As for a brief description of the game and the way in which it is played, the following gives the main points: The game is played on a field rectangular in shape, 160 feet wide and 330 feet long. The outline of this field is made by heavy white lines marked, as are the lines in a tennis court, with lime. This field is also traversed by transverse lines five yards apart marked for the conven ience of the referee in judging the distance gained or lost by either side. In addition to these transverse lines the field is marked by longitudinal lines also five yards apart in order to assist the referee once more in measuring dis tance rapidly with his eye. This latter mark ing was rendered necessary by a rule providing that within that section of the field the quarter back may run with the ball providing he goes a certain distance out, that is, toward the side line, from the man whoputs the ball in play in the centre. This same five yard distance gov erns a forward pass. The lines which mark the ends of the field are called goal lines, and in the middle of each is a goal made by erect ing two posts 18 feet 6 inches apart with a cross bar 10 feet from the ground. The ball is a prolate spheroid in shape coachi . rubber bladder in a leather cover.
The game is played by 11 men on i ' these 11 men being called a team. Er purpose of general distinction, although , ent formations are possible, the seven inn play in the forward line, that is on a la the ball when it is put in play, are caLn rushers, the men behind them the barn distinguishing terms for the men in the he of interest. First there is the centre . or centre, or snap-back, which term d the man who stands in the middle of the' and usually puts the ball in play in a mage. The men on his right and left are guards, the men next beyond them tovai ends are called tackles, and the two men% ends of the line are called the ends. lit close behind the centre rusher is odic quarter-back. The two men some feet l.- him are called the half-backs and the f.. man behind the line is called the full-ban executing various plays the men take up e.: ent positions on the field, but they are distinguished by their positions as abort The game is started by placing the V.. the middle of the field and a man of th ... in possession must then kick it at yards into the territory of the oppoem own men being behind him when he kick' ball and the opponents standing at lea; yards back from the middle line of the t: The choice of goals and the possession a ball having been determined by the toss coin, the side winning has the privilege ct" either kicking off or selecting either goal. the ball is once kicked off any man who side, that is, between the ball and his ovr r may secure it and run with• it and whey thus running may be tackled by his opa' and brought to a stop. If he is thus tr.; and stopped he calls °down and the 1- placed on that spot for a scrimmage. '''.
the ball is thus down the two teams Le opposite each other, the side with the trt: deavoring to protect its men so that one backs may be able to secure the ball and .7-1 in a run with it, kick it, or pass it, while me of the opposing side are endeavoring tc l'-. through and stop this. The men of the which has the ball in its possession ma • use their hands or arms to obstruct ponents, but may do this with the both The players of the side not in possession ball on the other hand are privileged their hands and arms to break ducal ranks of their opponents. The man Nt' the ball in his possession, that is runnr1 , it, may use his hands and arms to ward opponents, but the rest of his side • The play thus continues by a downs and runs interspersed with leach ' side may kick or pass the ball under limitations instead of running with it if desire.
In order to prevent a side holding tl? indefinitely without making progress the' 1 rule providing that in three attempts : must advance the ball 10 yards or it to the opponents. For this reason it :." i customary after two attempts, if the ..!°. I ground has not been gained, for the possession to kick the ball, thus the possession of their opponents as far ) the opponents' territory as possible. One ward pass is allowed to a scrimmage under tain restrictions, and a kicked ball striking ground puts all the players of the kicker's e "on side," otherwise a man who gets ahead the ball when last touched by one of his n side behind him may not touch the ball. len the ball goes across the side line it is of bounds and if it has gone out of bounds ough being kicked, it belongs to the oppo its, but if a man carries it out of bounds, in possession, his own side has the right to it.
e ball is brought back to the spot where it issed the line and is put in play by the holder lking in a certain distance and putting it on ground for a scrimmage as already de 'ibed.
The game thus proceeds until the ball ap Daches one or the other goal line and here gins the question of generalship for scoring. the ball be kicked by a drop kick over the oss bar of the opponent's goal it counts the le thus kicking it four points. If the ball carried by the player of that side across his iponent's goal line or secured by him after it is been kicked across it scores a touch-down, hich counts five points and also entitles the de making it to a try at goal. This is per irmed either by kicking the ball out to a player ho catches it and makes a mark with his heel, to ball then being kicked from any, point be ,nd that mark, or being brought directly out a player of the side which has touched it own and held on the ground for another of is side to kick. In either event if the touch own be converted into a goal by the kicking f the ball over the cross bar it adds an addi .onal ppint for this scoring.