View source for National Women's Football Association

{{Short description|Full contact American football league}}
{{about|the American football organization in the United States|the soccer organization in Malawi|Malawi Women's League}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox sports league
|logo=
|pixels=
|caption=
|sport=[[American football]]
|founded=2000
|folded=2008
|teams=
|country={{USA}}
|champion=[[H-Town Texas Cyclones]] (now in [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]])
}}

The '''National Women's Football Association (NWFA)''' was a full-contact [[American football]] league for women headquartered in [[Nashville, Tennessee|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>{{Cite web |url=http://www.americanfootballassn.com/forms/2010HallofFameListing.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-08-29 |archive-date=2016-01-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122083011/http://www.americanfootballassn.com/forms/2010HallofFameListing.pdf |url-status=dead }}</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==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Team !! Post-2009 status !! Notes
|-
| [[Alabama Renegades]] || joined [[Independent Women's Football League|IWFL]] || became the [[Tennessee Valley Tigers]]
|-
| [[Antelope Valley Bombers]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[Arizona Wildfire]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[Asheville Assault]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[Atlanta Leopards]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[Austin Outlaws]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || 
|-
| [[Baltimore Burn]] || joined [[Women's Spring Football League|WSFL]] || 
|-
| [[Chattanooga Locomotion]] || joined [[Independent Women's Football League|IWFL]] || 
|-
| [[Cincinnati Sizzle]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || 
|-
| [[Cleveland Fusion]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || 
|-
| Clinton County Chaos || joined [[Women's Spring Football League|WSFL]] || 
|-
| [[Columbus Comets]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || 
|-
| [[Connecticut Crushers]] || joined [[Independent Women's Football League|IWFL]]      ||                                                 
|-
| [[D.C. Divas]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]]  || 
|-
| [[Dayton Diamonds]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || 
|-
| [[Detroit Danger]], [[Detroit Demolition]] || joined [[Independent Women's Football League|IWFL]] || 
|-
| [[East Texas SaberKats]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || had planned to play in NWFA for 2009
|-
| [[Emerald Coast Barracudas]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || 
|-
| [[Erie Illusion]] || joined [[Independent Women's Football League|IWFL]] || 
|-
| [[Evansville Express]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[Fort Wayne Flash]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || 
|-
| [[Gulf Coast Herricanes]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[H-Town Texas Cyclones]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || 
|-
| [[Indiana Thunder]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[Indianapolis Chaos]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[Iowa Thunder]] || joined [[Women's Spring Football League|WSFL]] || 
|-
| [[Jacksonville Dixie Blues]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || had planned to play in NWFA for 2009
|-
| [[Jersey Justice]] || joined [[Independent Women's Football League|IWFL]] || had planned to play in NWFA for 2009
|-
| [[Junction City Jaguars]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[Kansas City Krunch]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[Kentucky Karma]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || 
|-
| [[Keystone Assault]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || had planned to play in NWFA for 2009
|-
| [[Knoxville Summit]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[Knoxville Tornadoes]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[Lone Star Mustangs]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || had planned to play in NWFA for 2009
|-
| [[Los Angeles Amazons]] || joined [[Independent Women's Football League|IWFL]] || 
|-
| [[Maine Freeze]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[Marana She-Devils]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || had planned to play in NWFA for 2009
|-
| [[Memphis Belles]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || 
|-
| [[Minnesota Vixen]] || joined [[Independent Women's Football League|IWFL]] || 
|-
| [[Missouri Phoenix]] || joined [[Women's Spring Football League|WSFL]] || renamed as the Kansas Phoenix
|-
| [[Modesto Maniax]] || joined [[Independent Women's Football League|IWFL]] || 
|-
| [[Muscle Shoals SmasHers]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[Nashville Dream]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[New Jersey Titans]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || 
|-
| [[New Orleans Blaze]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || 
|-
| [[New York Nemesis]] || joined [[Independent Women's Football League|IWFL]] || 
|-
| [[Oklahoma City Lightning]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || 
|-
| [[Pensacola Power]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || became the [[Gulf Coast Riptide]]
|-
| [[Philadelphia Firebirds (IWFL)|Philadelphia Phoenix]] || joined [[Independent Women's Football League|IWFL]] || now the [[Philadelphia Firebirds (IWFL)|Philadelphia Firebirds]]
|-
| [[Phoenix Prowlers]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || 
|-
| [[Pittsburgh Force]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || had planned to play in NWFA for 2009
|-
| [[Pittsburgh Passion]] || joined [[Independent Women's Football League|IWFL]] || 
|-
| [[Richmond Dream]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[Roanoke Revenge]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[Rochester Raptors]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[South Bend GoldenHawks]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[St. Louis Slam]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || 
|-
| [[Tennessee Venom]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[Tidewater Floods]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[Tree Town Spitfire]] || defunct || 
|-
| [[Ventura Black Widows]] || joined [[Women's Spring Football League|WSFL]] || had planned to play in NWFA for 2009
|-
| [[West Michigan Mayhem]] || joined [[Women's Football Alliance|WFA]] || 
|-
| [[West Virginia Bruisers]] || joined [[Women's Spring Football League|WSFL]] || had planned to play in NWFA for 2009
|-
| [[West Virginia Wonders]] || joined [[Women's Spring Football League|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 NWFA season|2001]] [[Philadelphia Liberty Belles]] 40, [[Pensacola Power]] 7
*[[2002 NWFA season|2002]] [[Detroit Danger]] 48, [[Massachusetts Mutiny]] 30<ref name="gad040723"/>
*[[2003 NWFA season|2003]] [[Detroit Demolition]] 28, [[Pensacola Power]] 21
*[[2004 NWFA season|2004]] [[Detroit Demolition]] 52, [[Oklahoma City Lightning]] 0
*[[2005 NWFA season|2005]] [[Detroit Demolition]] 74, [[Pensacola Power]] 0
*[[2006 NWFA season|2006]] [[D.C. Divas]] 28, [[Oklahoma City Lightning]] 7
*[[2007 NWFA season|2007]] [[Pittsburgh Passion]] 32, [[Columbus Comets]] 0<ref name="ppg070722"/>
*[[2008 NWFA season|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]]

==References==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="ftu021201">{{cite news |first=Vito |last=Stellino |newspaper=[[The Florida Times-Union]] |location=[[Jacksonville, FL]] |url=http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/120102/jag_11108553.shtml|title=Emmitt shows all his tank's not empty yet|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413142823/http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/120102/jag_11108553.shtml|archive-date=13 Apr 2014 |date=December 1, 2002 |access-date=April 9, 2014 |quote=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.}}</ref>
<ref name="gad040723">{{cite news |first=Mike |last=Goodson |work=[[Gadsden Times]] |title=Women's football alive in Alabama |page=B3 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Z7QvAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jdwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1155,2335270&dq=birmingham-americans&hl=en |date=July 23, 2004 |access-date=April 12, 2010}}</ref>
<ref name="ppg070722">{{cite news |first=Mike |last=Organ |work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] |title=Passion grounds Comets for title |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07203/803626-66.stm |date=July 22, 2007 |access-date=September 17, 2008}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
* [http://www.americanfootballassn.com/ American Football Association]

{{Women's gridiron football leagues}}
{{Major women's sport leagues in North America}}

[[Category:National Women's Football Association| ]]
[[Category:Women's American football leagues]]
[[Category:2000 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:2008 disestablishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Sports leagues established in 2000]]
[[Category:Sports leagues disestablished in 2008]]