End zone facts for kids

The end zone is a special area on a football field. It's where players try to score points! Think of it as the "scoring zone" in sports like American football and Canadian football. There are two end zones, one at each end of the field. They are marked by white lines and often have orange markers at their corners.

A player rushes into the red-painted end zone, scoring a touchdown during a college football game.

What is an End Zone?

The end zone is the area between the goal line and the end line. If a player carries the ball into this area, or catches it there, they score a touchdown. This is one of the most exciting plays in football!

End Zone Size Differences

The size of the end zone depends on the type of football being played.

• In American football, the end zone is 10 yards (about 9 meters) deep.
• In Canadian football, the end zone is much deeper, at 20 yards (about 18 meters). This extra space can change how teams play.

How Scoring Works

In many sports, like association football (soccer) or ice hockey, the ball or puck must completely cross the goal line to count as a score. But in American and Canadian football, it's a bit different. The ball only needs to touch or "break the plane" of the goal line. This means if even just the tip of the ball crosses the imaginary line above the goal line, it counts as a score!

Images for kids

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  A Canadian football field, with 20-yard-deep end zone and goal post on the goal line

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  A player kneeling next to one of the pylons marking a corner of the end zone

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  Goal post at one end of a college football field

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  An XFL field, including end zone featuring the league's logo

See also

In Spanish: Zona de anotación para niños