Players in stance behind their line of scrimmage, just before the beginning of play

In American and Canadian football a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line crossing the football field across its narrower dimension, beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun. Its location is based on the spot where the ball is placed after the end of the most recent play and following the assessment of any penalty yards. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3456x2304, 3297 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): 2006 Texas Longhorn football team Texas Longhorns football Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3456x2304, 3297 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): 2006 Texas Longhorn football team Texas Longhorns football Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the... Canadian football is a sport in which two teams of twelve players each compete for territorial control of a field of play 110 yards (100. ... An Australian rules football match at the Richmond Paddock, Melbourne, in 1866. ... Note: this article is incomplete. ...

A line of scrimmage is parallel to the goal lines and touches one edge of the ball where it sits on the ground prior to the snap. Under NFL and NCAA rules, there are actually two lines of scrimmage at the outset of each play: one that restricts the offense and one that restricts the defense. The area between the two lines (representing the length of the ball as extended to both sidelines) is called the neutral zone. Only the offensive player who snaps the ball is allowed have any part of his body in the neutral zone. In order for there to be a legal beginning of a play, a certain number of the players on the offensive team, including certain eligible receivers, must be at, on or within a few inches of their line of scrimmage. A snap (colloquially called a hike, snapback, or pass from center) starts each Canadian football and American football play from scrimmage. ... NFL logo For other uses of the abbreviation NFL, see NFL (disambiguation). ... The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, often said NC-Double-A) is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletics programs of many colleges and universities in the United States. ... The neutral zone can be described as the length of the football from one tip to the other when it is spotted on the field prior to the start of the next play. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into American football positions. ... Eligible receivers are those American football and Canadian football players who are allowed to catch forward passes. ...

In Canadian football the team on defence must line up no nearer than a yard to the line of scrimmage. In American football they must only be beyond the line. Canadian football is a sport in which two teams of twelve players each compete for territorial control of a field of play 110 yards (100. ...

Many fans and commentators refer colloquially to the entire neutral zone as the "line of scrimmage," although this is technically not correct. Others use the general term to refer specifically to the defensive line of scrimmage, since it is the line relevant to the measurement of progress toward the goal. Referees, when explaining a penalty, will refer to "the previous spot" instead of the "line of scrimmage" in order to avoid confusion. A colloquialism is an expression not used in formal speech or writing. ... NFL officials (striped shirts) and guests prepare to toss the coin to start the 40th annual Pro Bowl. ...

Sportvision provides a product called 1st & Ten which allows broadcasts of American football to include a visible line which may represent the line of scrimmage or the minimum distance that the ball must be moved for the offensive team to achieve a first down. Sportvision is a private company that provides various television viewing enhancements to a number of different professional sporting events. ... 1st & Ten is the name for a computer system that generates and displays the yellow first down line that a TV viewer sees during a live broadcast of a college or professional American football game. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... In American and Canadian football, a down refers to a period in which a play transpires. ...

See also

• Glossary of American football