The Montreal Blitz is a women's gridiron football team, founded in 2001, which plays

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

in the Central Canadian Women's Football League. Previously, the team played American football in the

Independent Women's Football League The Independent Women's Football League (IWFL) was the first women's American football league established by women players for women players. The league was founded in 2000, began play in 2001, and played its last season in 2018. Members of th ...

(2001–2016) and in the

Women's Football Alliance The Women's Football Alliance (WFA) is a semi-pro full-contact women's American football league in the United States. Founded in 2009, it is the largest 11-on-11 football league for women in the world, and the longest running active women's ...

(in 2017). They are based at Dalbé-Viau High School in the borough of Lachine, in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. The Blitz were the only Canadian team in a

women's American football Women's gridiron football, more commonly known as women's tackle football, women's American football, women's Canadian football, or simply women's football, is a form of gridiron football (American or Canadian) played by women. Most leagues pla ...

league. The team won four championships in the IWFL, at various levels. Their highest achievement came in 2012, when they beat the

Sacramento Sirens The Sacramento Sirens are a women's semi-professional American football team, located in Sacramento, California. The team has compiled one of the most successful records in women's full tackle football. History In 2001, their first year of exi ...

28–27 to become World Champions of the IWFL.

History

The Blitz were created in 2001 and joined the IWFL. The team's quarterback in 2001 and 2003 was Samantha Rapoport. In 2004, quarterback Saadia Ashraf bought the team from the original owners. The team won four championships in the IWFL between 2008 and 2013, including the Tier I title in 2012. In 2015, the management of the team was transferred from Saadia Ashraf to ''Football Féminin Blitz de Montréal'', a non-profit created to run the team. The Blitz played in 2016 in the IWFL and in the

Football Canada Football Canada is the governing body for gridiron football in Canada headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. Football Canada focuses primarily its own Canadian form of the sport, and is currently the world's only national governing body for Canadia ...

Women's National Championship, representing Quebec. In 2016, Montreal decided to leave the IWFL due to financial and travel constraints, and joined the WFA. However, the Blitz resigned from the WFA after only one season (2017), because the league refused to allow any more games to be played in Canada. In 2021, the Blitz was a founder member of the CCWFL, which began play in the 2022 season.

External links

* IWFL 2012 Championship Game film – Montreal Blitz vs. Sacramento Sirens: *
"Pt. 1 - IWFL 2012 Women's Tackle Football Championship"
*
"Pt. 2 - 2012 IWFL Women's Tackle Football Championship"

References

{{Quebec Sports Blit Women's Football Alliance American football teams established in 2003 2003 establishments in Quebec American football teams in Canada Women's American football teams