American football field

The rectangular field of play used for American football games measures 360 feet (109.73 m) long separated between 300 feet (91.44 m) between the goal lines and an additional 30 feet (9.14 m) at each end for the end zones and 160 feet (48.77 m) wide. The field may be made of grass or artificial turf. When the "football field" is used as unit of measurement, it is usually understood to mean 100 yards (91.44 m), although technically the full length of the official field, including the end zones, is measured in feet by most major authorities and is 360 feet (109.7 m). The total area of the field is 57,600 sq ft or 5,350 m². There is a goal centered on each end line, with a crossbar 10 feet (3.0 m) above the ground and goalposts 18 feet 6 inches (5.64 m) apart (in college and the NFL) extending at least 35 feet (11 m) above the crossbar. Between the goal lines, additional lines span the width of the field at 5-yard intervals. This appearance led to the use of the term "gridiron" in the 1880s. For a few years in the early 20th century, lines perpendicular to the lines at 5-yard intervals spanned the length of the field, giving it a checkerboard-like appearance.

This article mainly describes the field used in the National Football League, college football, and other leagues playing the standard form of outdoor 11-man football. Other variants of American football such as nine-man or arena football typically use smaller fields with smaller end zones.