Professional, College & Other Leagues

Football is played at a number of levels in the United States and abroad. These include the following:

The National Football League - top-level men's professional league.
College football - played by many US colleges.
The Arena Football League - mid-level men's professional league. Played in indoor stadiums, hence the name "arena" football. One of the nation's fastest-growing sports.
The Canadian Football League - men's professional league based in Canada, played using a slightly different set of rules known as Canadian football.
The Mexican College Football League or ONEFA - played by many Mexican colleges, with the same rules as in the US.
The North American Football League - Minor league professional football with more than 100 member organisations.
Women's American football - since 2000, there has been a surge of women's professional leagues.
High school football - played by most high schools.
Nine-man football, Eight-man football, and Six-man football - variations of high school football, usually played in sparsely populated areas.
Amateur and youth league football.
Flag football and Touch football - non-tackle; almost exclusively amateur.
Pop warner or youth football - involves younger kids who are too young to play high school, generally in middle school.
Sprint football - players must weigh no more than 172 pounds.