"years, and are not officially defined in the rules. However, among offensive players, the rules recognize three different types of players: Specific offensive positions include: The rules do not constrain how the defence may arrange itself (other than the requirement that they must remain one yard behind the line of scrimmage until the play starts). ""Special teams"" generally refers to kicking plays, which typically involve a change in possession. Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide"
"Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; ) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. Its nine teams, which are located in nine separate cities throughout Canada, are divided into two divisions: the East Division, with four teams, and the West Division with five teams. As of 2018, the league features a 21-week regular season, which traditionally runs from mid-June to early November; each team plays 18 games with three bye weeks. Following the regular season, six teams compete in the league's three-week divisional playoffs, which culminate in"
"The Canadian Football League (CFL) is the major Canadian league and is the second-most popular sporting league in Canada, behind only the National Hockey League. A major variant of football is arena football, played by the Arena Football League (AFL). Arena football has eight-player teams and uses an indoor field in length, excluding end zones, and wide. Punting is illegal, and kickoffs are attempted from the goal line. Large overhead nets deflect forward passes and kicks that hit them, and deflected kicks are live balls that may be recovered by either team. Below the Arena Football League are what ""The"
"in bounds if he had not been pushed by a defender. This rule was based on a judgment call by the official, and was criticized for being inconsistent. The rule was dropped prior to the 2008 season by the NFL. CFL roster sizes are 46 players (rather than 53 as in the NFL, though only 45 will dress for a game). A CFL team may dress up to 44 players comprising 21 ""nationals"" (essentially, Canadians), 20 ""internationals"" (almost exclusively Americans), and 3 quarterbacks. The traditional NFL football season runs from the 2nd week of September until late December or the"
"players for punts, kickoffs, and extra point attempts. As in American football, most of the special teams players are starters or bench players for offence or defence. Because of substantial differences between the two codes—most notably the larger field and only having three downs to advance the ball 10 yards instead of four—offensive formations are somewhat different in the Canadian game. Most notably, tight ends are almost completely absent in Canada. The Canadian Football League has an additional rule that at least seven of the 24 offensive and defensive starters in a game be Canadian citizens. These seven starters can"
"like most amateur Canadian football leagues, plays on a larger field using a rulebook with several significant rule differences compared to the game as it is played in the United States. The league is composed of two divisions and nine teams in most of the largest Canadian markets, with at least one team in each province between British Columbia (BC Lions) and Quebec (Montreal Alouettes) inclusive. The only presence in Atlantic Canada is a semi-regular series of games in Moncton (Touchdown Atlantic) and a smattering of earlier preseason contests. The CFL operates a two-week preseason beginning in June, an 18-game"
"The Canadian Football League holds its annual player draft before the start of the season, either in the last days of April or the start of May. It was formerly held as part of the annual league meetings in Hamilton, but is now typically held by conference call with the first two rounds being broadcast live on TSN. Since 2013, the draft has consisted of seven rounds, with teams drafting in inverse order of their records in the previous season. As with the NFL Draft, trading of picks is very common, meaning that a team will not necessarily have seven"
"a CFL game. Canadian football is played at several levels in Canada; the top league is the professional nine-team Canadian Football League (CFL). The CFL regular season begins in June, and playoffs for the Grey Cup are completed by mid-November. In cities with outdoor stadiums such as Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Regina, low temperatures and icy field conditions can seriously affect the outcome of a game. Amateur football is governed by Football Canada. At the university level, 26 teams play in four conferences under the auspices of U Sports (known from 2001–2016 as Canadian Interuniversity Sport); the U Sports champion"
"under Canadian law. As of 2013, prior to Ottawa's rejoining the league (at which time Toronto, which is partially owned by a public company, was still fully private), estimates of the CFL's revenue varied between $150 million and . In 2006, the active roster limit was increased from 40 to 42 and in 2014 it was again increased to 44. Each team must abide by the national/international ratio rule, which requires teams to keep at least 21 national players, (""a Canadian citizen at the time of signing his first contract, was classified as a non-import prior to May 31, 2014,"
"Canadian Football League attendance Canadian Football League attendance has averaged no fewer than 20,000 spectators per game for every season since 1963. The CFL consistently draws, on average, the third or fourth largest crowds to its games of any professional sports league in North America, ranking behind the National Football League and Major League Baseball, about on par with Liga MX and ahead of Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League. To date, a CFL game has drawn in excess of 50,000 spectators 111 times. It happened for the first six times in 1976, when"
"and 4-players on each side; coed or single-gender; without kicking and punting and with point-after conversions (including some with 1, 2, and 3 point tries) or without; and field sizes that vary from full Canadian Football League (CFL) size, National Football League (NFL) size (120 yards long by 53 yards wide), to fields a third that size. An important distinction is whether linemen are allowed to catch passes (""Eligible Linemen"") or, as in the NFL / CFL, are not allowed to do so (""Ineligible Linemen""). Flag (and touch) football may also be divided into ""contact"" or ""non-contact"", depending on whether"
