| American and Canadian football both descended from | | | | safeties as is typical in the American game. |
| rugby and began in Canada as a game played | | | | Another difference between the two games is the |
| between British soldiers garrisoned in Montreal. The | | | | number of downs. Instead of four as in the American |
| soldiers played a series of games against students at | | | | game, Canadian football has three. This results in a |
| McGill University. McGill played several games against | | | | more pass and kick oriented game since there are |
| Harvard in 1874 and a tradition was born. Despite | | | | fewer downs available for short-yardage running |
| their mutual origins, the Canadian and the American | | | | plays. The kicking rules are also slightly different with |
| game developed differently and now have | | | | the kicker being able to recover and advance his own |
| substantially different rules and regulations. | | | | kick. For this reason, kicking is a much more integral |
| The biggest difference between Canadian and | | | | part of Canadian football than American. |
| American football is the size of the playing field. In | | | | The biggest difference between the kicking rules in |
| Canada, football fields are 110 yards long and 65 | | | | the two games is that there is no fair catch rule in |
| yards wide. In America football fields are 100 yards | | | | Canadian football. In American football, if a kick |
| long and 53 and 1/3 yards wide. The goal posts in | | | | returner thinks he will not be able to advance the ball |
| Canadian football are placed at the front, rather than | | | | after recovery, he can signal for a fair catch and be |
| the back of the end zone which is also deeper in | | | | immune from contact. In Canadian football no player |
| Canadian football than American. | | | | on the kicking team except the kicker and any |
| Canadian football teams have twelve players as | | | | players behind him on the field may ever be within 5 |
| opposed to the eleven on American teams. Because | | | | yards of the ball unless it has been touched by an |
| the same number of players is required at the line of | | | | opponent. Also, in Canadian football any kick that |
| scrimmage in both games, this results in an extra | | | | goes into the end zone is a live ball, except for |
| backfield player on Canadian teams. This means that | | | | successful field goals. |
| the typical Canadian offensive setup has two slot | | | | There are other minor differences as well including |
| backs instead of a tight end and on defense, two | | | | scoring, motion and time rules but they are not as |
| defensive halfbacks and one safety instead of two | | | | significant as the major differences noted here. |