National Women's Football Association

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.<ref name="gad040723"/> 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.<ref name="ftu021201"/> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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
Antelope Valley Bombers	defunct
Arizona Wildfire	defunct
Asheville Assault	defunct
Atlanta Leopards	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
East Texas SaberKats	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
Gulf Coast Herricanes	defunct
H-Town Texas Cyclones	joined WFA
Indiana Thunder	defunct
Indianapolis Chaos	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
Junction City Jaguars	defunct
Kansas City Krunch	defunct
Kentucky Karma	joined WFA
Keystone Assault	joined WFA	had planned to play in NWFA for 2009
Knoxville Summit	defunct
Knoxville Tornadoes	defunct
Lone Star Mustangs	joined WFA	had planned to play in NWFA for 2009
Los Angeles Amazons	joined IWFL
Maine Freeze	defunct
Marana She-Devils	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
Richmond Dream	defunct
Roanoke Revenge	defunct
Rochester Raptors	defunct
South Bend GoldenHawks	defunct
St. Louis Slam	joined WFA
Tennessee Venom	defunct
Tidewater Floods	defunct
Tree Town Spitfire	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
Wisconsin Riverters	defunct

• IWFL = Independent Women's Football League
• WFA = Women's Football Alliance
• WSFL = Women's Spring Football League

Championship games

• 2001 Philadelphia Liberty Belles 40, Pensacola Power 7
• 2002 Detroit Danger 48, Massachusetts Mutiny 30<ref name="gad040723"/>
• 2003 Detroit Demolition 28, Pensacola Power 21
• 2004 Detroit Demolition 52, Oklahoma City Lightning 0
• 2005 Detroit Demolition 74, Pensacola Power 0
• 2006 D.C. Divas 28, Oklahoma City Lightning 7
• 2007 Pittsburgh Passion 32, Columbus Comets 0<ref name="ppg070722"/>
• 2008 H-Town Texas Cyclones 39, West Michigan Mayhem 10

See also

• Women's football in the United States
• List of leagues of American football
• Women's National Basketball Association

External links

• American Football Association