Hash mark (sports)

Lore & Background

In ice hockey, hash marks are two pairs of parallel lines on either side of the face-off circles in both ends of the rink. During a face-off, players must remain on their team's side of the hash mark nearest their own goal until the puck hits the ice. In gridiron football, hash marks are two rows of small lines (4 inches wide by 2 feet long) near the middle of the field, parallel to the sidelines. They mark 1-yard sections between each 5-yard line. All plays start with the ball on or between the hash marks; if the ball is downed between a hash mark and the nearest sideline, it is placed on that hash mark for the next play. Prior to the adoption of hash marks, all plays began where the ball was declared dead, including extra point attempts. The first use of hash marks occurred at the first NFL playoff game in an indoor venue, where they were originally 30 feet from the sideline. That width was adopted by the NFL for the following season. The distance was later increased to 45 feet from the sideline (70 feet apart), then to 60 feet from the sideline (40 feet apart), and finally to the current 70 feet from the sideline (18.5 feet apart). In most professional U.S. football, including the NFL and most indoor football, the hash marks align with the goal posts. High school, college, and Canadian football use hash marks significantly wider than the goal posts. The college football standard (40 feet apart) was introduced in 1993; previously, the college width matched the high school standard (except in Texas, which now uses the current college width). The Canadian standard for amateur play is 51 feet wide (24 yards from each sideline). The Canadian Football League formerly used that spacing but narrowed it to 9 yards in 2022.

Reader's Guide

Hash marks are a fundamental element of field marking in both ice hockey and gridiron football, serving distinct but parallel purposes. In ice hockey, they regulate player positioning during face-offs, ensuring fair starts by requiring players to stay on their designated side until the puck is dropped. In football, hash marks standardize the starting position of each play, preventing teams from being forced to start too close to a sideline and thereby balancing offensive and defensive opportunities. The evolution of hash mark widths in football reflects ongoing adjustments to the competitive balance of the game. The NFL's progressive narrowing from 30 feet to the current 18.5 feet apart has made the field effectively wider for offenses, as the ball is always placed closer to the center. College football's adoption of a 40-foot width in 1993, and the Canadian Football League's reduction to 9 yards in 2022, show that the spacing remains a subject of deliberate rule-making. The alignment of hash marks with goal posts in professional U.S. football further ties field geometry to scoring plays. Overall, hash marks are a subtle but critical tool for maintaining consistency, fairness, and strategic depth across multiple sports.

Did You Know?

• Hash marks were first used at the first NFL playoff game, which was played indoors.
• The NFL hash marks are currently 70 feet from the sideline, or 18.5 feet apart.
• The Canadian Football League narrowed its hash mark spacing to 9 yards in 2022.