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 an bi-annual girls and women's flag football magazine.
Rules
Basic Rules are as follows:
- 8 on 8
- Center and Two Guards are ineligible receivers
- Blocking between shoulders and waist
- Down field blocking allowed
- Field goals, extra point kicks and punts are allowed
- Fake kicks and defensive rush allowed
- Defensive line may rush QB as soon as ball is snapped
- No helmets, no fumbles, no pads, or tackling allowed
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.
2015 IWFFA Tournaments
- Kelly McGillis Classic (24th annual) January 12-19,2015
- Tegucigalpa, Honduras (1st annual) March 28 - 29, 2015
- Grimstad, Norway (friendship games) (1st annual) April 18, 2015
- Puerto Rico, San Juan (1st annual) June 12 - 14, 2015
- Oslo, Norway (14th annual) June 6 - 7, 2015
- Norristown, Pennsylvania (1st annual) August 8 - 9, 2015
- Gothenburg, Sweden (15th annual) August 29-30, 2015
- Kate Clinton Classic, [Provincetown, Massachusettes] (10th annual) September 18-20, 2015
- Guatemala City, Guatemala (1st annual) October 31 - November 1, 2015
Special 25th anniversary - Kelly McGillis Classic International Female Flag Football Championship Celebration! - Key West, Florida January 25 - February 1, 2016
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
