National Women's Football Association
Sport | American football |
---|---|
Founded | 2000 |
Ceased | 2008 |
Country | United States |
Last champion(s) | H-Town Texas Cyclones (now in WFA) |
The National Women's Football Association (NWFA) was a full-contact American football league for women headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. The league was founded by Catherine Masters in 2000, as the two benchmark teams, the Alabama Renegades and the Nashville Dream played each other six times in exhibition games. The opening season was in 2001 featuring ten teams.[1] The NWFA did not officially field any teams for the 2009 season.
The NWFA was originally called the National Women's Football League, but changed its name after the 2002 season. The name change came after pressure from the National Football League.[2] The NFL also required the league to change the logos of some teams whose logos resembled those of NFL teams.
League founder Catherine Masters was inducted into the American Football Association's Semi Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.[3]
League rules[]
NWFA teams played according to standard National Football League rules with the following notable exceptions:
- TDY-sized football
- only one foot in-bounds is required for a reception
- no blocking below the waist downfield
List of teams[]
Team | Post-2009 status | Notes |
---|---|---|
Alabama Renegades | joined IWFL | became the Tennessee Valley Tigers |
defunct | ||
defunct | ||
defunct | ||
defunct | ||
Austin Outlaws | joined WFA | |
Baltimore Burn | joined WSFL | |
Chattanooga Locomotion | joined IWFL | |
Cincinnati Sizzle | joined WFA | |
Cleveland Fusion | joined WFA | |
Clinton County Chaos | joined WSFL | |
Columbus Comets | joined WFA | |
Connecticut Crushers | joined IWFL | |
D.C. Divas | joined WFA | |
Dayton Diamonds | joined WFA | |
Detroit Danger, Detroit Demolition | joined IWFL | |
joined WFA | had planned to play in NWFA for 2009 | |
Emerald Coast Barracudas | joined WFA | |
Erie Illusion | joined IWFL | |
Evansville Express | defunct | |
Fort Wayne Flash | joined WFA | |
defunct | ||
H-Town Texas Cyclones | joined WFA | |
defunct | ||
defunct | ||
Iowa Thunder | joined WSFL | |
Jacksonville Dixie Blues | joined WFA | had planned to play in NWFA for 2009 |
Jersey Justice | joined IWFL | had planned to play in NWFA for 2009 |
defunct | ||
defunct | ||
Kentucky Karma | joined WFA | |
Keystone Assault | joined WFA | had planned to play in NWFA for 2009 |
defunct | ||
defunct | ||
Lone Star Mustangs | joined WFA | had planned to play in NWFA for 2009 |
Los Angeles Amazons | joined IWFL | |
defunct | ||
joined WFA | had planned to play in NWFA for 2009 | |
Memphis Belles | joined WFA | |
Minnesota Vixen | joined IWFL | |
Missouri Phoenix | joined WSFL | renamed as the Kansas Phoenix |
Modesto Maniax | joined IWFL | |
Muscle Shoals SmasHers | defunct | |
Nashville Dream | defunct | |
New Jersey Titans | joined WFA | |
New Orleans Blaze | joined WFA | |
New York Nemesis | joined IWFL | |
Oklahoma City Lightning | joined WFA | |
Pensacola Power | joined WFA | became the Gulf Coast Riptide |
Philadelphia Phoenix | joined IWFL | now the Philadelphia Firebirds |
Phoenix Prowlers | joined WFA | |
Pittsburgh Force | joined WFA | had planned to play in NWFA for 2009 |
Pittsburgh Passion | joined IWFL | |
defunct | ||
defunct | ||
defunct | ||
defunct | ||
St. Louis Slam | joined WFA | |
defunct | ||
defunct | ||
defunct | ||
Ventura Black Widows | joined WSFL | had planned to play in NWFA for 2009 |
West Michigan Mayhem | joined WFA | |
West Virginia Bruisers | joined WSFL | had planned to play in NWFA for 2009 |
West Virginia Wonders | joined WSFL | became the West Virginia Wildfire |
defunct |
- IWFL = Independent Women's Football League
- WFA = Women's Football Alliance
- WSFL = Women's Spring Football League
Championship games[]
- Philadelphia Liberty Belles 40, Pensacola Power 7
- Detroit Danger 48, 30[1]
- Detroit Demolition 28, Pensacola Power 21
- Detroit Demolition 52, Oklahoma City Lightning 0
- Detroit Demolition 74, Pensacola Power 0
- D.C. Divas 28, Oklahoma City Lightning 7
- Pittsburgh Passion 32, Columbus Comets 0[4]
- H-Town Texas Cyclones 39, West Michigan Mayhem 10
See also[]
- List of leagues of American football
References[]
- ^ a b Goodson, Mike (July 23, 2004). "Women's football alive in Alabama". Gadsden Times. p. B3. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
- ^ Stellino, Vito (December 1, 2002). The Florida Times-Union. Jacksonville, FL http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/120102/jag_11108553.shtml. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
More evidence that the NFL sometimes takes itself too seriously: Its lawyers forced the National's Women's Football League to change its name to the National Women's Football Association.
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(help) - ^ http://www.americanfootballassn.com/forms/2010HallofFameListing.pdf
- ^ Organ, Mike (July 22, 2007). "Passion grounds Comets for title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
External links[]
- National Women's Football Association
- Women's American football leagues
- 2000 establishments in the United States
- 2008 disestablishments in the United States
- Sports leagues established in 2000
- Sports leagues disestablished in 2008