Let’s Compare American and Canadian Football 

Football is easily one of the biggest and one of the most popular sports in both the US and Canada. Even though the countries themselves have a lot in common regarding football and the general culture, it’s important to know that there are in fact some differences between them. If you want to find out more, simply read this article. 

Areas of Playing 

The first thing that you need to know is that Canadian matches tend to be played on much bigger fields when compared to American fields. You have 110 x 65 yards per field in Canada but NFL players are on a field that is 100 x 53 yards. This means that Canadian football teams cover both longer and much wider terrain when compared to those who play in the NFL. According to the exact math, CFL fields are on average 34% bigger and this is a huge difference when you look at local players who change their fields for American variants. When you visit sites like Comeon sportsbook or any betting website for that matter, you will soon see that this is taken into account when wagers are placed. 

IMAGE SOURCE: Pexels.com 

Team Sizes 

The next difference has a lot to do with the size of the team. Canadian squads tend to have 12 members, but when you look at the NFL, you will see that they have 11 active players. The main reason for the difference in players is because the 12th player in the CFL actually covers the offense.  

Fair Catches 

When you look at the next distinction between the NFL and the CFL, you need to look at the fair catches. Here we look at punt returners who can signal that they are not able to try and catch the ball. The opponents would be somewhat obliged to give the players the chance to catch the ball in situations like this. The rule is referred to as being the fair catch rule when you look at the NFL. It makes the sport much fairer in general but in Canada, there is no rule such as this. Players from the opposite side of the field have to remain a total of five yards from the ball. 

Downs 

It’s important to look at the CFL and NFL differences in terms of downs as well. Even though Canadian teams can easily play with three downs, the US teams are actually allowed four. This has opened the door for critics as it gives players the chance to relax. When you look at the CFL, players are forced to work harder and this makes the game that bit more aggressive overall. Some people like this but others believe that it does in fact contribute to many more injuries overall. Who knows what the future holds when it comes to football and the CFL, but at the end of the day, in America, the NFL is much more popular. A lot of this comes down to the fact that there is more funding, and much more of a state-wide love for the sport. 

 

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