Questions about Canadian football
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What are the main differences between Canadian football and American football?
Canadian football uses three downs instead of four, fields 12 players per side instead of 11, and plays on a field 110 yards long and 65 yards wide, which is longer and wider than an American football field. The goal posts are placed at the front of the end zone in the Canadian game, while American football places them at the back. Canadian football also has a unique scoring play called the single or rouge, worth one point, which has no equivalent in American football.
When was the first Canadian football game played?
The first documented Canadian football match was a practice game played on the 9th of November, 1861, at University College, University of Toronto, approximately 400 yards west of Queen's Park. The first written account of a formal game comes from the 15th of October, 1862, played on the Montreal Cricket Grounds between the First Battalion Grenadier Guards and the Second Battalion Scots Fusilier Guards.
When was the Canadian Football League founded?
The Canadian Football League was founded in 1958, when the Canadian Football Council, formed in 1956 by the Interprovincial Football Union and the Western Interprovincial Football Union, left the Canadian Rugby Union and adopted the CFL name. The organization's roots trace back to the Canadian Rugby Football Union, founded on the 12th of June, 1880.
What is the Grey Cup and when was it established?
The Grey Cup is the CFL championship game and one of Canada's biggest sporting events. It was established in 1909 after being donated by Albert Grey, the 4th Earl Grey, who served as Governor General of Canada, as the championship trophy for the Rugby Football Championship of Canada. The competition began as an amateur event before professional teams came to dominate it in the 1940s and early 1950s.
Did the CFL ever expand into the United States?
Yes, the CFL placed teams in the United States in 1995 as part of what came to be called the South Division, with those teams playing under Canadian rules. The expansion lasted three years before ending due to financial losses, a lack of suitable stadiums, and the return of the NFL to Baltimore. The Baltimore Stallions were the most successful American team in the CFL, winning the 83rd Grey Cup.
What is a rouge or single in Canadian football?
A rouge, officially called a single, is a one-point score awarded when a kicked ball becomes dead in the opponent's goal area. The scoring team is different from a safety in that the team scored against receives possession of the ball after the score. The term rouge is French for red and is thought to derive from the early practice of signaling such a score with a red flag.