Eight-man football is a type of
American footballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
, generally played by small
high schoolHigh school is the name used in some parts of the world, particularly in Scotland, Northern America and Oceania, to describe an institution that provides all or part of secondary education...
s. Rules and formations vary greatly among states and even among different organizations, but the one constant is eight players from each team on the field at one time, as opposed to eleven-man football, which is played at larger high schools, the
college levelCollege football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies. It was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States...
and in the
NFLThe National Football League is the largest professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
. As of 2008 schools in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington had eight man football.
Several differences distinguish eight-man football from eleven-man, most notably the elimination of three players.
Eight-man football is a type of
American footballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
, generally played by small
high schoolHigh school is the name used in some parts of the world, particularly in Scotland, Northern America and Oceania, to describe an institution that provides all or part of secondary education...
s. Rules and formations vary greatly among states and even among different organizations, but the one constant is eight players from each team on the field at one time, as opposed to eleven-man football, which is played at larger high schools, the
college levelCollege football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies. It was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States...
and in the
NFLThe National Football League is the largest professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
. As of 2008 schools in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington had eight man football.
Differences from eleven-man
Several differences distinguish eight-man football from eleven-man, most notably the elimination of three players. It depends greatly on the type of formation used, but the eliminated players are commonly two
offensive tackleIn American and Canadian football, offensive tackles are a part of the offensive line. Like other offensive linemen, their job is to block: to physically keep defenders away from the offensive player who has the football....
s and a
wide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
on offense and two
defensive backIn American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
s and a defensive lineman on defense.
The size of the playing field is often smaller in eight-man football than in eleven-man. Some states opt for a smaller, 80
yardA yard is a unit of length in several different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. It is equal to 3 feet or 36 inches, although its length in SI units varied slightly from system to system...
s long by 40 yards wide field (which is also used in
six-manSix-man football is a variant of high school American football that is played with six players per team, instead of 11.-History:Six-man football was developed in 1934 by Chester High School coach Stephen Epler as an alternative means for small high schools to field a football team during the Great...
); other states, such as
OklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,617,316 residents in 2007 and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
,
ColoradoColorado is a U.S. state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. It may also be considered to be part of the Western and Southwestern regions of the United States. Colorado entered statehood in 1876 and was nicknamed the “Centennial State”...
, and
IdahoIdaho is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans." Idaho was admitted to the Union on 3 July 1890 as the 43rd state....
, keep the field of play at 100 yards long while reducing the width to 40 yards. Finally, some schools, such as those in north
IdahoIdaho is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans." Idaho was admitted to the Union on 3 July 1890 as the 43rd state....
,
WashingtonWashington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the...
, and
OregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, play on a full-sized playing field.
Professional eight-man leagues are numerous in the United States and usually follow
indoor footballIndoor football is a variation of American football with rules modified to make it suitable for play within indoor arenas.-Early history:The first documented indoor football games were those played at Madison Square Garden in 1902 and 1903 known as the "World Series of Pro Football." They were the...
rules of a 50 yard by roughly 25 yard field, as professional 8-man football is usually played indoors.
In terms of gameplay, eight-man football is quite different from its eleven-man counterpart. Due to a smaller field and fewer players, the tempo of the game is noticeably faster-paced. Scores tend to be higher, even in high school games where quarters are only 12 minutes long (rather than 15). Especially in high school, a higher percentage of plays are trick plays - direct snaps, Wildcat formation plays, and fake punts and field goals are commonplace.
Offense
Variety of offensive play in eight-man football is significantly reduced due to the decrease in options resulting from fewer players. Formations usually require three players in the backfield (a
quarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the center, in the middle of the offensive line. Quarterbacks are the leaders of the offensive team, responsible for calling the play in the huddle...
and two running backs) and five on the line of scrimmage. The interior of the line consists of two
guardsIn American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
and a
centerCenter is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
. Most often, the line players on the edges of the formation are
tight endThe tight end is a position in American football on the offensive team. The tight end is sometimes the last man on the offensive line, but has a slightly different build and, in some cases, a different role than other linemen...
s, or are occasionally split wide as
wide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
s.
Formations vary widely between schools and states, but commonly include the
I formationThe I formation is one of the most common offensive formations in American football. The I formation draws its name from the vertical alignment of quarterback, fullback, and running back, particularly when contrasted with the same players' alignments in the T formation.The formation begins with...
and the
T formationIn American football, a T formation is a formation used by the offensive team in which three running backs line up in a row about five yards behind the quarterback, forming the shape of a "T"....
(sometimes referred to as "pro set"). Common plays include the
counterIn American football, a counter run is a running play in which the running back will take a step in the opposite direction of the play, only to get the handoff in the other direction. Weak side linemen will sometimes pull and lead the back downfield , but not necessarily...
,
diveA "dive" is a type of play in American Football in which the ball carrier attempts to rush through one of the gaps immediately to the left or right of center, denoted as gaps 1 and 2 respectively. It may be run with or without a lead blocker, though when run with a lead blocker it may be called...
