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| Sport | Women's American football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2018; 7 years ago (2018) |
| Founder | Odessa Jenkins |
| First season | 2019 |
| President | Elizabeth Jenkins |
| Commissioner | Janice Masters |
| No. of teams | 17 |
| Country |
|
| Most recent champion | Texas Elite Spartans (2025) |
| Most titles | Texas Elite Spartans (5 titles) |
| Sponsors | |
| Official website | [1] |
TheWomen's National Football Conference (WNFC) is a professional full-contactwomen's American football league in theUnited States. With teams across the United States, the WNFC had its first game in 2019 with fourteen regular teams and one exhibition team.
The Women's National Football Conference was founded in 2018, with their inaugural season in 2019. On their website, the WNFC is described as looking to create a standard of excellence and opportunities. The league's mission is to accelerate financial equity for women through the power of football, reshaping the landscape of sports and entertainment by demonstrating that women belong on the field, at the table, and in leadership.
On December 10, 2018, the WNFC announced a partnership withAdidas, as part of the latter's "She Breaks Barriers" initiative.[1] As part of that partnership, Adidas serves as the WNFC's presenting sponsor, with all WNFC teams wearing custom-made Adidas uniforms.
The WNFC played their inaugural season in 2019 with fourteen regular teams and one exhibition team. Five teams came to the WNFC from theIndependent Women's Football League (which folded after the 2018 season), three from the WFA, two from the USWFL, and five were teams playing their inaugural season in the WNFC.
The season began on April 6 and ended with the inauguralIX Cup (named in honor ofTitle IX) on June 29, which saw the Texas Elite Spartans defeat theUtah Falconz 19–14.[2]
In October 2019, The Women's National Football Conference launched the anti-bullying, girls empowerment program, Got Her Back.[3]
The WNFC added seven teams for the 2020 season: three from the WFA, two from the USWFL and three expansion teams. No games were played due toCOVID-19.
The WNFC returned to play on May 1, 2021. The league provided weekly COVID-19 testing for all its 20 teams. All games were streamed on the Vyre Network. The season ended with Texas Elite Spartans defeating the San Diego Rebellion 27–6.
The WNFC played Week 1 of its 2022 season on April 2. All games were streamed on the Vyre Network. The season ended with the Texas Elite Spartans defeating the Utah Falconz 48–12. The WNFC website reported that their broadcast viewership across all Vyre Network platforms had increased by 475% from 2021, throughout the course of the 2022 season.
The WNFC played Week 1 of its 2023 season on April 1. All games were streamed on the Vyre Network. The season ended with the Texas Elite Spartans defeating the Mississippi Lady Panthers 49–7.
The WNFC played Week 1 of its 2024 season on April 6. All games were streamed on Caffeine TV and DAZN. The season ended with the Mississippi Lady Panthers defeating the Texas Elite Spartans 13–6. The WNFC has reported that there were 10 million streams on Caffeine TV and 15 million paid subscriptions on DAZN.
The WNFC has announced that starting in the 2025 season, each tackle team will also be fielding a flag football team for women ages 18+.
On May 9, 2024, the WNFC announced a partnership with Gridiron Football.[4]
On Nov 24, 2024, the WNFC announced that they raised $1 million in Seed Funding.[5]
| Team | Location | Venue | Head coach | Founded | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Truth | Lithia Springs, Georgia | Lithia Springs High School | Kameron Marks | 2024 | 2024 |
| Chicago Winds | Elmhurst, Illinois | Langhorst Field | Allan Williams | 2024 | 2024 |
| Denver Bandits | Aurora, Colorado | North Stadium | Sam Turner | 2018 | 2019 |
| Florida Avengers | Jacksonville, Florida | Ed Waters University | Damien Grimes | 2019 | 2020 |
| Houston Mambas | Sugar Land, Texas | Edward Mercer Stadium | Chenille Tillman-Brooks | 2022 | 2022 |
| Jersey Shore Wave | Paterson, New Jersey | Hinchliffe Stadium | Fabian Alesandro | 2024 | 2024 |
| Kansas City Glory | Overland Park, Kansas | Shawnee Mission North High School | KeKe Blackmon | 2019 | 2019 |
| Las Vegas Silver Stars | Las Vegas, Nevada | Faith Lutheran Middle School and High School | Carrie Walters | 2017 | 2019 |
| Los Angeles Legends | Gardena, California | Junipero Serra High School | Monique Moe Adams and Tim Holmes | 2021 | 2022 |
| Mississippi Panthers[6] | Madison, Mississippi | Madison Ridgeland Academy | LeSteven Jackson | 2018 | 2020 |
| Oregon Ravens | Milwaukie, Oregon | Milwaukie High School | Tim Price | 2019 | 2019 |
| San Diego Rebellion | Escondido, California | Escondido High School | Knengi Martin | 2017 | 2019 |
| Seattle Majestics | Kent, Washington | French Field | Rodney McCurry | 2002 | 2019 |
| Tennessee Trojans | Nashville, Tennessee | Lipscomb Athletic Complex | Kim Corbett | 2022 | 2023 |
| Texas Elite Spartans | Lewisville, Texas | Lewisville High School | Odessa Jenkins | 2017 | 2019 |
| Utah Falconz | Murray, Utah | Cottonwood High School | Keith Barnes | 2014 | 2019 |
| Washington Prodigy | Washington, D.C. | Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School | LaMont Jordan | 2012 | 2020 |
| Year | Title | Home team | Away team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2019 IX Cup | Texas Elite Spartans | Utah Falconz | 19–14 |
| 2021 | 2021 IX Cup | Texas Elite Spartans | San Diego Rebellion | 27–6 |
| 2022 | 2022 IX Cup | Texas Elite Spartans | Utah Falconz | 48–14 |
| 2023 | 2023 IX Cup | Texas Elite Spartans | Mississippi Panthers | 49–7 |
| 2024 | 2024 IX Cup | Texas Elite Spartans | Mississippi Panthers | 6–13 |
| 2025 | 2025 IX Cup | Texas Elite Spartans | Washington Prodigy | 21–19 |
