End zone
The
end zone is a term in both
Canadian football and
American football. The end zone is the area between the
end line and
goal line bounded by the
sidelines. It is bordered on all sides by a white line indicating its beginning and end points.
A team scores a
touchdown by entering their opponent's end zone while carrying the ball or catching the ball while being within the end zone. If the ball is carried by an offensive player, across the goal line, it is considered a score as soon as the ball crosses the imaginary
vertical plane of the goal line, between the two sidelines. In addition, a
two-point conversion may be scored after a touchdown by similar means.
The location of a goal post differs from league to league, but it is always within the boundaries of the end zone. In earlier football games (both professional and collegiate), the goal post began at the goal line, and was usually an H-shaped bar. Nowadays, almost all goal posts are T-shaped, and reside at the back line of the end zone.
Most professional teams have their
logo and/or team name painted on the surface of the end zone, with team colors filling the background. Many championship games at college and professional level are commemorated by the names of the opposing teams each being painted in one of the opposite end zones.
The end zone in Canadian football is 20 yards long by 65 yards wide, where the end zone in American football is 10 yards long by 53 and 1/3 yards wide (Canadian football is played on a longer & wider field).The end zone streches from pylon to pylon on an American football field.
