How many players does each team have on the field in an American football game?
2091748#2
In American football since the 1950s, most upper level teams use a three-platoon system, each with its own starting lineup. The starting lineups for offense and defense, each with eleven players, typically get the most attention. The starting lineups are defined as the eleven players who take the first offensive or defensive play from scrimmage of a given game. (An offensive player does not have to be on the team that gets possession first to be considered a starter, nor does a defensive player have to be on the team that does not; the first play from scrimmage after the first change of possession counts as well.) The third platoon, special teams, in modern times is composed mostly of backup and reserve players from the offensive or defensive platoons, with the exception of the placekicker or punter; the players who, for instance, take part in the opening kickoff are typically not considered starters.
Starting lineup
38031910#1
As a team in the WSFL, Xplosion is considered a semi-professional Women's American football team. While most teams in the WSFL are 11 player, there is also a division consisting of 8 player teams. Three Rivers Xplosion participates in the later division, having 8 players on the field during their games. They play the full-contact, tackle version of American football with rules similar to those in the NFL. Xplosion practices and plays their games at local South Side schools and stadiums, with one their frequently utilized facilities being Quarry Field.
Three Rivers Xplosion
1136585#11
American teams use eleven players, while Canadian teams have twelve players on the field per side. Both games have the same number of offensive players required at the line of scrimmage, so the twelfth player in the Canadian game plays a backfield position on offence, whereas this is usually a defensive back on defence.
Comparison of American and Canadian football
4009259#0
In American football each team has 11 players on the field at one time. The specific role that a player takes on the field is called their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, teams are allowed unlimited substitutions; that is, teams may change any number of players after any play. This has resulted in the development of three "platoons" of players: the offense (the team with the ball, which is trying to score), the defense (the team trying to prevent the other team from scoring, and to take the ball from them), and the special teams (who play in kicking situations). Within those platoons, various specific positions exist depending on what each player's main job is.
American football positions
1391951#0
Game play in American football consists of a series of "downs", individual plays of short duration, outside of which the ball is "dead" or not in play. These can be plays from scrimmage – passes, runs, punts, or field goal attempts (from either a place kick or a drop kick) – or free kicks such as kickoffs and fair catch kicks. Substitutions can be made between downs, which allows for a great deal of specialization as coaches choose the players best suited for each particular situation. During a play, each team should have no more than 11 players on the field, and each of them has specific tasks assigned for that specific play.
American football rules
160994#48
In the 1995 season, in every team's home games, at least seven "local" players had to be playing or on the bench (three locals in away games). In the years before 2006, each team had to field at least one player of non-American extraction, called a "national" player, on every down of every other series. In 2006 the rule was changed to "every" series. In addition to European players a number of Mexican and Japanese players played as national players. Up until the 2004 season, kicked conversion attempts and short field goals were attempted by national players. Since there are few European players who have had the chance to compete at a level comparable to U.S. college football and the NFL, many, if not most, of the European players ended up as kickers.
NFL Europe
40913155#26
Although the number of players participating in the game is somewhat unimportant, the number of players from each team on the field must be equal and is normally about thirty from each team. In many games the players are split into three groups on the field. One group or the "pole men" guard their own goal to prevent the other team from scoring. The second group is placed in the middle of the field and is responsible for moving the ball down the field towards the goal to score points, and the third group or "returners" are gathered around the opponent's pole to help their team score points on the opposing team's pole. Due to the nature of the game and the number of players trying to retrieve one ball, injuries are unavoidable.
Indigenous North American stickball
665961#8
Traditionally, the onside kick had its own formation, in which the other ten players of the kicking team would line up on one side (left or right) of the kicker, in an effort to get as many people as possible into one area of the field. This is still popular in high school football; however, the NCAA (and later the NFL) now require that at least four players line up on each side of the kicker. To combat this, some teams (including the Buffalo Bills, who pioneered this strategy) developed a "cluster formation" in which all of the players line up behind and immediately next to the kicker in what is effectively a moving huddle. The NFL eventually banned this, too, with a 2009 rule change that states that "the kicking team cannot have more than five players bunched together"; the rule change has been considered a gratuitous targeting of Bills special teams coach Bobby April, as the ostensible reason for the ban (injury risk) had negligible evidence to support it. Effective with the 2018 season, the NFL requires that the kicking team line up with five players on each side of the ball.
An onside kick is usually a desperation technique used when the kicking team trails in the score with little time left in the game, in order to regain the ball and score again. The trade-off is that, in the usual case that the receiving team does get possession of the ball, it will have better field position and will need to advance the ball fewer yards in order to score. However, in the desperation situation, initial field position becomes less relevant, as the receiving team may focus on running the clock out and ending the game. If the kicking team succeeds in retaining possession, then the clock does not automatically stop as it would if the ball were transferred between teams (though it may stop for other reasons).
Onside kick
6274104#5
In most club and schoolhouse American Football, the majority of players play both offense and defense, only being substituted for injury. Substitutes in American football can return to the game at any stoppage in play. In rugby union, any player substituted off for any reason, except for a 'blood' injury, is prohibited from returning to the field of play (with the possible exception of front-row forwards). Rugby teams may make up to seven substitutions. Each team must field 15 players at the start of each match. Players who are bleeding may receive medical treatment off pitch and are replaced until they have stopped bleeding. If the bleeding has not stopped after 15 minutes of "real time", the player will be permanently substituted. This can be down to officials' discretion, depending at which level the sport is played, where only minor medical assistance is needed to make the player fit to return to the field of play. Ejected players in American football can be replaced with a substitute.
Comparison of American football and rugby union
11235960#8
On each game day, the roster must be reduced to 45 players who will actually participate in the game. This number must include no more than 3 "American" players. In EFAF rules an "American" is defined as a player with an American, Canadian, Mexican, or Japanese passport. There is no restriction on how many of these 3 can be on the field at the same time.
EFAF Cup