A
kickoff is a method of starting a
drive in
American football and
Canadian football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team". The receiving team is then entitled to
return the ball, i.e., attempt to advance it towards the kicking team's end zone, until the player with the ball is
tackled by the kicking team, goes out of bounds, or scores a
touchdown. Kickoffs take place at the start of each half of play, the beginning of overtime in some overtime formats, and after some scoring plays.