Ninh explains – The Rules of Canadian Football The object of the game is for your team to
score more points than the opposing team. Teams are made up of 44 players, with 12 players
taking the field at any one time. The field is 110 yards long by 65 yards wide,
with two 20 yard endzones at each end. White markings on the field help players,
referee’s and spectators keep track of what’s going on. The game starts with a kickoff.
The team with possession of the ball is known as the offense, and the team without the ball
is the defense. The job of the offense is to move the ball
up the field and score points. This can be done by either running forwards
with the ball, or by throwing it up the field for a teammate to catch. The offense is given 3 chances (or 3 downs)
to make at least 10 yards. If the offense manages to move the ball 10
yards or more, they will retain possession of the ball whilst given another 3 downs to
make another 10 yards. On your TV screen, you will see this graphic.
This tells you what down the team is on and this tells you how many yards they need to
make. If you’re also watching this on TV, they will also show the lines they need to
cross in order to make their downs. The defence’s job is to stop the offense
moving the ball forwards by tackling. This includes pulling them to the ground, stopping
them from moving forward or forcing them off the field. If the offense fails to move the ball 10 yards
within 3 downs, the ball is given to the defending team at that point.
The defending team will then bring on their offensive players and try and move the ball
in the opposite direction so that they can score. You will most likely see an offense kick the
ball away on third down to make it more difficult for the other team to score. The teams will usually have three different
units of 12 players that come on the field at different times. They include: The Offense.
These players will usually come on the field when they have possession of the ball.
The offensive unit consists of these positions –
The quarterback is the most important player on the field as he’s the one who decides
to pass the ball up the field, hand it off to a teammate so that they can run with it,
or run with it himself. The offensive line positions are usually responsible
for protecting the quarterback. The wide receivers and slotbacks are responsible
for running down the field to catch the ball thrown by the quarterback, the running back
and full back is responsible for running with the ball up the field. The Defense
These players will usually come on the field when the other team has the ball.
The defensive unit consists of these positions –
The defensive line is responsible for moving past the offensive line.
The line-backers stop running backs coming through the defensive line and they also are
responsible for attacking the quarterback. The cornerbacks try and stop the wide receivers.
And the safeties try and stop a pass up the middle of the field. Special Teams.
Special teams are specialist players that come on the field when there is a kick involved.
Within the special teams is a mix of offensive and defensive players mixed with either a
punter or kicker for offense, or a punt returner for defense. Now you know what all the players do and how
the game is played. But how do you score? In Canadian Football, there’s five different
ways of scoring: 1. Touchdown:
The main way of scoring is via a touchdown. If the ball is carried into the endzone area,
or thrown and caught in the endzone, this is a touchdown and is worth 6 points.
Unlike in Rugby, you do not need to touch the ball down on the ground, all you have
to do is cross the line with the nose of the ball to score. 2. Extra points.
Once a touchdown has been scored, you have the option of kicking it through the uprights
for an extra point, or try and pass the ball into the endzone again for an extra two points.
Most teams play it safe and go with the one point. 3. Field Goal.
At any time, the team with the ball can kick the ball between the posts and over the crossbar.
To do this, they must hand it to a teammate who will hold it on the ground ready for a
kicker to make the kick. A successful kick scores 3 points. 4. Safety.
If the defense tackles an offensive player behind his own goal line, the defending team
scores two points. 5. Rouge
Unique to Canadian Football, a Rouge (more commonly known as a single) scores one point
for the following three scenarios. If the kicking team misses a field goal and it goes
out of bounds, if the kicking team punts the ball out of bounds through the endzone, or
if a defensive player is tackled in his own endzone after a kick.
Each of these scores one point. These rules does not apply in American Football. The game is played in 4 x 15 minute quarters,
for a combined playing time of 60 minutes. Highest score at the end of 60 minutes wins.
There are no ties in Canadian Football, so overtime periods are played if necessary to
determine a winner. Is that it? Is that all I need to know. Well, you’re almost there, but Canadian
Football is filled with lots of rules, and you’ll need to understand a few more of
them before you watch or play a game. For example. FUMBLE
If a ball carrier or passer drops the ball, that’s a fumble. Any player on the field can
recover the ball by diving on it or he can run with it. The team that recovers a fumble
gets possession of the ball. INTERCEPTION
An aggressive defense can regain possession of the ball by catching (intercepting) passes
that are meant for players on the other team. Both fumble recoveries and interceptions can
be run back into the end zone for touchdowns. INCOMPLETE PASS
If a pass intended to a receiver hits the ground first, it is ruled an incomplete pass.
A down is wasted and play restarts from the sport of the last down. PENALTY
If a player breaks one of the rules, referees will throw flags onto the field.
