Football Field

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Rugby Field Design

The sport of rugby has been played in North America since the nineteenth century, and achieved an organized status with the formation of the rugby Union in 1871. It grew slowly in the United States, with only 30 teams competing in 1950. But the 1960s saw an explosion of interest in the sport, and by 1980 there were more than a thousand rugby clubs in North America.
 
The fields used for rugby competition are generally the same as that used for football, and games are sometimes played on American football practice fields. The main difference between the fields used for the two sports is that, while football goalposts are installed at the back of the end zone, rugby goal posts are placed on the goal line itself. Because of the obvious hazard presented by a stationary object on the field, the home team is responsible for ensuring that padding at least 2" thick is installed on the uprights of the goalposts from ground level to a height of 5 feet.
 
These goalposts have the same "H" shape characteristic of American football posts, and are to be 5.6 meters (18.37 feet) wide. The crossbar is to be 3 meters (9.84 feet) high, and the uprights are to be more than 3.4 meters (11.15 feet) high.
 
The playing area itself is a rectangle not to exceed 100 meters (328.08 feet) in length and 69 meters (226.38 feet) wide. (Figure 12.11 shows the layout of a rugby field.) As in American football, at each end of the field there is an end zone, but in the case of rugby this area can vary from a minimum of 10 meters (32.81 feet) to a maximum of 22 meters (72.18 feet).
 
Figure 12.11.
Layout of a rugby field.
 
A halfway line divides the field in half, and additional lines are drawn across the field 22 meters from the goal lines. Broken lines are to be marked 5 meters (16.40 feet) inside the touchlines and ten meters on either side of the halfway line. Hash marks intersect the goal lines, halfway lines, 22 meter lines, and 10 meter lines at a distance of 15 meters (49.21 feet) from the touchlines. The hash marks at the goal lines are to extend 5 meters out onto the playing area.
 
The rugby field is to have a post at each corner of the playing area, where the touchlines intersect the goal line. These posts are to be at least 1.2 meters (3.94 feet) tall and topped with a flag. Posts with flags are also to be installed off the playing area to mark the halfway line and the 22 meter lines.
 
A sideline barrier is to be installed five meters outside the touchlines to prevent spectators from approaching the playing area.