The Women's Football Alliance (WFA) is a semi-pro full-contact

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 in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Founded in 2009, it is the largest 11-on-11 football league for women in the world, and the longest running active women's football league in the U.S. Since 2016, the league has operated with three competitive levels: Pro, Division 2 and Division 3. The league is owned and operated by Jeff King and Lisa Gibbons King of

Exeter, California Exeter is a city in Tulare County, California, United States. It is situated in the San Joaquin Valley near the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The population was 10,321 at the 2020 census, down from 10,334 at the 2010 census. Exeter is locat ...

. Lisa King is also a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

for the WFA's Cali War. In addition to operating annual national championship seasons in the United States, the league also operates the WFA International program which organizes international competitions for its own Team United and Team World against each other and all-star teams from other nations. The program also supports international player exchanges and provides logistical support to women's tackle football leagues in Central and South America, Europe, and Africa.

League history

The Women's Football Alliance was established in 2009 and began its inaugural season with 36 teams. Many of the teams were already established teams from other leagues such as

Women's Professional Football League The Women's Professional American Football League (WPFL) was a women's professional American football league in the United States of America, United States. With teams across the United States, the WPFL had its first game in 1999 with just two o ...

, Independent Women's Football League and National Women's Football Association, while others began their inaugural season of play in the WFA.

2009

The first season of play ended with a championship game, which was played in the rebuilding (post- Katrina) city of

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

and was hosted by the New Orleans Blaze. The game was between the St. Louis Slam (American Conference – St. Louis, MO) and the

West Michigan Mayhem The West Michigan Mayhem is a women's professional American football team based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They play in the Women's Football Alliance. The Mayhem played in the National Women's Football Association from their inception in 2002 unt ...

(National Conference – Kalamazoo, MI). St. Louis became the first WFA National Champions with a final game score of 21–14. Additionally, there was an International Game played between the Aguilas Regias of

Monterrey, Mexico Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...

and the hosting team, New Orleans Blaze. The Blaze won this game 12–0.

2010

The WFA grew in the second year (2010) to have over 40 teams competing for the national championship. The national championship for the 2010 season was accompanied by the first All-American game. The term All-American is used by the WFA to represent the best players at all positions from all WFA teams. The teams were chosen partly based on statistics and partly based on the vote of head coaches. The All-American game was played just before the championship game in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

and was hosted by the

Las Vegas Showgirlz The Las Vegas Showgirlz were a team in the Women's Football Alliance. Based in Summerlin, Nevada, the Showgirlz played their home games on the campus of Faith Lutheran Jr/Sr High School in the city's upscale Summerlin district. Before joining ...

. The All-American game was won by the American Conference. The second championship in the WFA would again come down to the last few plays and have a score differential of only four points. The

Lone Star Mustangs The Lone Star Mustangs are a team of the Women's Football Alliance. Based in Bedford Texas (part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex), the Mustangs play their home games at Pennington Field (the campus was formerly M.B. Smiley High School). ...

(American Conference – Dallas/Fort Worth) defeated the

Columbus Comets The Columbus Comets were a women's professional American football team based in Columbus, Ohio. They played in the Women's Football Alliance. The Comets played in the National Women's Football Association from their inception in 2003 until 2 ...

(National Conference – Columbus, Ohio) to become the second National Champions of the WFA by a score of 16–12.

2011

As the Women's Football Alliance prepared for the 2011 season, they were scheduled to have over 60 teams playing across the United States. They again grew due in part to new teams starting and in part due to established teams moving in from other leagues, most notably the

New York Sharks The New York Sharks were a women's American football team that was based in New York City. Their final season in 2018 was played as a member team of the Women's Football Alliance (WFA). They were the longest running and most winning team in wo ...

, D.C. Divas,

Chicago Force The Chicago Force was a women's American football team. Founded in 2003 by Lisa Cole, the team played at De La Salle HS & St. Rita HS – both on Chicago's South side; Lane Stadium at Lane Technical College Prep High School, Holmgren Athletic ...

