Both American and Canadian football are related to the European sport of rugby. They are very similar but yet there are some differences between them. These similarities and more important differences are presented below in this article.

Canadian football and the American one are very similar and many people who do not know football very well think they are the same. The biggest difference between these related sports is the size of the pitch.

In America the standard pitch is 100 yards long and around 53 yards (53 1/3 yards exactly). In Canada, the pitches are 65 yards wide and 110 yards long. The end zones differ too in these sports. When it comes to Canadian football, the end zone is deeper in comparison to the American football one.

Also, another difference is the number of the players. While American football teams have 11 players, Canadian teams have 12 players. There is an extra backfield player in Canadian teams. This makes a big difference in the game as Canadians play with just one safety instead of 2 safeties as Americans play.

Also, there is a difference in the downs number too. Canadian football has 3 downs while American one has 4. Therefore it makes the Canadian game more kick and pass oriented. Kicking is another difference between these related sports because the kicker is allowed to advance his kick. Because of this, kicking is more important in Canadian football teams. Also, other kicking rules differ as there is no rule of fair catch in Canada.

There are other differences between these two sports besides the ones above but they are minor in comparison to them. Similarities may be found in the game play, the equipment and other things that come or do not come from rugby. However, Canadians will say that their football is the best and Americans will say that American football is the best.

In conclusion, there are many differences between American football and Canadian one. However, you should not think they are completely different. This is because basically, many Europeans confuse these two sports and do not think they are different one from another. The game play looks the same for a non viewer.

On the other hand, for a football specialist these games are very far from being the same as the whole game changes because of the extra player in Canadian teams and the bigger pitch. No matter what your opinion is, you should respect both of them as they are part of a history.