Long Island Resident to Coach Defensive Line for America’s First Women’s National Team in Football
USA Football, the sport’s national governing body on youth and amateur levels, announced today that BETH NUGENT of Glen Cove, N.Y., will serve as the defensive line coach of USA Football’s 2010 Women’s National Team which will compete in the sport’s first women’s world championship this summer in Sweden.
A Jamaica, Queens, native and current Independent Women’s Football League (IWFL) assistant coach for the New York Sharks, Nugent has helped direct her teams to seven IWFL division titles and a league championship since 2002. A Nassau County police detective and graduate of Queens College (N.Y.), she is one of four assistant coaches under Team USA head coach JOHN KONECKI.
USA Football’s 2010 Women’s National Team will represent the United States among a six-nation field competing for the inaugural International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Women’s World Championship in Stockholm, Sweden, from June 27-July 3. IFAF is composed of 57 member nations on five continents with national federations dedicated solely to football. USA Football’s team will be assembled and managed in partnership with the IWFL, which enters its 10th season next month and consists of more than 1,800 female athletes across 51 teams.
USA Football’s 2010 Women’s National Team Coaching Staff:
COACH | POSITION | EXPERIENCE |
John Konecki | Head Coach & Offensive Coordinator | Chicago Force (IWFL) & Crete-Monee (Ill.) H.S. |
Jennifer Huston | Wide Receivers | Sacramento Sirens (IWFL) |
Mark McLaughlin | Special Teams Coordinator & Defensive Backs | Wisconsin Warriors (IWFL) |
Beth Nugent | Defensive Line | New York Sharks (IWFL) |
Anthony Stone | Defensive Coordinator & Linebackers | Chicago Force (IWFL) |
“I am honored to be a part of this historical team and coach the finest women football players in the country,” Nugent said. “I look forward to the competition and representing the United States in the sport I love.”
“We are pleased to have Beth be part of our coaching staff,” Konecki said. “Her knowledge and experience will help us prepare for the world’s best national teams this summer in Stockholm.”
USA Football’s Women’s National Team roster will be determined and announced early this spring. USA Football’s national teams are supported by corporate partners Riddell, Shock Doctor, Gatorade and the Andrews Institute.
Seeding for the six nations that will send their 45-player women’s national teams to Scandinavia was determined based on the number of female football participants in each country established by data recorded in the 2009 IFAF Benchmarking Study:
SEED | COUNTRY |
1. | United States |
2. | Canada |
3. | Germany |
4. | Austria |
5. | Finland |
6. | Sweden |
The six-country tournament field will compete at the Zinkensdamms IP Stadium in Stockholm in the following groups:
GROUP A |
| GROUP B |
United States |
| Canada |
Austria |
| Germany |
Finland |
| Sweden |
2010 IFAF Women’s World Championship schedule
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Teams arrive
Sunday, June 27, 2010
USA vs. Austria
Sweden vs. Canada
Monday, June 28
Rest day / Teams inactive on previous day have option to arrive
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Finland vs. Austria
Germany vs. Sweden
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Canada vs. Germany
USA vs. Finland
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Fifth Place game
Bronze Medal game
Gold Medal game
About IFAF
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) unites more than 50 countries on five continents through a burgeoning international sport. With national football federations in existence for more than 75 years, IFAF was created in 1998 to organize and further develop the game through international cooperation and global competition. The IFAF office is located near Paris, France.
About USA Football
USA Football, the sport's national governing body on youth and amateur levels, manages U.S. national teams within the sport for international competitions and is America’s sole delegate to IFAF. USA Football hosts more than 80 football training events annually offering education for coaches and game officials, skill development for players and resources for youth football league commissioners. The independent non-profit is the official youth football development partner of the NFL, its 32 teams and the NFL Players Association. Endowed by the NFL and NFLPA in 2002 through the NFL Youth Football Fund, USA Football (usafootball.com) is chaired by former NFL team executive Carl Peterson.