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The Canadian Football League announced major changes coming to the field of play in the next two years.
The CFL, which plays on a 110-yard field and has a 20-yard end zone, will reduce its size, the league announced on Monday. The league said the field changes, along with a few other modifications, are a part of its endeavor to make the game more exciting.
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CFL teams will be able to start closer to their opponents’ end zones and the shift "encourages more aggressive play-calling on third down with offenses starting drives 10 yards closer to the opponent’s end zone and field goals being only 5 yards further, despite the shifted goalposts," according to the league. The 65-yard width of the field will remain the same.
The CFL said it will still have the largest end zone of any pro football league and "preserves the importance of the kicking game."
The goalposts will move to the back of the end zone in hopes of removing obstructions for teams trying to score a touchdown. The league said it will be better for the TV presentation and for fans at the stadium.
Those three changes will be implemented in 2027.
The CFL’s changes to the rogue will be implemented next season. The rogue is a one-point score awarded on certain plays in the league. Starting in 2026, a single point is awarded when a returner "can’t take a punt, field goal or kickoff out of the end zone" or a return takes a knee. The league will no longer award a point for missed field goals that go wide of the goalposts or on punts or kickoffs that go through the back or the sides of the end zone without being touched.
The league will also move team benches to the opposite sides the field as well as a 35-second play clock that starts once the previous play is over. Those rules will begin in 2026.
The CFL maintained that the league will still be "very Canadian" despite the forthcoming changes.
"These changes are about increasing entertainment, while supporting and maintaining the traditions of our game, such as three downs, 12 players on the field, the waggle and much more. These changes make our game more exciting and more entertaining," the CFL said.
"The league has seen rule changes before. Before 1929, throwing the ball forward was illegal – imagine when the league altered that rule. At one point, the East Division used to play two games with the total score determining the winner, while the West Division played a best-of-three series – imagine that format today.
"The CFL, like every other successful, longstanding league, has continually evolved and innovated over the years, and will continue to do so to benefit fans and strengthen the future of Canadian football."
The CFL said no further major changes are planned.
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