Basic American Football policy's
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Normal play consists of two teams of 11 players on field (one on offence the other on defence) competing during four 15 minute quarters.
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There are usually three ‘time-outs’ per half for each team, with a 12 minutes half-time interval.
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The purpose of the game is to move the ball into the opposition's ‘end zone’, either by running with the ball until tackled, or by passing the ball to a teammate downfield, towards the end zone.
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Although there are only 11 players from each side on the field at any one time, a team is actually made up of 45 players. The key player on each side is the quarterback who attempts to dictate play.
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Downs are the part of the game which often needlessly confuses newcomers. They are actually fairly straightforward. In a nutshell, the rule is as follows:
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The team in possession of the ball (offence) needs to move the ball forward by at least 10 yards while they are on offence. This is why the pitch has clearly marked yardage lines on it.
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They have four chances, or downs, to gain those 10 yards and if they advance the ball that far, the count resets and the team earns another set of four downs to try go a further 10 yards.
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If the offensive team fails to move these 10 yards within four downs, possession is then given up and the defensive side gets their turn to play offense. Teams will usually kick for a field goal or downfield to the defending team on the fourth down to try and salvage some points before they lose possession.
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