End zone
The scoring area at each end of the field, beyond the goal line. Carrying or catching the ball in it is what scores in gridiron codes.
Definition
In American football, the end zone is the area at each end of the field past the goal line. Carrying the ball into it or catching a pass while inside it scores a touchdown, so most attacking play is aimed at reaching the end zone.
The term is used the same way in some other field sports. In ultimate frisbee, for example, each end of the field has an end zone, and a team scores by completing a pass to a teammate standing inside the end zone they are attacking.
Where you’ll hear “end zone”
Sports that use this term:
American Football
A strategic, position-based team sport of set plays, sprinting and coordinated teamwork on a marked field.
Ultimate Frisbee
A fast, non-contact team sport played with a flying disc, known for constant running and self-refereeing.
Explore across the knowledge base
Follow the threads that connect End zone to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Rules
- Out of boundsThe rule that a ball or player leaving the marked playing area is out of play and possession is decided at the boundary.
- Ball-handling faultsVolleyball faults for catching, carrying or double-contacting the ball rather than cleanly hitting it.
- How a point is lost in padelThe actions that end a padel rally — the second bounce, touching the net, direct contact with the opponent's enclosure, and the neutral-zone exception on the court doors.
- Out-of-court play in padelThe rule that lets a padel player leave the court to keep a rally alive — when it is authorised, what the court must provide for it, and why it depends on the safety area.
- Off-side in ice hockeyThe rule that stops attackers waiting in the attacking zone — where exactly the blue line is crossed, why skates and not sticks decide it, and what a delayed off-side means.
Facilities
- Football pitchThe large rectangular grass or artificial-turf field on which football (soccer) is played, with a goal at each end.
- Basketball courtA rectangular hard-surfaced court with a raised hoop and backboard at each end where basketball is played.
- The rugby union fieldThe dimensions and markings of a rugby union pitch — the field of play, the in-goal areas, the 22-metre and 10-metre lines, the goal posts, and what the Laws fix versus what they leave open.
- The cricket field and boundaryHow the edge of a cricket field is defined and marked, what scores four and what scores six, and why the Laws set no boundary distance while international playing conditions do.
Tactics
- Zone defenceA defensive system where each player guards an area of the court rather than a specific opponent.
- High pressA football tactic where a team hunts the ball high up the pitch to win it back close to the opponent’s goal.
- The forecheckHow a hockey team attacks in the opposition's defensive zone without the puck — the 1-2-2, 2-1-2 and trap approaches, and what each one risks to win the puck back.
Scoring systems
- Football (soccer) scoringFootball is scored by goals, with each goal worth one point and the team scoring the most goals winning the match.
- Scoring in rugby unionThe five ways points are scored in rugby union and what each is worth — try, conversion, penalty try, penalty goal and drop goal — with the rule that surprises people about the penalty try.
- Basketball scoringBasketball is scored by shooting the ball through the hoop, with baskets worth one, two or three points depending on where the shot is taken.
Skills
Positions
- GoalkeeperThe goalkeeper is the last line of defence in football and the only player allowed to handle the ball inside their own penalty area.
- PivotThe pivot is a handball attacker who plays close to the opposition defence, setting screens and looking for chances near the goal area.
- Shooting guardThe shooting guard is a perimeter player whose main role is to score, especially from mid-range and beyond the three-point line.
- Goal attackThe goal attack is a versatile netball attacker who both feeds the shooter and scores goals, moving through the centre and attacking thirds.
- Goal shooterThe goal shooter is a netball attacker who scores goals and is one of only two players allowed to shoot, working within the attacking goal third and circle.
Go deeper with End zone
Everywhere else on the platform that covers End zone — assembled from what actually references it, so nothing here is a dead end.
Take it away
Open data and the whole-platform view of this subject.
How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Term
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
Evergreen, first-party explanation — it makes no claim that needs an external source. How we handle sources and reviews.