Dallas Diamonds The Dallas Diamonds was a women's Professional sports, professional American football team in the Women's Football Alliance (WFA). The Diamonds were made up of 46 Player (game), players and a coaching staff of 10. The Diamonds won four nation ...

, and

Kansas City Tribe The Kansas City Tribe is a football team in the Women's Football Alliance based in Kansas City, Missouri. Home games are played at Center High School. History 2008 Founded by Colin Stoner, John Van Sittert, and Mindy White, the Tribe began as ...

. In the 2011 WFA championship, which was held in

Bedford, Texas Bedford is a city located in northeastern Tarrant County, Texas, United States, in the "Mid-Cities" area between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, Fort Worth. It is a suburb of Dallas and Fort Worth. The population was 49,928 at the 2020 United State ...

, the

Boston Militia The Boston Militia were a women's full-contact football team in the Women's Football Alliance of which they were two-time champions (2011, 2014). Previously, the Militia played in the Independent Women's Football League from 2008 until 2010, winn ...

defeated the

San Diego Surge The San Diego Surge were a women's professional football team based in Santee, California, that competed in the Women's Football Alliance (WFA). The team played its home games at Santana High School and previously at Mira Mesa Senior High Schoo ...

34–19 to claim the title.

2012

The WFA opened the season with 60 teams. The 2012 WFA National Championship game took place at

Heinz Field Acrisure Stadium, formerly (and still colloquially) known as Heinz Field, is a football stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It primarily serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Foot ...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, home stadium of the NFL franchise

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

; it was the first women's football championship game to be played in an

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

stadium. After losing the title game in the previous season, the

returned to win the 2012 championship 40–36 over the

2013

The WFA opened the season with 50 teams. Running back Whitney Zelee (

) made headlines in 2013 by becoming the league's first player to surpass 2,000 rushing yards in a football season, setting a league record of 2,128 yards. After losing the title game in the previous season, the

returned to win the 2013 championship over the

81–34 at

Balboa Stadium Balboa Stadium is an outdoor stadium in San Diego, California, adjacent to San Diego High School and Balboa Park. Owned by the City of San Diego, it is leased to San Diego Unified School District. The stadium is used for local athletics and hig ...

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

2014

The WFA opened the season with 42 teams. The preseason was capped by the inaugural WFA International Bowl, in which the Mexican All-Stars defeated the Austin Outlaws in exhibition. The

became the league's first two-time champion in 2014, winning 69–34 in a title rematch with the

at Lane Tech Stadium in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. During championship weekend, the league introduced a new mid-major bowl game: the Alliance Bowl. The Seattle Majestics of the American Conference faced the Indy Crash of the National Conference in a contest to "showcase of the depth of quality teams that exist in the Women's Football Alliance." The Indy Crash prevailed 26–12. This season was also notable for the introduction of

Kenneth Massey Kenneth Massey is an American sports statistician known for his development of a methodology for ranking and rating sports teams in a variety of sports. His ratings have been a part of the Bowl Championship Series since the 1999 season. He is a ...

Ratings into the league's playoffs system.

2015

The WFA opened the season with 40 teams, the fewest since the league was first established in 2009. The preseason concluded with the second WFA International Bowl Game Series, in which the Mexican All-Stars went 1–1, defeating the Tacoma Trauma before falling to the Seattle Majestics. On August 8, 2015, the D.C. Divas defeated the Dallas Elite 30–26 in the WFA National Championship game at Los Angeles (Calif.) Southwest College Stadium. The Central Cal War Angels beat the

Atlanta Phoenix The Atlanta Phoenix is a women’s tackle football team of the Women's Football Alliance, Women's National Football Conference that began play in 2012 Women's Football Alliance season, 2012. Based in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, the ...

28–8 in the Alliance Bowl, an invitational bowl game also held during championship weekend.

