International Woman's Flag Football Association

The International Women's Flag Football Association (IWFFA) is the umbrella organization for female flag football around the world. The organization prides itself on being owned and operated by women whose motto is "women should run their own sport". IWFFA offers girls and women's flag football tournaments in North America, Scandinavia, Central America and Caribbean Regions. Their outreach program offers flag football clinics and training for players, coaches, officials to any group wanting to develop female flag football in their area. Some of their promotional tours have been described at: promotional tours . The IWFFA introduced the sport beginning in 1997 in Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland.

Though flag football is a sport and competition is crucial, less importance is stressed on winning, and more stress is placed on "Experiencing the Excitement" in order to invite all females regardless of the skill level to participate in competitions so that they can learn skills from playing the sport, then to transfer to other areas of their lives in order to better compete with their male counterparts to have female influence in world affairs and one day peace.

Other goals are to professionalize women's flag football and to promote female flag football through tournaments, trainings and promotional tours held annually throughout the world. IWFFA ranks teams nationally (USA) and internationally. The IWFFA recognizes athletic achievements of female flag football players. The Porter Wilson Award (man who invented flag a tag belts & flags used as equipment to play the sport) honors any woman or man, each year, who has done so much for the sport. The World Challenge is a special competition between USA All Stars vs International All Stars. IWFFA Videos highlight some of the best female flag football action. The IWFFA has won numerous awards such as the Dick Butkas Award for their website, 1996 National Sports Emmy Award for "Football America" TNT/NFL Films chosen outstanding edited sports special (Kelly McGillis Classic).

All females are encouraged to be a part of the IWFFA organization develop the organization. The IWFFA sanctions leagues, ranks leagues nationally, internationally and offers great support to members. IWFFA Flag Football News is a monthly newsletter updating players on current flag football news. The IWFFA Forward Pass is a bi-annual girls and women's flag football magazine.

Rules

Basic Rules are as follows:

Tournaments

The most notable tournament is the Kelly McGillis Classic International Female Flag Football Championship & World Challenge Game, Key West, FL. held in January in Key West, FL. This tournament has brought as many as 49 teams from across the world including the United States, Canada, Norway, Scotland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Mexico and various other countries.


                    == 2017 IWFFA Tournaments ==

- 26th Kelly McGillis Classic International Female Flag Football Championship & World Challenge, Key West, FL. January 26–30 (Games Only) (Full Week of Events: January 23–30)

- 2nd San Salvador, El Salvador - Hosted by ASFA July 1–2

- 6th Readington, New Jersey - Hosted by NJWFF June 24–25

- 3rd Norristown, Pennsylvania - Hosted by NWFFL Aug. 12-13

- 15th Gothenburg, Sweden - Hosted by Gothenburg Angels Aug. 26-27

- 3rd Key West Women's Fest- Friendship Game & Clinic - Loose Women Only - Sep. 9, 2017

- 12th Kate Clinton Classic, Provincetown, Massachusetts - Sept. 29 - Oct. 1, 2017

- 4th Guatemala City, Guatemala - Hosted by GWFFL - October 21–22, 2017

- 2nd Cancun, Mexico Hosted by ISGU - November 24–26, 2017 8 on 8 & 5 on 5

History

In April 1997, the International Women's Flag Football Association (IWFFA) was founded by Diane Beruldsen and is the first international women's flag football association. The IWFFA was developed from previous leagues founded by Diane Beruldsen: Brooklyn Women's Flag Football League, New York Women's Flag Football League, Key West Women's Flag Football League. In 1995 Ms. Beruldsen founded the National Women's Flag Football Association, the very first women's national flag football association.

Since its inception, the IWFFA has traveled to other countries throughout Europe to introduce the sport and start new teams and leagues. In the fall of 1997, the IWFFA brought flag football to Scandinavia by starting the first women's flag football team in Denmark called the: Copenhagen Mermaids. In 1999 the Oslo Trolls (Norway) was formed. In 2000, the Gothenburg Angels (Sweden), Team Ice (Iceland) was formed and as the IWFFA traveled for six months during its 2000 promotional tour throughout the Nordic Region (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland), many teams were formed and thus, the Nordic Region for Women's Flag Football. The IWFFA travels all over the world to promote female flag football. The majority of teams and leagues are in the United States where it holds the largest female flag football tournament: Kelly McGillis Classic (KMC). In 2001, the KMC hosted 49 teams, 9 international and 40 national teams from the USA. It was the largest international flag football competition ever which brought 1,500 flag football players to the island of Key West, Florida, USA.

The First Annual World Challenge Game sponsored by Tylenol was held in 2008 following the regular tournament play of the Kelly McGillis Classic. U.S.A. All Stars vs International All Stars make up the two competing teams in the World Challenge Games, which has become a great competition displaying female flag football athleticism at its best.

To see some great flag football athleticism, go to YouTube and search: IWFFA

References

    http://www.fla-keys.com/news/news.cfm?sid=2044

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