America’s First Women’s National Team in Football Vies for 2010 IFAF Women’s World Championship in Stockholm
Football history will be made in Stockholm, Sweden, next summer.
USA Football, the sport’s national governing body on youth and amateur levels, will assemble and manage America’s first women’s national team in the sport. Forty-five (45) of America’s best female athletes will comprise USA Football’s 2010 Women’s National Team, which will compete in the first International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Women’s World Championship in Stockholm, Sweden, from June 26-July 4, 2010.
Six countries, including the United States, will participate in the landmark tournament. Paris-based IFAF, the sport’s international federation, will announce the six-nation field by December 1.
Women's tackle football, a growing segment within a burgeoning international sport, is played competitively in Austria, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Venezuela and the United States.
Team USA players will be selected from the Independent Women’s Football League (IWFL), which consists of more than 1,800 female athletes on 51 teams across North America. USA Football, with assistance from the IWFL, will select and announce the team’s coaching staff and player roster by Feb. 1, 2010. The IWFL is an official sport partner of USA Football. USA Football’s Women’s National Team will be outfitted in Riddell equipment. Chicago-based Riddell is the official helmet and protective equipment partner of USA Football’s national teams.
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Round Rock, Texas –The Independent Women's Football League is pleased to announce that Paula Anderson-Estep, representing the Memphis Belles, has been awarded a full membership license and will join the league’s roster of teams for the 2010 season.
“The Belles feature a strong coaching staff, and roster of experienced players. We’re very impressed with this team from top to bottom,” stated Laurie Frederick, IWFL Chief Executive Officer, “they’re going to be a great addition to the league.”
The Memphis Belles will play an exciting schedule of games featuring opponents like the Tennessee Valley Tigers (based in Huntsville, Alabama), the Clarksville Fox and Chattanooga Locomotion. Memphis area football fans are sure to enjoy the new cross state rivalries and fierce competition the Belles schedule will provide.
“We are very happy to be a part of the IWFL. With so many high quality teams in our region the 2010 season will definitely be an exciting one for our team and fans,” stated Paula Anderson-Estep, Memphis Belles delegate and team owner.
Round Rock, Texas –The Independent Women's Football League is pleased to announce that Neda Mohammadi, representing the Bay Area Bandits, has been awarded a full membership license and will join the league’s roster of teams for the 2010 season. The Bay Area Bandits are a new team organized to provide women in the San Francisco Bay Area an opportunity to play tackle football at the national level.
“The Bandits will be a solid addition to the Western Conference. This team boasts a large number of veteran athletes so we expect them to have a very good inaugural season,” stated Laurie Frederick, IWFL Chief Executive Officer, “They know what to expect on the field and off and that experience will serve them well.”
The Bandits management team spent the better part of the last year planning and structuring the business that will support team operations. Last spring the team began to offer organized conditioning sessions in an effort to introduce more women to the sport. By addressing the need to introduce physical training (specific to tackle football) early the Bandits will begin standardized camps and practices with a core group of players that are ready to take the field. For try out information visit the team website www.bayareabandits.com
“We are excited about our partnership with the IWFL for our break-out 2010 season. We are looking forward to competing with teams in such a well established league such as the IWFL,” stated Neda Mohammadi, Bay Area Bandits team Delegate and General Manager.
After much deliberation and valued input from returning veterans and coaches, Diamonds owner, Dawn Berndt has named Patrick Hughes as Head Coach for the upcoming season.
Patrick served as the Diamonds Receivers/Running Backs Coach in 2004 and as Defensive Coordinator from 2005-2008. He is an esteemed member of the Diamond family as well as a part of coaching four Championship seasons.