"The CFL's championship game, the Grey Cup, is the country's single largest sporting event and is watched by nearly one third of Canadian television households. The nine Canadian football teams are the B.C. Lions, Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Eskimos, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Montreal Alouettes, and Ottawa Redblacks. The Canadian Football League is the second most popular professional sports league in Canada. Each of the CFL's 9 teams draw anywhere from 20,000 to 40,000+ spectators per game. Although western teams enjoy consistently higher stadium attendance numbers than their eastern counterparts, the league enjoys strong TV ratings"
"ten days to offer a contract (usually a league-minimum, two-year contract) to retain the player's rights. CFL players are represented by the Canadian Football League Players' Association (CFLPA). Each team elects two players to the CFLPA Board of Player Representatives, which meets once per year. Every two years, it elects an executive Board of Directors. Eligible Canadian nationals (usually from U Sports football or American college football) are drafted by teams in the annual CFL Draft. The draft usually takes place in May and consists of seven rounds. The first two rounds of the draft are usually shown live on"
"or was physically resident in Canada for an aggregate period of five years prior to reaching the age of 18."") with the other 23 players allowed to originate from any country; quarterbacks, of which a team can carry three on a roster, cannot be counted toward the national player requirement, which puts Canadian quarterbacks at a disadvantage compared to other positions in being hired by a CFL franchise. Teams may have up to two players on their reserve roster, and up to 10 on their practice roster. Canadian national players enter the CFL through the CFL Draft. International players are"
"TSN. The CFL Combine (formerly known as the CFL Evaluation Camp), similar to the NFL Combine, precedes the draft. A junior player in the locale of a team may be claimed as a territorial exemption and sign with that team before beginning collegiate play (one recent example is when the BC Lions claimed Andrew Harris). Teams maintain ""negotiation lists"" of players they wish to sign as free agents. Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; ) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. Its nine teams, which are"
"AFL Canada. Team Canada for men is known as the Northwind. Team Canada for women is known as the Northern Lights. In 2006, there were over 420 senior (approximately 250 Canadian national) Australian rules football players in Canada out of a total of 484, an increase of 25% from 2005. By the end of 2007, this figure had increased to a total of 825 players in organised competitions, of which 525 were senior and 300 were junior, an increase of over 70% from 2006, and a total of 95% increase over 2 years. Canada boasts 9 women's football clubs nationwide."
"Canadian Junior Football League The Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) is a national amateur Canadian football league consisting of 18 teams playing in six provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. Many CJFL players moved on to professional football careers in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and elsewhere. Formed May 8, 1974, The CJFL's formal mission statement is: ""The Canadian Junior Football League provides the opportunity for young men aged 17 to 22 to participate in highly competitive post-high school football that is unique in Canada. The goal of the league is to foster community involvement"
"the line. Only the quarterback and linemen must be motionless at the time of the snap, allowing up to six players to be moving toward or along the line at varying speeds (typically the wide receivers are still or at a walking pace at the snap to ensure they are at the line of scrimmage.) In both the college and pro games, an offensive team with the lead has more difficulty in running out the clock in the Canadian game. In the Canadian Football League, the clock is stopped while the officials place the ball, and then they whistle the"
"the usual three) to move the ball forward 10 yards. The one-yard neutral zone is the same as in regular Canadian football. Instead of 12 players per side, MWFL teams play with 11 per team according to the league's 2012 rules. As of 2012, the four timed quarters are each 12 minutes long ordinarily, but 15 minutes long in the final two weeks of the regular season. The league's former rules in 2007 stipulated that games were played with 10 players per team, in four quarters of 10 minutes each. The league championship is known as the SupHer Bowl, while"
"with fewer than 1.25 million, smaller than any U.S. NHL market except Buffalo. The Canadian Football League has teams in all seven current NHL markets, in addition to Hamilton, Ontario, and Regina, Saskatchewan. At least eight of these nine markets have hosted CFL teams every year since the league's officially listed inception in 1958, and no other Canadian market has ever had a CFL team of its own. In 2015, the CFL commenced Northern Kickoff, originally slated to be one preseason game and later expanded to a regular season game as well, both of which were played in Fort McMurray,"
"five games being played. Canadian Football League Canada Day Games Canada Day games in the Canadian Football League are an occasional part of the league's schedule and occur only when the league schedule begins on or before July 1. The games are not an annual occurrence, unlike the Labour Day or Thanksgiving Day games and they are typically only scheduled when Canada Day falls on a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. As of the 2017 CFL season, there have been 20 Canada Day games played. In 1984, the CFL played regular season games in June for the first time"
"Canadian Soccer League The Canadian Soccer League (CSL; ) is a semi-professional league for exclusively Canadian association soccer clubs primarily located in the province of Ontario, and is the successor league to the Canadian National Soccer League (CNSL). It is a Non-FIFA league previously sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), but now affiliated with the Soccer Federation of Canada (SFC). As of 2018, it consists of 15 teams all located in Ontario, and is divided into two divisions, the First Division and Second Division. The season runs from May to October, with most games played on the weekend followed"
