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April 6, 2004
Proposal for the Creation of a New
Brunswick
Women's Tackle Football League
As recently as ten years ago almost no females played sports such as
soccer, hockey and rugby. The last decade has seen the "gender
equity" movement open the doors for women to participate in
virtually every "for men only" sport on the globe, even tackle
football.
In the U.S.A. several women's leagues have sprung up during the
last couple of years. Most successful is the National
Women's Football Association with 36 teams including one in
Portland, Maine. This league plays in the spring and summer. In
2003, their third year of operation, the NWFA played their championship
game at Vanderbilt University stadium front of 6,000 fans. For 2004 the
league has a television contract. Check out the promotional video on
their website. Teams in this league are having hundreds of players try
out for their teams. Players are active in the community holding
football clinics for girls and urging them to lobby their high schools
and minor football programs to create programs for females.
The Independent
Women's Football League has 20 teams, including the Montreal
Blitz who bill themselves as Canada's first and only women's
full contact football team. The IWFL is also a spring and summer league.
There is also a team in this league based in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.
The Women's
Professional Football League completes what is unofficially
known as the
"big three" of women's football leagues. The WPFL is the only
one to play in the traditional fall period. It has 17 teams.
It
has not been all smooth sailing for women's football. The National
Women's Football Association originally called itself the National
Women's Football League. However, the NFL commenced legal action against
the NWFL and forced a name change. Unlike the NBA which fostered the
WNBA the NFL squandered a major opportunity to take this great game to a
higher plane.
When the subject of
female tackle football is raised at meetings in New Brunswick, football
organizers have always indicated that girls are welcome to play in the
existing programs. In theory our programs are open to members of
both sexes. However, in practice, less than one percent of our players
are female. Quite simply, in football, lack of size, strength and
speed quickly preclude participation by girls playing against boys much
beyond the age of 12. No other sport asks women to compete in the men's
program. The lack of action in this area is inexcusable.
It is time to create a New Brunswick "for women only"
tackle football league !
The
proposed league would run in the summertime from mid-June until
mid-August using minor football association gear that would otherwise be
idle at that time. Coaches and organizers will come from the four
existing teams of the New Brunswick Senior
Football League. Besides players, the new league is also looking
for women who want to learn to coach, officiate, manage and administer
the teams.
An
all-female league should have four teams to ensure viability. Likely
candidates for the first year would be a team from Moncton, one from
Fredericton and two from Saint John. Teams would be affiliated to
varying degrees with the existing four teams in the New Brunswick Senior
Football League and would likely play according to the rules
of the New Brunswick Senior Football League.
As well the
following "special" rules and regulations might become
part of the league's operations:
(1) Games would consist of four quarters of 15 minutes, straight time,
except for the last 3 minutes of each half ,which would have the time
clock stop after each play. This would produce games of about 90 minutes
in total length.
(2) Each team would have 10 players on
the field at any time. One coach per team would be permitted to be on
the field to instruct their players for, at least, the first half of the
season.
(3) The league would use the smaller
Martin 201 Intermediate size football.
Efforts to organize the league are in
process. If this project is successful in 2004 the NBWFL would be the first
ever women's tackle football league in Canada. Contact
persons are as follows:
More information on the league can be
found at www.gridironnewbrunswick.org
2004 New
Brunswick Women's Football League Proposed Schedule
Recruiting Poster
2006 Recruiting Poster
French
Recruiting Poster
2006
French Recruiting Poster
New
Brunswick Women's Football League Website
LINKS
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