American Football match.

Conclusion

Yes, the end zones are not only the most important part of an American Football game, they are also nicely decorated with the logos of the clubs and more.

PLUS it's where you do your victory dance!

Joost Nusselder, the founder of referees.eu is a content marketer, father and loves to write about all kinds of sports, and has also played a lot of sports himself for most of his life. Now since 2016, he and his team have been creating helpful blog articles to help loyal readers with their sports activities.