Like many football fans this off-season I thought my days would be filled with boredom and thumb twiddling waiting for the season to start, granted this was initially the case until one night I found something on YouTube which got my attention!
I was surfing through the usual football highlights, hardest hits etc. when I stumbled across a video containing a sport filled with as many hard hits and great plays that I have become accustomed to with the NFL. I hear you asking yourselves, just what are you rambling on about Ballhawk, well my friends the answer is simple, I am talking about the Legends Football League (LFL)!
Once known as the Lingerie Football League, the LFL is a 7 on 7 full contact version of American Football played by women on a 50yd Arena Pitch. For those out there who may be sceptical about this sport and the ability of its players, please check out this knock out blow delivered by Ashley Salerno of Los Angeles Temptation! (please accept our apologies for the colourful language used during this clip)
I was surfing through the usual football highlights, hardest hits etc. when I stumbled across a video containing a sport filled with as many hard hits and great plays that I have become accustomed to with the NFL. I hear you asking yourselves, just what are you rambling on about Ballhawk, well my friends the answer is simple, I am talking about the Legends Football League (LFL)!
Once known as the Lingerie Football League, the LFL is a 7 on 7 full contact version of American Football played by women on a 50yd Arena Pitch. For those out there who may be sceptical about this sport and the ability of its players, please check out this knock out blow delivered by Ashley Salerno of Los Angeles Temptation! (please accept our apologies for the colourful language used during this clip)
Okay so now that I have your attention let us go over the history of the Legends Football League.
The LFL is the brain child of Mitch Mortaza and was officially founded in 2003 under the name Lingerie Football League. It is my understanding that the leagues concept was developed from a Superbowl alternative halftime TV special called the lingerie bowl. This was a pay per view event which was broadcast annually opposite the Superbowl halftime show.
Although the company itself was founded in 2003 it did not have it's inaugural season until 2009. By 2009 there were 10 franchise teams from across the USA which were split into two conferences like the NFL. The conferences were named the Eastern and Western conference and each team played two home and two away fixtures against their rivals within the conference.
At the end of the regular season the league entered it's playoff period where the top two teams from the east and west competed in the equivalent of the Conference Championship games with the winners going through to the lingerie bowl!
The LFL is the brain child of Mitch Mortaza and was officially founded in 2003 under the name Lingerie Football League. It is my understanding that the leagues concept was developed from a Superbowl alternative halftime TV special called the lingerie bowl. This was a pay per view event which was broadcast annually opposite the Superbowl halftime show.
Although the company itself was founded in 2003 it did not have it's inaugural season until 2009. By 2009 there were 10 franchise teams from across the USA which were split into two conferences like the NFL. The conferences were named the Eastern and Western conference and each team played two home and two away fixtures against their rivals within the conference.
At the end of the regular season the league entered it's playoff period where the top two teams from the east and west competed in the equivalent of the Conference Championship games with the winners going through to the lingerie bowl!
The first LFL lingerie bowl was played on February 7th 2010 between the Los Angeles Temptation (Western) and Chicago Bliss (Eastern). The first LFL champions were the Los Angeles Temptation after they beat Chicago Bliss 27 – 14. Before we move on please take a moment to check out the highlights from Lingerie Bowl I below.
Since the leagues creation there has been a total of three lingerie bowls which have all been won by Los Angeles Temptation. I am sure you will all agree that this domination is a great achievement in any sport and this year they are looking to make it four in a row!
Unfortunately the league has not been able to keep all of it's original 10 teams due to financial constraints however they have been able to find other franchises to take their place. This year the USA league has also expanded to 12 participating teams.
Let us now take a look at what the future holds for the LFL, much like the NFL the league is looking to become a global brand and the commitment to this was evident in 2012 when the American league took a hiatus to play a series of all star games in Mexico and Australia.
2012 also saw the first season played outside of USA in Canada where four teams battled it out to be crowned champions! The Canadian league was played in the same format with the two conference winners facing off in the final.
Unfortunately the league has not been able to keep all of it's original 10 teams due to financial constraints however they have been able to find other franchises to take their place. This year the USA league has also expanded to 12 participating teams.
Let us now take a look at what the future holds for the LFL, much like the NFL the league is looking to become a global brand and the commitment to this was evident in 2012 when the American league took a hiatus to play a series of all star games in Mexico and Australia.
2012 also saw the first season played outside of USA in Canada where four teams battled it out to be crowned champions! The Canadian league was played in the same format with the two conference winners facing off in the final.
On the back of the world tour we now have a league in Australia which is due to commence in December and we also have the first European franchises being formed in Dublin and Manchester in preparation for 2014 when it is hoped LFL Europe will kick off.
In May this year the league also sent a party of players out to Asia which included marquee player and household name Liz Gorman. Liz is a former defensive player of the year and all star MVP, she also doesn’t back down from a challenge as you can see below:
In May this year the league also sent a party of players out to Asia which included marquee player and household name Liz Gorman. Liz is a former defensive player of the year and all star MVP, she also doesn’t back down from a challenge as you can see below:
The aim of the expansion is not only to have a global product but the LFL also plans to have a world cup like tournament featuring teams from each of it's leagues.
Well that just about wraps it up from me ladies and gentlemen however I strongly recommend everyone adds the LFL programming to their off-season routines. I guarantee you will not be disappointed!
STAY IN TOUCH WITH THE LFL VIA THE LINKS BELOW:
www.lflus.com
www.youtube.com/user/LingerieFootball
www.lfl360.com
Well that just about wraps it up from me ladies and gentlemen however I strongly recommend everyone adds the LFL programming to their off-season routines. I guarantee you will not be disappointed!
STAY IN TOUCH WITH THE LFL VIA THE LINKS BELOW:
www.lflus.com
www.youtube.com/user/LingerieFootball
www.lfl360.com