A football helmet is a type of protective headgear used mainly in gridiron football, although a structural variation has occasional use in Australian rules football. It consists of a hard plastic shell with thick padding on the inside, a face mask made of one or more plastic-coated metal bars, and a chinstrap. Each position has a different type of face mask to balance protection and visibility, and some players add polycarbonate visors to their helmets, which are used to protect their eyes from glare and impacts. Helmets are a requirement at all levels of organized football, except for non-tackle variations such as flag football. Although they are protective, players can and do still suffer head injuries such as concussions.
A football team at the beginning of the 20th century
A leather football helmet believed to have been worn by former U.S. president Gerald Ford when he played for the University of Michigan from 1932 to 1934
Hassan Hall wearing a Guardian Cap over his helmet during the Cleveland Browns' training camp in 2023
A Riddell Speed helmet used by Iowa State
Gridiron football, also known as North American football, or in North America as simply football, is a family of football team sports primarily played in the United States and Canada. American football, which uses 11 players, is the form played in the United States and the best known form of gridiron football worldwide, while Canadian football, which uses 12 players, predominates in Canada. Other derivative varieties include arena football, flag football and amateur games such as touch and street football. Football is played at professional, collegiate, high school, semi-professional, and amateur levels.
A 1904 diagram of an American football field. In this period, lines were painted along the length of the field as well as the width, making a checkerboard pattern.
Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, a Canadian Football League field originally built for the 1978 Commonwealth Games