Its that time of the year again–Americans are getting ready for football. In a few months NFL teams will be opening training camp and college football teams starting practice. Up north, however, the footballs are already flying as pro football is in full swing up in Canada with the Canadian Football League (CFL).

American football fans may not realize just how long and storied the history of Canadian pro football CFL style actually is. The league has been around since\’30 and the Grey Cup championship (essentially the CFL Superbowl) has been in existence since\’09. Many NFL stars got their start in the CFL including Doug Flutie, Jim Kelly, and Jeff Garcia.

The CFL is a very professional and highly competitive league, but its important to understand some important differences between it and the NFL:

The most obvious difference is the football itself–the CFL football is longer and fatter than the NFL ball. The CFL still has their goal posts on the goal line, which the NFL moved to the back of the end zone years ago. The field is 10 yards longer and 12 yards wider than the NFL field, and the CFL end zones are 20 yards deep instead of the NFL\’s 10 yards.

CFL teams are allowed to have 12 players on the field at a time, one more than is standard in American football. The extra offensive player is a wide receiver, and on defense they\’re allowed an extra defensive back. CFL teams allow a team only three downs to move ten yards as opposed to four in the US game–references to a team going \”two and out\” are common on CFL broadcasts.

There\’s also a significant difference in the way the game is scored. The first time many US fans see a CFL score update reflecting a 1-0 game they\’re usually left scratching their head in confusion. CFL teams are able to score a single point, known as a \”single\” for a kick that lands in the end zone such as a punt or missed field goal.

Of all the rule differences between the NFL and CFL the one that has the most significance on the game isnt enforced on the field; its enforced in the GMs office. Canadians are big on laws and rules to protect their national identity–thats why their TV and radio stations are required to devote a certain percentage of their airplay to Canadian content. That has led to a number of Canadian-only media stars both good (The Tragically Hip, Sloan) and bad (Avril Lavigne, early 90s white rapper Snow). The CFL has a similar rule which requires that\’ of the 40 players on a roster must be Canadian born. This keeps the CFL from becoming a de facto NFL developmental league, and helps maintain its unique identity.

Despite the rule differences that suggest a higher scoring, more wide open style of play than in the NFL it really doesn\’t work out that way. Most games end up with a final score in the 40\’s and have a similar pace to their NFL counterparts. There may be a few individual rule differences, but a strong rushing game and defense are tickets to success in the CFL as in the NFL.

The requirement of native born players making up 50% of a CFL roster also results in a much more even distribution of talent across the league. Certainly there are good teams and bad teams, but the end result is greater parity than is found in the NFL.

Among the \’non-Canadians\’ on the team, its also important to note that the CFL doesn\’t get the highest level US college players. Most with NFL ability are in the NFL, or on a NFL team\’s practice or developmental squad. There\’s definitely some American players that are uniquely suited to the CFL game, but the general level of talent is similar to that seen in the Arena Football League.

Despite the differences between the CFL and American football, at the end of the day its still high level, professional football. Once you understand the unique aspects of the CFL, it\’ll become second nature much as NFL viewers quickly assimilate rule changes there.

You wont see CFL news on ESPN, since theyre more interested in featuring spelling bees and lumberjack competitions and letting their personalities like Stuart Scott show how clever they are than covering sports. The good news is that the CFL receives extensive coverage in the Canadian press and all you need to do is visit a couple of websites to stay up to date. Each CFL city has their own sports media, and most have pretty good websites. The best one stop shopping can be found at the leagues own and Slam! Sports, which is roughly the Canadian equivalent of ESPNs website and has extensive CFL news, opinions and statistics.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.