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Previous Issues > November 2007 > Come Out & Play > Football Fun For Everyone
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 Come Out & Play
Football Fun for Everyone
Fall means cooler weather and cooler weather means football! In the United States, football is a sport enjoyed by all ages. Kids as young as five can join organized leagues and continue to play through high school and college. Those who are really good can make a career of the game by playing professional football.
Football began in the 19th century in England when a soccer player decided to pick up the ball and run with it even though that move was against the rules. Other players liked the new way of playing, and rugby was born. The new sport came to America by the mid-1800s, and the first college football game was played November 6, 1869, in New Jersey between Princeton and Rutgers.
But football was really still American rugby much different from today's game. Yale player Walter Camp convinced officials to change the rules and create the game we know. For that reason, Camp is considered to be the father of modern football.
Playing football requires specialized equipment. The helmet is the most important, but in the 1890s, the players' only head protection came from their own long hair and leather nose guards. Headgear introduced in 1896 evolved from three leather straps to today's familiar-style helmet.
To protect their bodies, players use a neck roll, a girdle and a variety of pads, including shoulder pads and knee pads. Football pants are tight to keep the pads and girdle in place. Cleats on their shoes help players to move around on the field.
The football field is 100 yards long, with an end zone and field goal at each end. The object of the game is to use your offense to move the ball down the field into the other team's end zone to score points and your defense to keep them from scoring.
The offense has four tries (or downs) to move the ball at least 10 yards, from the original line of scrimmage. If the players move at least 10 yards the count starts over four more downs to move 10 more yards. If, after the first three downs, the offense has not moved the 10 yards, players have three options: 1) go for the fourth down, 2) attempt a field goal for three points, or 3) kick a punt and turn the ball over to the other team as far from their goal line as possible.
If the goal line is reached, it is called a touchdown, and the offense wins six points. Following a touchdown, the scoring team can attempt to earn extra points by kicking a field goal or attempting a two-point conversion. After a team scores, they must kick off to the other team, and the process begins all over again.
The rules of football continue to evolve and are what make it one of America's top spectator sports.
Sheri Collins is a contributing writer for Kidsville News.
Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica Online; www.football.com; Your Guide to Football by James Alder, www.about.com.
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