Women's American football

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Takiyah "TK" Washington, defensive end for the D.C. Divas sacks the Connecticut Crush's Donna Bruce during the first quarter of the Divas-Crush playoff football game June 28 in Washington, D.C. The Divas beat the Crush 76-0 to advance to the second round of the National Women's Football Association playoffs.

A fairly new variation of American football is women's football, a variation of full-contact football featuring all-female teams.

Rules are identical to those of its predominantly male counterpart. It is primarily played on a semiprofessional or amateur level in the United States. Because of its fairly new development, very few high schools or colleges offer the sport; however, on occasion, it is permissible for a female player to join the regular male team. Professional football, like most other sports, is not segregated because of overt sexism but because of the issue of talent and physical capability differences between males and females.

[edit] Leagues

[edit] United States

Independent Women's Football League (IWFL)
National Women's Football Association (NWFA)
Women's Professional Football League (WPFL)

[edit] Canada

Maritime Women's Football League (MWFL)

[edit] Disbanded or moribund

Women's American Football League (WAFL) 2001
Women's Affiliate Football Conference (WAFC) 2002
United Women's Football League (UWFL) 2002
Women's Spring Football League (WSFL)
American Football Women's League (AFWL) 2003
Women's Football Association (WFA) 2003
Ladies Tackle Football League (LTFL) (Central California, disbanded circa 2004?)
Women's Football League (WFL) (Southern U.S., moribund)

There was also a league in the 1970s called the National Women's Football League, not be confused with the NWFA (which also went by that name but changed due to pressure from the National Football League).

[edit] Lingerie Football League

One of the more high profile, and unique women's football organizations is the Lingerie Bowl and its counterpart, the Lingerie Football League, which holds its championship on a pay-per-view event during halftime of the National Football League's Super Bowl. Unlike most women's football leagues, the Lingerie Bowl heavily plays up sex appeal, featuring buxom players playing the game in only an old-fashioned padded helmet and underwear. The league has been inactive for two years but is attempting a reformation in 2008.