One of the similarities between these two games is that they are played on a field that has a similar shape. However, American football and soccer are clearly two different sports.
However, despite the similar shapes of the fields, it is evident that there are also distinctions between the two.
The soccer field is larger than a regulation football field, with a surface area that is greater. Therefore, the width of a professional soccer field is 75 yards, whereas the width of a football field is 53 1/3 yards. Additionally, the length of the two fields is between 100 and 120 yards, although the soccer field is longer than the football field.
In this article, we will examine the soccer pitch and the football field and observe their similarities and differences.
If you are interested in a more comprehensive comparison of how soccer and football generally compare, click on this link, and it will direct you to a post I authored that evaluates every facet of the two sports.
First and foremost, the table provided below clearly presents the distinctions and resemblances between a soccer field and a football field.
How They Contrast:
| Soccer Field | Football Field | |
| Shape | Rectangle | Rectangle |
| Length | Max: 130 yards (120m) Min: 100 yards (90m) |
100 yards(91.5m) between goal lines 120 yards (109.7m), including end zones |
| Width | Max: 100 yards (90m) Min: 50 yards (45m) |
160 feet/ 53 1⁄3 yards (48.8 m) |
| Surface | Natural grass and artificial turf or a hybrid of both | Natural grass and artificial turf |
| Markings | 2 penalty areas 2 goal areas a halfway line a center circle 4 corner arcs a penalty spot and a center spot |
10-yard intervals 2 end zones 1-yard hash marks 5-yard yard lines 1-yard long scrimmage line Numerals in multiples of 10 |
| Goalposts | Located at the center of the goal line Crossbar: 8 ft (2.44 m) above ground Vertical posts: 8 yards (7.32 m) between posts |
Located at the center of the goal line Crossbar: 10 feet (3m) above ground Vertical uprights: – 18 feet 6 inches (5.6m) apart – 35 feet (10.7m) long |
The shape of a soccer field and a football field is identical. Both fields are rectangular, with the ends of both fields being shorter than the length of the field.
Although the length and width of a soccer field can vary slightly, there is still a requirement that the sideline or touchline end at the goal line. (We will look at this in more detail below.)
If you want to know why, you may have also heard a soccer field referred to as a “pitch.” Check out this article I wrote explaining where this word originated and why people use it.
Width of Soccer Field Vs Football Field
The difference in size between a soccer field and a football field is often most noticeable in their width.
The width requirement for a football field is 160 feet/53 1/3 yards (48.8 m), just like the length requirement.
The width of soccer fields must fall within the minimum and maximum requirements. These requirements specify a maximum of 100 yards (90m) and a minimum of 50 yards (45m).
Although the soccer field has a minimum requirement of 50 yards (45m), most soccer fields are around 75 yards (68.5m) in width.
As an illustration of this, the picture below displays the breadth of the pitches of 5 MLS team’s fields.
In terms of this dimension, New York City FC’s field at Yankee Stadium, measuring just 70 yards (64 m) in width, shares the last position with Minnesota United FC’s field at TCF Bank Stadium.
A soccer field is bigger than a football field
Although the length of the two fields is similar, the soccer field is bigger than the football field in terms of width, being almost twice as wide as the football field. This means that the soccer field has an extra width compared to the football field, resulting in a larger area surface.
The soccer field has a much larger surface area than the football field, as it can be up to 100 yards wide (90m) whereas the football field is restricted to being only 53 1/3 feet wide (48.8 m) and 160 yards long.
I composed providing you with the 5 rationales for my thoughts, take a glance at this article if you desire my viewpoint on whether soccer is more challenging than football. Click here to access a post I authored encompassing all the information you require if you’re intrigued in additional specifics regarding a soccer field’s magnitude and measurements.
Length of Soccer Field Vs Football Field
Soccer and football pitches are typically the same dimensions as one another.
The length of a football field should not be different and these measurements are a requirement. When you include the two 10-yard end zones, the length comes to 120 yards (m) and 7.9 (m) (m. 109 (yards 120 to comes length the and m), 5.1 (m. 91 yards 100 are there field football a of lines goal the the Between.
Soccer fields have different dimensions, with varying lengths that must meet minimum and maximum requirements of 90m (100 yards) and 120m (130 yards) respectively.
This means that there is often a small variation between the lengths of different soccer fields, but that variation is fairly minor.
As an example of this, the image below displays a list of the dimensions of the soccer fields for five MLS teams.
Although there is often variation between the lengths of the fields, you can see this in the images above.
The Yankee Stadium, where New York City FC play, has the smallest length of any MLS soccer field, measuring only 110 yards (110.6m).
Did you know that even in America, soccer is sometimes called football? I wrote this article recently, exploring the reasons behind why it is referred to as soccer in the US, while it is known as football in most parts of the world.
Surface of Soccer Field Vs Football Field
The surfaces on which a soccer game or football game can be played are alike. Both games can be played on either natural grass or artificial turf.
Nevertheless, it is far more customary for NFL teams to contend on artificial turf than for MLS teams to engage in such activity.
A study conducted in 2019 discovered that twelve NFL franchises compete on synthetic turf, while nineteen play on real grass.
While in the MLS, only six teams compete on synthetic turf instead of real grass.
It is worth mentioning that in the NFL, there is a shift towards playing on additional synthetic surfaces, whereas in the MLS, there is a trend towards playing on genuine turf.
This is mainly because of the distinct demands of each sport.
Markings on a Soccer Field Vs Football Field
The markings on both a soccer pitch and football field are where the fields truly differ from one another.
And this is logical as they are two distinct games with varying regulations and goals.
The markings on a soccer field include:
The lines on a soccer field are:
One similarity between the two is that all the markings are in ivory.
Goalposts on a Soccer Field Vs Football Field
The goalposts in both soccer and football are also very different from each other, as you can see in the image below.
In football, the goalposts are necessary.
In soccer, the goalposts are necessary.
The location where the players are attempting to acquire the ball is a notable distinction between the goalposts in both of these sports, aside from their aesthetic differences.
Underneath the crossbar, the players endeavor to place the ball amidst the upright posts in soccer. On top of the crossbar, the players strive to position the ball within the vertical posts in football.
The main difference between a soccer and football field
After comparing the soccer and football fields, you will have observed three notable distinctions, having examined both the dissimilarities and similarities.
These three factors are what make each sport’s field unique and allow the games to be played as they should be played.
Playing soccer on a football field
This does raise the question of whether it’s possible to play soccer on a soccer field.
If you’re interested, here is a comparison of a high school versus professional soccer field. Specifically designed by high schools and colleges throughout the United States, their sports fields can accommodate soccer. In fact, a football field can be used to play soccer.
A soccer field can accommodate a football field seamlessly, as it must have a length of 120 yards. This is feasible because both a soccer and football field share the same length.
The difficulty lies in determining the breadth of the football field.
Although the minimum requirement for a soccer field is 50 yards, we can see that most fields are narrower, ranging from 48.8 yards to 68.5 yards, with a width of 1/3 to 1/2 of the length, which is around 53 feet to 75 feet.
While a football match is taking place, the team zones that will be utilized are generating this additional breadth by merging the two pitches that many sports fields possess.
It is possible to fit one football field inside a soccer field and play soccer on the football field in this way.
Another area where you may have questions about the difference between soccer and football is whether soccer has a salary cap. Go to a post I wrote answering the question of salary caps by clicking on this link.
