Taking a Peek at the Women's Pro Football Leagues

Another challenge facing the WPFL and the NWFL is the lack of a football talent pool. The leagues are drawing athletes from a variety of sports because there is not collegiate women's football. This, in turn, means the coaches will need to train these athletes in different positions. Also, most of these athletes will be playing more than one position. Although this can be a challenge, it can also be an advantage. The athletes who will fill these rosters will bring a variety of strong athletic talent to these teams from sports such as lacrosse, soccer, rugby, track and basketball. This variety can add to the teams' success and will allow for great player diversity. These women are not going into the leagues ignorant of the game of football. The majority of these women grew up playing football with relatives or with the neighborhood kids. Finally, if the players do learn more than one position, they will be greater assets to their teammates and coaches because of their versatility.

Finally, the biggest challenge facing these leagues is not the lack of talent or coaching or even organizational structure, but rather the ability to sell the idea of women's professional football to the public and draw a large fan base. There is an interest in women's football; it is simply a matter of letting those who are interested know that these leagues exist. This is a lot harder than it sounds. Hopefully, these leagues will see the value in public relations and use a firm which can get the word out about their players, coaches, schedules, tickets and sponsorship opportunities.

Hopefully, the leagues can learn from the ABL and the WNBA as far as what works and what does not work. It is great to see the football craze catch on among female athletes. More women are becoming football fans and now they can cheer for women's teams.

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