Gridiron Football

Gridiron Football [ ˌ gɹɪdaɪən fʊtbɔ ː l] is a collective term for a number of ball sports that are popular especially in North America. The best known of these games is the dominant especially in the U.S. American football. From this versions with smaller pitches and fewer players, as well as with Arena Football also a hall shape and less form-fitting variants such as flag football which exist. In Canada, Canadian football has spread.

American football and, largely irrespective of Canadian football emerged in the latter half of the 19th century from European ball sports football and rugby in particular. Important contributions to the development of American football as an independent sport contributed among other things, regarded as its inventor Amos Alonzo Stagg and Walter Camp, Glenn Scobey Warner and John Heisman. A formative difference between the Gridiron football games and the rugby is called a forward pass, throwing the ball to a in the direction of attack earlier befindlichem players, which is not allowed in rugby, as it was in 1906 allowed in American football, and besides the trains running game became one of the defining elements of playing the sport.

The term Gridiron Football is derived from the lattice-like line division of the playing field, which is an important basis for the conduct of these Games. Characteristic of the Gridiron Football variants in comparison to its predecessor games include a strong tactic stressed and existing from each completed game features gameplay, the use of separate parts of the team for offensive and defensive formations, as well as a pronounced specialization of players on certain team positions. Due to the strong body-hugging style of play the players, unlike in football and rugby with the exception of flag football with a comprehensive protective clothing to the particular part of a special football helmet.