Switching your TV channel from NFL to NCAA or even AFL can confuse you. Each one has the same fundamentals of the game of soccer, but is quite unique from each other. To better understand the professional league, college football and arena game, here are their significant differences.
Field
Professional, college, and large high school football have identical field dimensions. Minus the end zone, the regulation football field is 100 yards long and divided into 10 10-yard sections (the field is 53 1/3 yards wide). At each end, there is a goal post that is 10 feet tall and 18.5 feet wide for the NFL. The NCAA uses a much wider goal that is 23 feet 4 inches wide. Yards are measured from each respective end zone until they meet at midfield indicated by a 50-yard marker. In sand football, the infield is much shorter at only 50 yards long with 2 eight foot end zones at opposite ends. The goal post for the arena game varies in widths.
The watch
A professional soccer game lasts 60 minutes, which is divided into four quarters of 15 minutes. This is also used for the college and arena game. The high school football game, on the other hand, is 12 minutes shorter in four 12-minute quarters. Another difference is the amount of time the team is allowed to spend between plays.
The overtime system varies widely. In the event of a tie at the end of regulation time, the professional game goes into sudden death. That is, the first team to score is the winner within the 15-minute overtime period. In most college games, both teams trade possessions in a “shootout.” The team that scores without the other team doing the same wins the game. Arena football uses the overtime systems of college and professional football.
The game
Pro, NCAA, and other large high schools employ 11-man players on the field on each side. Sand games and other smaller high schools have only 8 players on the field. Also, the term “out of bounds” is used differently in each league. For example, the NFL player has to have both feet on the field to be considered in and score a touchdown if he is in the end zone. An NCAA player only has to have one foot on the field to score a touchdown in the end zone.