If you are watching a football game, you will definitely notice a bunch of different lines on the field. These lines are called hash marks.
A Football field is 120 yards in length. Each end zone (touchdown) is 10 yards, and the space between goal line to goal line is 100 yards. But what are hash marks in football?
Each has mark represents 1 yard on the football field.
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Reason for Hash Marks
You will see hash marks down each sideline. There are 2 sets of hash marks down the middle of the field. This helps the referees mark the football after each down.
It’s easy to see where the player got tackled. As the referee moves the ball back to the center of the field, they can easily measure and put the ball down in the correct spot for the next play.
In order for the football team to keep progressing the ball down field to their opponents end zone and score a touchdown.
The offense has 4 plays to get 10 yards. If they achieve 10 yards within the 4 plays they get a new set of downs to get another 10 yards.
The hash marks on the field help keep the down and distance as the offense is moving the ball.
Placing the Football at the Hash Marks
If a team runs the ball and is tackled to the left side of the field outside the left hash, the referee will place the ball on the left side of the field.
This can be a point of strategy for the offense.
Same goes if they run to the right side. The ball will be placed along the right hash marks.
If they are calling a run play, they will have a ‘wide side’ of the field to run to. Oftentimes you will notice a team will run the ball to the right side, if the ball is placed on the left hash mark.
Why are the college and NFL hash marks different?
College and NFL hash marks are different because of the speed of the game played at the college level vs the NFL level.
In the NFL the hash marks are 70 feet 9 inches away from the sideline, while in the college game, the hash marks are only 60 feet from the sideline.
The NFL the game is a much faster and physical game, and they want to put the ball in the middle of the field in order to balance the offense and defense.
In high school and college, the hash marks are much closer to the sideline. This leaves the wide side of the field as a huge advantage to the offense to move the ball.
Pros and Cons of different Hash Marks
One could argue that one of the reasons college games are so high-scoring is because of the hash mark.
That’s because when the ball is placed on the hash mark, the wide side of the field is too difficult to defend and gives a huge advantage to the team with the ball.
A disadvantage of having the hash marks wider is for the kickers. Having the hash marks closer to the sideline creates a much steeper angle for the kicker to kick the ball through the uprights.
Sometimes it may look like the goal posts are wider in college football, however, that is not true. The goal posts are the same width which is 18 feet 6 inches wide.
Usually NFL goalposts are WAY higher than college goal posts which could give the illusion of being wider.
The NFL goal posts are higher, to give the referee and easier vantage point to see if the ball goes inside the goal posts.
Here is deeper breakdown for the strategy of hash marks.
Do the hash marks affect the field goal kickers?
YES. Each kicker has a preference on which hash mark he is kicking from. Some prefer the angel from left to right, while others may prefer kicking from right to left.
When a team is trying to set up a game-winning field goal, you will often see that team run to the side of the field that is based on that kicker’s preference to kick from.
What are the dimensions of a football field?
The length of a football field is 120 yards long and 53 ⅓ yards wide.
Most people get this answer wrong, as they will say a football field is 100 yards long. The problem is they forget to calculate the end zones which are both 10 yards each.
Regardless of what level you are playing at the dimensions of the football field do not change. Youth football all the way to the NFL, the field is the exact same size.
The one area that is different in the hash marks on the field. They are always the same at 1 yard each, however the distance between the left and right hash marks down the center are different in both college and high school vs the NFL.
Final Word
Football is a very difficult game to learn. There are a lot of moving parts, and it may take a fan or players some time to understand all the details.
One main concept to understand is getting a first down. And how to move the ball into your opponent’s end zone.
This can be easier to understand if you understand the hash marks on the field.
They are there to help explain how far the offense needs to go in order to get a first down and keep the ball moving and they are separated by 1 yard each.
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