“The Perfect Field”

100’

160’
60’

G 10 20 30 40 50 40 30 20 10 G

300’

The dimensions of a standard football field are a 300 foot by 160 foot rectangle.
When creating “the Perfect Field,” start with the front sideline. Extend in opposite
directions 150 feet out (half of the full 300) from the desired 50 yard line point on the
front sideline. Marks should be made at every multiple of fifteen feet from 0 to 300 (0,
15, 30, . . . , 270, 285, 300). Once the marks are made for the front sideline, extend a line
160 feet from one goal line (either side is acceptable – in this case, references will be
made from side I) and a 200 foot line from the same side 40 yard line.

Pythagorean Theorem a2 + b2 = c2

32 + 42 = 52
⇓
160’ 200’ b=4 c=5 9 + 16 = 25
⇓
25 = 25
1202 + 1602 a=3
= 2002
⇓ 120’
14,400 + 25,600
= 40,000
⇓
40,000 = 40,000
The point where the two lines (160’ and 200’) intersect
forms a right triangle with the goal line perpendicular to the front sideline. At this point,
mark off the hashes at 60’ from the front sideline (front hash) and 100’ from the front
sideline (back hash).

SDL - 8/16/2013
 Next, extend a line 300 feet for the back sideline from the back end of the marked goal
line across and extend another line from the opposite front end (side II) of the goal line
160 feet. Where the two lines intersect forms a parallel between the front sideline and the
back and the side I goal line and the side II goal line, completing the rectangle. Again,
mark off every fifteen feet for the back sideline and the hashes on the side II goal line.
Also, at this time, extend out a line 160 feet from the 50 yard line on the front sideline to
the back. One, to ensure the accuracy of the parallel between the front and back
sidelines, and two, to mark off hashes and a center X at 80’ from the front sideline.
With the yard lines and hashes marked, proceed to extend out lines every 15 feet and
paint across. After the yard lines are painted, extend out across the field for the hashes.

With the current coordinate system in place being one step equals 22 ½ inches (8
steps to 5 yards), there is a discrepancy between the coordinate system and the standard
college football field. This discrepancy is because the coordinate system divides the
hashes (60’ and 100’) to 32 steps, 20 steps, and 32 steps. This translates to 60’, 37’ 6”,
and 60’. The discrepancy is 2’ 6” (one and one-third steps) between the marked back
hash and the coordinate back hash as measured from the front sideline. By extension, as
measured from the front sideline, the back sideline is “off” the same 2’ 6” as well. Thus,
it is appropriate to paint a corrective hash at 97’ 6” from the front sideline to mark the
true coordinate hash and a corrective back sideline at 157’ 6” from the front sideline for
rehearsal purposes. (Note: This discrepancy does not exist with a 7 ½ to 5 stride
coordinate system.)

160’
157’ 6”

100’
97’ 6”

60’

G 10 20 30 40 50 40 30 20 10 G

The above example is for a standard college football field. For high school hashes,
the spacing is 53’ 4” for the front hash and 106’ 8” for the back hash. This is supposed to
translate to 28 steps, 28 steps, and 28 steps on the 8 to 5 coordinate system. However, 28
steps of 8 to 5 stride is not 53’ 4”, but 52’ 6”. Thus, in the case of a high school field, the
2’ 6” discrepancy is not confined to the center of the field, but is spread out between the
three sections of field at 10 inches each. The true measurements on the coordinate
system would be 52’ 6”, 105’, and 157’ 6”.

SDL - 8/16/2013
 Quick Reference

Yard line marks Triangulation

160’ from FSL to BSL
0’
120’ from FSL to 40 YL
15’
200’ from BSL to 40 YL
30’
• optional
45’
triangulate both sides and check 50
60’
YL for 160’ accuracy
75’
90’
Center X / Hashes
105’
Center X 80’
120’
HS FH 53’4”
135’
BH 106’”8
150’
NCAA FH 60’
165’
BH 100”
180’
Step By Step
195’
Paint the FSL 300’
210’
Measure/Mark the YL every 15’
225’
Triangulate
240’
See above
255’
Paint BSL 300’ dbl check GL for
270’
160’ accuracy
285’
Measure/ Mark /Paint All YL
300’
Start with 50 YL
Measure Center X and Hashes
Avg. Time 25 min.
See above

SDL - 8/16/2013