The Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) is a national football league made up of 65 teams. The women play full contact football, each team having eleven players on the field. The rules are the same as the NFL including having both feet in for a completed pass, not just one like in college football.
Sarah Courtney, a 29 year old Poland, OH native, has played two years in the WFA – one year for the Pittsburgh Force and one year for Cleveland Fusion. Sarah played right tackle and defensive end her first half season before taking over as Quarterback mid-way through the year. The Force finished that season with a winning record of 4-2 but did not go to the playoffs.
We didn’t know exactly what to expect the first time we went to a women’s football game. There was no way we could have anticipated the intense fierceness of these girls! They get just as rough and dirty as the men, if not more. The crowd went crazy when Sarah singlehandedly pushed at least seven women back from making a first down.
The Pittsburgh Force team dismantled after Sarah’s first season, so the next year she tried out for the Cleveland Fusion and made the team. She played defensive end for the Fusion and had a successful season, making it to the playoffs in Boston.
The Cleveland Fusion are in the top tier of the WFA. This is an elite team, that started in 2002 in the National Women’s Football Association, and joined the WFA in 2009.
Sarah is a multi-talented athlete who plays rugby, softball, and kickball in addition to football. She would add a volleyball league to her agenda if there was more free time in her busy schedule. She is a die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan, which made her year in the Cleveland Fusion’s orange and brown uniforms more than a little funny to us.
We should bring the women’s league into fantasy football. These extreme athletes should have the opportunities that the men are given in college and the NFL. If you have the opportunity to see a WFA game, don’t miss the chance. The excitement and competitiveness can’t be matched!
