Fire up the grill and grab your face paint -- football season is under way and here's your official list identifying 10 ways croquet and the battle on the gridiron are exactly alike.

1) Both should be played on real grass

2) If it rains, you play on

3) If it snows, you play on

4) Time of possession is a key stat for both sports

5) In both cases, it's a game of inches -- though croquet may be best described as a game of millimeters

6) A long opponent break in croquet is pretty similar to a long TD drive in football. Hold your composure then go out and answer with your own break (drive).

7) Good positioning before the next play (turn) can be key.

8) Connecting on a 50-foot roquet feels a lot like connecting on a 50-yard TD pass.

9) If you don't execute well, sometimes you need to punt. Usually in croquet, that means going out of bounds.

10) Football resembles a large scale sports simulation of warfare featuring in game tactics and techniques and long term strategy. Croquet achieves the same without the physical element and fewer pieces on a much smaller game board. Still, ask any veteran croquet player and they'll tell you every game is a battle.

Peel or die -- MHD