Things You'll Need:
- Football Field
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Step 1
Know the dimensions of the field. A football field, in total including the two end zones, is 120 yards. It is also 160 feet in width. A football stadium, by contrast, can be much larger. An arena football field is half that size, with 50 yards playable.
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Step 2
Read the numbers that are on the field to know how many yards there are to the nearest end zone. For example, there are two 40-yard lines, but each refers to the closest end zone. Most football fields today have arrows next to the numbers pointing in the direction of its respective end zone. Thus, a team trying to get to the far end zone actually has 60 yards to go.
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Step 3
Notice the long solid lines that cross the width of the field. Those lines indicate 5-yard increments. For example. The end zone line is solid, indicating essentially "zero," while the very next solid line indicates the fifth yard from the end zone. Also notice how the 10-yard marks are labeled on the field: 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50, then back down to 40, 30 and so on.
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Step 4
Pay attention to the "hash marks," the little broken lines that indicate single yards. They make up the majority of the field. There are also two hash marks per yard, one about 1/4 of the way along the line and another about 3/4 of the way along the line.
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Step 5
Look for two X marks on the field. The X marks are placed to indicate the 35-yard line, which is the yard line used to kick a kick-off. The X is not always present.