2016

WFA executives launched a new, tiered league structure consisting of three divisions, similar to that of NCAA Football. The league opened the season with 43 teams (11 in Division 1, 16 in Division 2, and 16 in Division 3). The WFA also announced the W Bowl as their new brand for the WFA National Championship game. With a 28–26 victory over the Dallas Elite, the D.C. Divas won the inaugural W Bowl and their second national championship in as many years. The St. Louis Slam downed the Tampa Bay Inferno 38–7 to claim the Division 2 championship. The Acadiana Zydeco defeated the Richmond Black Widows 20–18 in the Division 3 title game. All three games were played at Joe P. Michaela Stadium in Imperial, Pa. Allison Cahill of the

Boston Renegades Boston Renegades was an American women's soccer team, founded in 1995. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues USL W-League, the second tier of women's soccer in the United States and Canada. The team played in the Northeast Divisio ...

reached a new milestone in sports by becoming the first quarterback to attain 100 victories playing exclusively in women's football leagues.

2017

The league expanded to 65 teams (15 in Division 1, 19 in Division 2, and 31 in Division 3). On July 22, the Dallas Elite claimed the Division 1 National Championship, dubbed W Bowl II, with a 31–21 outcome against the

at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The St. Louis Slam repeated as Division 2 champions after a rematch in the title game against

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater i ...

finished 42–15. The Arkansas Wildcats beat the Orlando Anarchy 42–26 to claim the Division 3 trophy.

2018

The league opened the season with 67 teams (9 in Division 1, 16 in Division 2, and 39 in Division 3). On July 28, the

won the Division 1 National Championship game 42–18 over the Los Angeles Warriors at

Fifth Third Bank Stadium Fifth Third Stadium, known as Kennesaw State University Stadium until 2013, is a stadium near Kennesaw, Georgia, that is primarily used as the home for the Kennesaw State Owls football team as well as the KSU women's soccer and women's lacros ...

Kennesaw State University Kennesaw State University (KSU) is a public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia with two campuses in the Atlanta metropolitan area, one in the Kennesaw area and the other in Marietta on a combined of land. The school was founded ...

Kennesaw, Georgia Kennesaw is a suburban city northwest of Atlanta in Cobb County, Georgia, United States, located within the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. Known from its original settlement in the 1830s until 1887 as Big Shanty, it became Kennesaw under i ...

. The game was broadcast on ESPN3. The

claimed the Division 2 title with a 27–21 victory over the Minnesota Vixen. In a rematch of the 2017 Division 3 championship game, the Orlando Anarchy defeated the Arkansas Wildcats 46–0.

2019

The league opened with 62 teams (6 in Division 1, 18 in Division 2, and 38 in Division 3). The

repeated as league champions, matching the feat first accomplished by the D.C. Divas (2015, 2016). On July 13, Boston beat the Cali War 52–24 at the

Colorado School of Mines The Colorado School of Mines (Mines) is a public research university in Golden, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1874, the school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, and mathematics, with a focus on ener ...

in Golden, Colorado. The game was broadcast on ESPN3. The St. Louis Slam won their third Division 2 title in four years by downing the Detroit Dark Angels 34–0. The Orlando Anarchy made their third consecutive trip to the Division 3 championship game but fell to the Nevada Storm 62–45.

2020

The 2020 season of the Women's Football Alliance was cancelled in its entirety due to health and safety concerns in regards to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. Although regular season games were scheduled, none were played. The WFA signed deals with Eleven Sports/FTF Next Sports Network to broadcast ten 'WFA Game of the Week' events and eight games from the 2019 season on its cable network, streaming channels and website. They also established partnerships with Secret, Xenith, Wilson, Glazier Clinics, and Florida State University Interdisciplinary Center for Athletic Coaching. The WFA established the Women's Football Coaching Alliance (WFCA), and the 'WFA Gives Campaign'. The league also witnessed the release of two feature films focused on its players, "Born To Play," directed by Viridiana Lieberman, and "Open Field," directed by Kathy Kuras. "Born To Play" aired nationally on ESPN and internationally on ABC to widespread critical acclaim.