"Atlantic Football League The Atlantic Football League (AFL) is an amateur club-level Canadian football league that features four teams based in Atlantic Canada. The league is for players aged 18-24 that either attend universities without U Sports football programs or for players in the area. Since member teams operate as club teams (and not varsity teams), they do not receive funding from their universities. Some players eventually join U Sports programs and all Canadian players are eligible to join Canadian Football League teams. There are currently four teams in league and each team plays six games with each team hosting"
"knockout games, and the league semifinals & Finals are best-of-5 on a 2-2-1 basis. In the Canadian Football League, the playoffs begin in November. After the regular season, the top team from each division has an automatic home game berth in the Division Final, and a bye week during the Division Semifinal. The second-place team from each division hosts the third-place team in the Division Semifinal, unless the fourth-place team from the opposite division finishes with a better record. This ""crossover rule"" does not come into play if the teams have identical records—there are no tiebreakers. While the format means"
"system. Fourteen teams play in this league, all of which are based in Canada. It is a Non-FIFA league previously sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association and is now a member of the Soccer Federation of Canada (SFC). |rowspan=8 |Qualification for Playoffs |rowspan=8 |Qualification for Playoffs No Canadian teams play in this league, though eleven players from the Canada women's national soccer team play on its teams. It is considered a Division 1 league in the Canadian soccer league system. 103 teams play in this league, one of which is based in Canada (NSGSC). It is considered a Division 2"
"and defence as well as special teams for specific activities. A Canadian football team consists of an offensive unit, a defensive unit and a ""special teams"" unit (involved in kicking and kick returns). Twelve players can be on the field at any time. Players are allowed to play on more than one of the units, this is the norm for all but the highest levels of play (professional and large schools). The kicking unit, with the exception of a few specialists, is usually made up of reserve players from the offence and defence. In both kinds of rugby the same"
"is considered a Division 1 league in the Canadian soccer league system. Two Canadian teams (FC Edmonton and Ottawa Fury FC) play in this league, which also contains 12 teams from the United States. It is considered a Division 2 league in the Canadian soccer league system. Three Canadian teams (FC Montréal, Toronto FC II, and Whitecaps FC 2) play in this league, which also contains 25 teams from the United States. It is considered a Division 3 league in the Canadian soccer league system. 16 teams play in this league, all of which are based in Canada. It is"
"have undergone major upgrades. During the 2010s, CFL attendance has consistently exceeded 25,000 fans per game. An average of 25,286 fans watched CFL games in 2014. CFL attendance has been depressed during the middle of the current decade by short-term issues, most notably the lack of stadium availability in Toronto and Hamilton. By 2018, attendances in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver were consistently below 20,000 fans, prompting long-term concerns in those markets. Below is a list of all Canadian Football League games reported to have been attended by 50,000 or more spectators. The following table compares the Canadian Football League regular"
"Canadian Football League Canada Day Games Canada Day games in the Canadian Football League are an occasional part of the league's schedule and occur only when the league schedule begins on or before July 1. The games are not an annual occurrence, unlike the Labour Day or Thanksgiving Day games and they are typically only scheduled when Canada Day falls on a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. As of the 2017 CFL season, there have been 20 Canada Day games played. In 1984, the CFL played regular season games in June for the first time in league history. Consequently,"
"team wore the uniforms at two times this season with the exception of Winnipeg, who wore theirs once, and Ottawa and Calgary, who wore theirs three times. Each team is scheduled to wear these uniforms at least once for the 2015 CFL season. Teams play eighteen regular season games, playing two divisional opponents three times and all of the other teams twice. Teams are awarded two points for a win and one point for a tie. The top three teams in each division qualify for the playoffs, with the first place team gaining a bye to the divisional finals. A"
"ball is ready for play if the play ended in the field of play. In the CFL, each team has two time-outs a game but cannot use both in the last three minutes of the game, while at lower levels of Canadian football each team has two. In Canadian football there is a three-minute rather than a two-minute warning. Also, at all levels of Canadian football, the clock is stopped after every play during the last three minutes of each half. Once the referee has set the ball the clock will restart if the last play ended with a runner"
"Canadian football, and to one per half in the Canadian Football League. Unused timeouts carry over between the first and second quarters and between the third and fourth quarters, but they do not carry over between halves. If overtime is required in the NFL, each team is given two timeouts during a ten-minute regular season season sudden-death period (overtime periods are fifteen minutes in the playoffs), while in college football each team gets one timeout per possession. In the CFL, overtime is untimed and teams receive no additional timeouts. If a timeout above these limits is called, it is usually"
"Both the Vancouver and Montreal clubs were long-time organizations that had played in lower divisions. The Canadian Premier League (CPL) is an upcoming professional tier 1 soccer league. Seven Canadian teams will compete in its inaugural 2019 season, including Pacific FC (Langford, British Columbia), Cavalry FC (Calgary, Alberta), FC Edmonton (Edmonton, Alberta), Valour FC (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Forge FC (Hamilton, Ontario), York 9 FC (York Region, Ontario) and HFX Wanderers FC (Halifax, Nova Scotia). The stated goal of the league is to develop Canadian soccer talent, and as such will have a minimum number of Canadian players on each roster and"