They will determine who made the foul and how many yards his team should be penalised. TIMEOUTS
If a team wants to stop the clock to regroup, take a break or discuss strategy, they are
allowed one time-out per half. Each time out lasts 60 seconds. Players get a break of 14
minutes at half time. This is all a lot to take in, but once you
start playing or watching Canadian Football, the rules will become clear. If you have found this video at all helpful,
please like, share with your friends, rate and comment. It takes me ages to make one
of these videos and good karma is always appreciated. Enjoy Canadian Football. Ninh Ly, www.ninh.co.uk, @NinhLyUK
why do some receivers start far back then run up instead of just waiting on the line like american football
Good job explaining the rules.
That was very helpful, just want I needed before I go to my first game this afternoon!
I just recently learned that Canadian Football has the onside punt. That's pretty cool!
Thanks for the great video. I'm taking my sister to her first CFL game this weekend so this video is the perfect thing for it.
Great video – I needed clarification on some of the rules and this really helped. Thanks!
Hey guys I'm new to CFL and am a big giants fan. I was wondering who I should root for. I'm from the English/ Welsh borders so I was thinking of supporting city with a lot of British immigration and/or that is rural. I also hate bandwagon teams. Any ideas?
This is an excellent primer for someone (like me) who wants to know the basic rules of football. Thank you! 🙂
i been to a CFL games it was nice i like both leagues
Thanks for making a great video! been a big fan of the CFL for a while now, but yeah can also easily watch college football and the NFL, but overall just prefer the CFL. Go REDBLACKS!
great job going over the rules of the CFL. Also, love Kong's tekken 3 theme
Could you explain how the rouge thing works? I dont really understand it.
Thanks man just started watching the cfl I will continue to watch it and my favorite team is Toronto well because that's the only place in Canada I've been lol
lets go argos
Love the fact that you used a Saskatchewan Roughrider game as an example! GO RIDERS!!!!
Go Bombers Go
So Canadian football is actually HARDER than American football, it would seem.
THANK YOU!
Cfl games actually can end in ties. After two overtime possessions by each team if the score is still tied the game is ended.
Great video, watched just to learn more about the rules of the rouge but I stayed for the entire video. My only complaint is the footage, did you have to show the Roughriders getting beaten so badly? It hurt my soul. 🙂
Does america ever air any CFL games? If so which channels
Very good explanation
Ahem. SORRY
Passing looks OP with receivers being able to run up to the line also the goalpost at the front of the endzone seems sketchy
I bet Michigan or Alabama could beat a CFL team
I don't like the endzone
In Canadian Football, there are 12 men on the team vs. 11 men on the team in the American Football.
RIP Refs 3:04
Now what tf is area football
I didn't know Canadian football had only 3 downs
Anyone who likes defense, won't like Canadian football in my experience. It is not that they don't play it but Canadian football is even more pass happy than the current NFL and it basically takes away the usefulness of runstoppers
Awesome video! It was incredibly informal
Brandin Cooks would be a beast with a no-after-snap-pressure, his release inside the scrimmage line would burn many DBs tho…
So one point for missed field goals and punts out the back of end zone?
Great video
Why did the guy not try to get out of the end zone to avoid the Rouge? But great video!
Great video, but one problem. You said there are no ties in Canadian football. There are. If after the end of two overtime periods neither team leads, it's a tie.
As happened here:
https://www.cfl.ca/2017/06/23/no-decision-redblacks-stamps-tie-grey-cup-rematch/
There is one more position from what I know called a tightend
I just have one question: Why must the receivers/slotbacks run towards the line of scrimmage before the snap?
Great job.
Very well done and easy to understand. Most of these rules apply to the American game as well. Some exceptions are the smaller American field, four downs instead of three to make a first down, and the lack of the rouge/single.
You didn't mention that the season championship game, the Grey Cup, can be and has been played more than once in a full blizzard, at temperatures down to about -30 Celsius. If your home team is hosting the Grey Cup, and your city's stadium is an open one (as ours is), this is a uniquely Canadian experience. I recall one Grey Cup where our home team, the Edmonton Eskimos ,were the Western Conference champions and Edmonton was the host city. Grey Cup day was very cold, and it was snowing.The entire field was covered in tarpaulins until play began. Visibility became so bad that it caused a halt in play. However, the game was nevertheless completed. If you attend a late-season game at an outdoor stadium, it's necessary to dress for the cold. This is one part of the game that NFL teams in places like Florida or Texas do not have to worry about, LOL!
1:02 was the wide receiver off sides?
Thank you
He skipped the 3 minute warning.
Fun fact: the CFL was originally a rugby union league, not football.
That’s my team sk
Very helpful
4:40 the bal crossed the line before the fumble
Are the balls different from american football? to me they look like college balls
3:52 for the Rouge explanation. Thats what i wanted
you couldve saved everyone some time by just saying that its american football with 3 downs instead of 4
Wait if being tackled in the end zone gives a point, why did the guy catch the ball and not try to run out?
