The Independent Women's Football League (IWFL) and USA Football, the sport’s national governing body on youth and amateur levels, have forged a partnership to further promote the sport and its immense popularity among female athletes.
All USA Football women’s national teams for International Federation of American Football (IFAF) women’s competitions will comprise entirely of IWFL athletes. In addition, the IWFL has named USA Football as the league’s Official Education Partner and will provide USA Football membership to all IWFL coaches and officials. USA Football conducts more than 100 training events annually on youth and amateur levels. In the past two years, USA Football has helped train more than 16,000 football coaches in all 50 states.
This football partnership also will further strengthen girls’ participation in America’s favorite sport. The IWFL will establish an “IWFL ‘J’ League” – or “Junior” league – in the coming year. These all-girls youth leagues will offer more youngsters the opportunity to further their football participation within the IWFL’s 42 markets in the United States and Canada.
More than 450 American high schools offer girls-specific football programs, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). This figure represents the greatest number of girls-specific high school football programs in history.
“This is a very exciting partnership for us,” said Laurie Frederick, IWFL Chief Executive Officer. “USA Football has made great progress in the standardization of youth football. They have represented the USA well as a member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). This partnership is just one more step towards the same standardization of girls and women’s football. We look forward to developing stable programs with USA Football well into the future.”
“We’re extremely pleased and proud to partner with the IWFL,” said USA Football Executive Director Scott Hallenbeck. “Football’s appeal is universal. Its values and excitement resonates with women and men, boys and girls. We look forward to a strong relationship with the IWFL for the betterment of the sport and our U.S. women’s national team program.”
About USA Football
USA Football is the national governing body of America's favorite sport on youth and amateur levels. With members in all 50 states, USA Football offers training programs for coaches and game officials as well as skill development for young players. The independent non-profit based near Washington, D.C., assembles and manages America’s national teams in the sport and was endowed by the NFL and NFLPA in 2002. For more, visit www.usafootball.com.
About the IWFL
Founded in 2000, the Independent Women’s Football League (IWFL) is an international women’s tackle football organization. The IWFL provides women’s tackle football teams the opportunity to play at the top competition tier of their sport, while fostering an environment of goodwill and sportsmanship. For more visit www.iwflsports.com.