,
optionThe halfback option play is an unorthodox play in American football. It resembles a normal running play, but the running back has the option to throw a pass to a wide receiver or tight end before crossing the line of scrimmage....
and
sweepA Sweep is a running play in American Football where the running back takes a pitch or handoff from the quarterback and starts running parallel to the line of scrimmage, allowing for the offensive linemen and fullback to get in front of him to block defenders before he turns upfield.- QB Sweep :A...
.
PassingIn several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction of the opponent's end line.-American and Canadian Football:...
is usually not as common in eight-man as it is in the eleven-man game. In certain formations, the
centerCenter is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
or
guardsIn American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
can be eligible to catch passes.
Due to the competitive imbalances that commonly occur between small schools, eight-man games sometimes end early due to the
45-point or "mercy" ruleA mercy rule, also well known by the slightly less polite term slaughter rule , brings a sports event to an early end when one team has a very large and presumably insurmountable lead over the other team...
. Depending on the rules in force, when one team gains a 45-point advantage over the other, the game is either governed by a running clock for the remainder of the game or the game ends immediately. A team that has won in this fashion is said to have "45ed" the other team.
Attempting the
extra pointExtra Point is a twice-daily, two-minute segment on ESPN Radio. The AM edition airs Monday through Saturday at various times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET, and the PM edition airs Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET...
kick after a touchdown is rare in eight-man, due to the lack of specialized kickers and holders and the inability to block defenders from interfering with the kick. For this reason, teams often attempt a
two-point conversionIn American and Canadian football, a two-point conversion is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point convert immediately after it scores a touchdown...
instead.
In states that use an 80-yard field, infractions that normally result in a 15-yard penalty are reduced to 10 yards in eight-man ball. But usually the penalty yardage is still the same as in eleven man football. And likewise, on touchbacks, the ball is spotted on the 15-yard line instead of the 20.
Defense
General defensive alignments in eight-man football consist of defensive linemen,
linebackerA Linebacker is a position in American and Canadian football that was invented by football coach Fielding Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
s, and
defensive backIn American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
s. The most common formation is a 3-3-2, in which three defensive linemen (usually a
nose tackleNose tackle is a defensive alignment position for a defensive lineman in American and Canadian football. The nose tackle aligns across the line of scrimmage from the offense's center before the play begins.-4-3:...
and two
defensive endDefensive End is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
s) line up in a "down" position, with three linebackers standing behind, either stacked over the down linemen, lined up on the inside shoulder of the linemen, or on the outside shoulder of the linemen. Two defensive backs then have coverage responsibilities, either with deep halves or man-to-man with the offense's receivers.
Alternate formations include 4-3-1 (linemen-linebacker-safety), 3-4-1, 4-2-2, 3-2-3 and 5-3 among others.
Popularity in Israel
An Eight man league was established in
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
in 2005 with three teams,
HaifaHaifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 264,900. Haifa has a mixed population of Jews and Arabs giving an example for peaceful co-existence. The Arab population used to be predominantly Christian, while some of the Jewish...
Underdogs,
Tel AvivTel Aviv-Yafo , usually called Tel Aviv, is the second largest city in Israel, with an estimated population of 391,300. The city is situated on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline, with a land area of...
Pioneers and Tel Aviv Sabres. Though playing without equipment, this was the first ever tackle football league in this country, named Israeli Football League (IFL).
In March 2008, at the end of the first season played in full gear, the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions defeated the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs 24 - 18 in overtime in Israel bowl I.
In Israel Bowl II in April 2009, the Dancing Camel Modi'in Pioneers defeated the defending champions Big Blue Jerusalem Lions 32 - 26 after two overtimes. The game was decided by a whole field interception return for a TD by Pioneers' Ohad Naveh. That season was played with five teams after the expansion franchise of Jerusalem Kings was added. The 2009-2010 season will be played with seven teams, introducing two new franchises, the Beer Sheva Black Swarm and the Judean Rebels.
Popularity in Ireland
An Eight man league is also played in Ireland. This league, named DV8, is used as developmental league for rookies before they go on to compete in the 11man IAFL. In 2009, six teams will compete in the DV8 league -
Dublin DragonsThe Dublin Dragons American Football Club is based in Lucan, County Dublin. The Dragons are proud to be one of the founding members of the current Irish American Football League...
, Edenderry Soldiers, Trinity College Dublin, Craigavon Cowboys, UCD Sentinels and
Erris RamsThe Erris Rams are an American football team located in the West of Ireland. They compete in the Development 8 league for this 2009 season. They were founded by Michael Kelly in October 2008....
Competition with larger schools
Occasionally, schools in a small division with larger enrollments are forced to play eight-man, despite having a player turnout sufficient for eleven-man. This is done when the school in question has no other schools of similar size nearby.
In addition, teams have been known to play combination eight- and eleven-man games, in which both teams compromise by fielding eight players per team when School A is on offense and School B is on defense and 11 players when School A is on defense and School B is on offense.