hard yards

British  

plural noun

1. a great deal of effort or hard work, esp in playing a sport

   Dallaglio's ability to make the hard yards and cross the gain line

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Example Sentences

Richardson is an old-school coach who brings volume to create good habits - basically, hitting plenty of balls and putting in the hard yards.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

"Everyone around them - coaches, families - there's so much that goes into it. That's the side people don't see. There are a lot of hard yards from a lot of people."

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

As shown, football is more than just data but on a non-scientific level, there remains something comforting about knowing that your team has literally put the hard yards in on the pitch.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

"We talk a lot about doing the hard yards and sometimes at this level you can beat teams through persistence and put the effort in that maybe other teams won't."

From Barron's • Jan. 17, 2026

“As we get more and more of the hard yards behind us, my excitement about what’s possible for Citi grows exponentially,” Fraser said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 22, 2025