Is 48X24 the right size???

Ok, I lost sleep on this one. I'm getting ready to build a custom board with my family and thinking about the field size. If your field is 48 inches long, you have to compress 120 yards into that, which gives you .4 inches per yard on your field. (48 inches divided by 120 yards = .4 inches)

Ok, the actual width of a football field is 53.33 yards. If you divide that into 24 inches for the width, you get .45 inches. That may not sound like much of a difference, but it matters. It means you don't have actual square yards on your field and your actual proportions are not exact.

What we actually need to do to have actual square yards on our field is multiply the 53.3 yards by .4, giving us 21.32 inches for our width. Therefore, our actual field width should be 48 inches long by 21.3 inches wide (not 24 inches). Comprende?

So here's the question; why do we use 48 x 24 field covers instead of 48X21 or 22? Is it a matter of convenience or does anyone else use these more true to life measurements?

Thanks, Brian

[RAIDERMAN]

I can't speak for everyone but a sheet of metal is easily found at Lowe's and Home Cheapo for a standard price in that 24x48 size. I think that's why most guys build them that size. Then they want the field to be as big as it can be so they make the cover to fit it. What you're saying makes sense in that a 21x48 cover would work good because you'd have room for a sideline also. I know when I used to make my RM200 games I'd make them 24x48 and that was mainly because of the size of the metal and the fact that my magnet only went up to 24" wide. Hope this helps.

RAIDERMAN

[Michigan Joe]

Brian,
The aspect ratio of the 24x48" field (22x46" playing field with one inch sideline borders) is very close but not perfect. A real field is 160' wide by 360' long (.444 W/L ratio). The 22x46" playing surface has a .478 W/L ratio. You would need to increase the border of the sideline to 1.75" to get a near perfect match on the aspect ratio. That would yield a 20.5" wide field (with 1.75" sidelines) to get a near exact 0.445 aspect ratio.

For "playability" I'd rather take the extra board width than try to get the exact proportion. Each base is 0.5" wide so reducing the board by 1.5" will result in 3 less "alley" for a base to run. The nice thing is, with each field cover you buy you can do something differen (if you wanted).

Hope that helps,
Joe

Originally Posted by Michigan Joe

Brian,
The aspect ratio of the 24x48" field (22x46" playing field with one inch sideline borders) is very close but not perfect. A real field is 160' wide by 360' long (.444 W/L ratio). The 22x46" playing surface has a .478 W/L ratio. You would need to increase the border of the sideline to 1.75" to get a near perfect match on the aspect ratio. That would yield a 20.5" wide field (with 1.75" sidelines) to get a near exact 0.445 aspect ratio.

For "playability" I'd rather take the extra board width than try to get the exact proportion. Each base is 0.5" wide so reducing the board by 1.5" will result in 3 less "alley" for a base to run. The nice thing is, with each field cover you buy you can do something differen (if you wanted).

Hope that helps,
Joe

Yep. There is a point where realism gives way to practicality and functionality. In the end, EF is an animal unto itself with its own parameters for working best. Makes sense that 46X22 or so would be the max you'd really want.

Originally Posted by RAIDERMAN

I can't speak for everyone but a sheet of metal is easily found at Lowe's and Home Cheapo for a standard price in that 24x48 size. I think that's why most guys build them that size. Then they want the field to be as big as it can be so they make the cover to fit it. What you're saying makes sense in that a 21x48 cover would work good because you'd have room for a sideline also. I know when I used to make my RM200 games I'd make them 24x48 and that was mainly because of the size of the metal and the fact that my magnet only went up to 24" wide. Hope this helps.

RAIDERMAN

So if you get the metal from Lowes or HD, will they bend it and drill the holes or are you on your own for that part? Home Cheapo . . . I like that!

[RavennaAl]

Brian, I have the Buzzball board and it's field measures 24" X just under 44" It's not exactly proportional to NFL fields, but in reality, you don't notice it. The extra width is what you become aware of, as it stretches out the defense enough to make the game much more enjoyable. Also, the slightly shorter length makes it so much easier to transport as it easily fits into our car. To make the board proportional at 24" wide, the board would need to be about 60" long, making it a little difficult to fit into many vehicles. I'd much rather have the extra width and not worry so much about the length. What was 10 yards in length on a 620 will be 8 yards on the Buzzball. All in all I'm tickled pink with it!

You all have been so good to help. We will go with the 24X48 metal and the 22X46 field. You all make perfect sense. I'm a numbers guy and I like fooling around with 'what it really should be.' I'll keep you posted on how our project is coming! Brian