Actually, you're wrong about the ties. There are ties in the CFL; both teams get at least one mini-series starting at the opponent's 35 yard line, with touchdowns requiring the point-after attempt be a running play for 2 points as of 2010. If they're tied after the first series, they each get a 2nd series, and if they're tied after that, the game ends as a tie. In the playoffs, I would assume it would keep going extra sets of series beyond 2 until one team won, but that hasn't occured yet, though it got close, as the Redblacks won on the 2nd set of overtime series in the 2016 Grey Cup over the Stampeders. Additionally, it looks like the same rules apply for Canadian university football as well regarding overtime.
Thank you for this vidio…..why is the defense all set back off the line of scrimmage?
Thank you, now I can use your video to help me to explain CFL rules to my friends!!!!
Also in the CFL a receiver only has to keep 1 foot inbound while making a catch.
this is american football
Thank you so much for your video! I knew nothing about football until now. My dad is taking me to a game for the first time tonight, so at least I feel educated now.
Tekken music in the background.
What about the fuckig goal posts why is No one acting like it’s a big deal why the fuck am I the only one
Honestly I was trying to learn about cfl rules but I always keep forgetting there is only 3 downs since I’m always familiar with the nfl’s 4 downs
Cool
Isn't it a slot receiver not slot back
you forgot to mention the overtime rules which are far superior to american handegg
That’s a proper field…American football fields are so tiny and narrow
Great video. Great summary, clear and to the point.
Tekken!
Go Saskatchewan roughriders
Is a CFL field the same as a Rugby Union/League Pitch? I understand the Americans use a smaller field with less players due to the dimentions of the smaller field at Harvard.
How about a world cup of kicking for Canadian football to find who is the best field goal kicking and 1 pt conversions in Candian football?
Diolch.
Iechyd Da.
Question about the rouge from an american football fan. So a rouge is scored,
1. on a missed field goal that still goes out the back of the end zone
2.on a punt that goes out the back of the end zone
3. on a punt that is downed in the end zone
am I correct?
Great vid.
Wow wonder who the Toronto fan in
i thought this is a happier version of american football
Never knew there was a Canadian football
thank you
great video, although i still dont understand quite why the receivers and slotbacks start a few yards back and run up to the line while the balls being hiked
Excellent video to explain the Rules of Canadian Football. Time for an update. The convert or point after is placed on the 32 yard line instead of the 12. If the kick is good it counts for one point. A team can also try for a two point concersion. The ball remains placed on the 2 yard line.
I would also add a couple of other nuisances, the punt team is required to give the punt returner 5 yds or it is a penalty (called a no yards penalty), the penalty is either 5 yds for unintentional no yards, or 15 yards for intentional.
The Defence must be a yard "off the ball" at the beginning of each play.
On Offense there is unlimited motion allowed before the snap of the ball in ANY direction.
Jesus the guy @0:30 was the definition of coming in hot
I'm the 777th comment!!!!!!!
I’ve always been a fan of AF but lately the CFL has sparked my interest. But being poor I can’t afford any sports packages and the only CFL game I know of that’s broadcasted down here is the Grey Cup.
One rule for sure needs to be changed . The US should get at least one team .
False start on everyone
Thank you👌
Rouge is at 3:51
What about the 1 pt drop goal?
In very distant past, Rouge didn't add point to kicking team, instead, they DEDUCT point from Receiving one point, so score can go negative, and they use red(in french,rouge) in signal negative point.
And in any kick, every kicking team players who behind the kicker(include kicker himself) is ONSIDE. Onside players can rush and grab the ball back. Others are offside and have to keep away from football for 5 yards, until receiving team member touched them, or ref will penalize the kicking team for "no yards"
Hey I love you’re video you deserve more subscribers and I have one question can you make a video about each cfl team in both divisions please thank you
Another great video Ninh! This year's Grey Cup is being held here in Calgary and we hope that our hometown Stampedets will be there to repeat last years title. I love the CFL and all of the passionate fans that pull for their teams. And yes that includes all you Saskatchewan Roughriders supporters as well.
Keep it up👍🏼👍🏼
Thx for making this video. As an ardent fan of my home country's version of football (and unfortunately it's slowly diminishing interest among Cdns, especially young Cdns), it's Great to see it get some well deserved attention, Howe er it comes. Thx again. And well done!
the defense this team will come out when the other team has the ball.. REALLY you dont say lmfao
The only thing that makes me angry about the nfl, is that they can “fair catch”, and in Canada, that does not exist and instead we have the no yards rule, but the ball is ALWAYS live on a punt that is in bounds!
All the rules must be the same if is football. Like in soccer everywhere same rules apply.
I was surprised by how different CFL rules are from NFL rules. Great video.
American football but with the metric system
I watch CFL all the time and I was hoping you would explain the no yards call. Still dont get that rule.
Oh and touchbacks give a point to the kicking team in Canada.
I swear Canadians are some of the nicest people