2021

In February, the WFA announced a five-year agreement with the Hall of Fame Resort and Entertainment Company for the league's championship games to be played at

Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, formerly Fawcett Stadium, is a football stadium and entertainment complex in Canton, Ohio. It is a major component of ''Hall of Fame Village'', located adjacent to the grounds of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. T ...

at Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio. The league resumed play after a 2020 season lost to global pandemic. Scheduling challenges and safety concerns necessitated a delayed start (May instead of April) and a shortened season (6 regular season games instead of 8). The 2021 season opened with 49 teams (7 in Division 1, 12 in Division 2, and 30 in Division 3). On July 24, the

collected their third consecutive league title with a 42–26 victory over the Minnesota Vixen. The Nevada Storm defeated the Detroit Dark Angels 42–18 to win the Division 2 title. The Derby City Dynamite claimed the Division 3 crown with a 30–20 victory over the Arizona Outkast. All three championship games and the 2021 All-American game were broadcast on

Next Level Sports Next Level Sports is an American sports-oriented cable and satellite television channel. The network also operates an online presence under the alternate brand For the Fans (FTF). History In March 2017, the U.S. international sports channe ...

television channel and FTF Next streaming channel.

2022

Heading into the 2022 season, the WFA rebranded Division 1 as the Pro Division and labeled the level as "WFA Pro." The league started the season with 59 teams: 11 in the Pro Division, 12 in Division 2, and 27 in Division 3. The league also added a developmental level that launched with nine teams. The league's championship games again took place at

at Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio. On July 10, the

collected their fourth consecutive league title with a 32–12 victory over the Minnesota Vixen. On July 9, the Mile High Blaze defeated the Derby City Dynamite 21–20 to win the Division 2 title, and the Oklahoma City Lady Force claimed the Division 3 crown with a 25–0 victory over the Capital City Savages. The National Conference won the All-American Game 14–12. For the first time, the WFA Pro National Championship Game was broadcast on ESPN2. AdeNation was the name sponsor for the championship game while Xenith sponsored the WFA All-American Game. The WFA also signed a multi-year licensing deal with Fathead and brought back "The Road To Canton" television show for a second season. The 2023 season began April 22 with 14 teams.

2023

Following the success of the 2022 WFA Pro Championship Game broadcast, WFA reached a deal to air the 2023 Pro Championship on ESPN2. The WFA began the 2023 season with 60 teams: 14 in the Pro Division, 16 in Division 2, 24 in Division 3, and 6 in the Developmental Division. The regular season ran from April 22 to June 10, with the championship games played on July 22. The

defeated the St. Louis Slam in the WFA Pro National Championship Game 35-7 to win their fifth consecutive championship and seventh overall. In the Division 2 Championship, the New York Wolves defeated the Oklahoma City Lady Force 21-0 for their first championship, and the Division 3 Championship saw the West Palm Beach Coyotes handily beat the New Mexico Banitas 58-6. The WFA Pro National Championship Game garnered 174,000 live viewers, leading to the WFA securing a primetime slot for the 2024 championship on ESPN2. On July 7, the WFA announced the National Championship Trophies would be renamed in honor of the late

Franco Harris Franco Dok Harris (March 7, 1950 – December 20, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a fullback for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football fo ...

, a co-owner of the

Pittsburgh Passion The Pittsburgh Passion are a women's professional American football team based in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The Passion compete in the Women's Football Alliance (WFA) as a member of the National Conference. Founded in 2002, the Passion ...

and member of the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

, citing his contributions to the league and women's football.

2024

The 2024 WFA season saw an overall decrease in the number of teams, with 54 total: 14 in WFA Pro, 15 in Division 2, and 29 in Division 3. The regular season ran from April 27 to June 15, with most teams play 6 games over 8 weeks. In the WFA Pro National Championship Game, the St. Louis Slam defeated the Boston Renegades, 30-27, ending the latter's streak of five straight championships. The Nebraska Pride won the Division 2 championship over the West Palm Beach Coyotes, 32-6, while the Cincinnati Cougars took the Division 3 title over the New Mexico Banitas, 48-26.

WFA teams

WFA Pro

Division 2

Division 3

Developmental

WFA Pro Championship Game results

WFA Division II Championship Game results

WFA Division III Championship Game results

Alliance Bowl results

Alliance Bowl Midwest Region results

References

External links

* * {{Top sport leagues in the United States Sports leagues established in 2008 Professional sports leagues in the United States Women's American football leagues 2008 establishments in the United States