RULE 1 — CONDUCT OF THE GAME

SECTION 1 — THE FIELD

The field shall be 110 yards long by 65 yards wide. It shall be distinctly marked as indicated herein:

  • The lines marking the sides of the field shall be named Sidelines.
  • The lines marking the ends of the field shall be named Goal Lines.
  • The area bounded by these two sets of lines shall be called the Field of Play.
  • Twenty yards behind each Goal Line, and parallel to it, shall be marked a line named the Dead Line.
  • The Sidelines extended from Goal Line to Dead Line shall be named the Sidelines in Goal.
  • The area bounded by the Goal Line, the Dead Line and the Sidelines in Goal shall be named the Goal Area.
  • The bounds shall be defined as the inside of the Sidelines, Sidelines in Goal and Dead Lines.
  • The Field of Play shall be marked every 5 yards with lines extending from Sideline to Sideline and parallel to the Goal Lines.
  • Twenty-four yards in from each Sideline each 5-yard stripe shall be marked by a short cross stripe parallel to the Sidelines (Hash Marks).
  • Markers shall be placed opposite each 5-yard line from the Goal Line, indicating the distance of each such line from the Goal Line toward the centre of the field.
  • The four intersections of Goal Lines and Sidelines and the four intersections of Dead Lines and Sidelines in Goal shall be indicated by flexible markers that must be placed so that they are not touching the surface of the playing field.
  • Vertical posts (goal posts) shall be placed and centred on each Goal Line. The distance between the posts shall be 18 feet 6 inches. The goal posts shall extend 40 feet above ground level and shall be joined by a crossbar parallel to the ground at a height of 10 feet. The diameter of each post above the crossbar shall be not less than 3 inches or greater than 4 inches.
  • At the extreme top of each post, there shall be attached a coloured ribbon 4 inches wide and 42 inches long. A wishbone type or single-shaft goal post assembly may be used, provided that it complies with the above standards and the base of the assembly is not further than 75 inches from the Goal Line.

If the regulation length of a field is not available because of a fence, a running track or any other object, a clear line of demarcation shall be established at least one foot toward the playing surface from such fence, track or object.

A line shall be painted on the playing surface and shall be considered as the boundary line. A player who touches this line, the surface outside the line or any object outside the line shall be ruled as having gone Out of Bounds.

THE OFFICIAL PLAYING RULES FOR THE CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE 2013

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Cover Design by Barnstorm Creative

Cover Photo by Pater McCabe

Content compiled and entered by Darren Hackwood, Glen Johnson and Andre Proulx

The CFL Official Rule Book is published annually by the Canadian Football League. Any inquiries regarding the CFL Official Playing Rules may be directed to Glen Johnson, Officiating Technical Advisor, @ gjohnson@cfl.ca.