Maritime Women's Football League Explained

The Maritime Women's Football League (MWFL) is a Canadian football league in eastern Canada. It was Canada's first all-female full-contact football competition when it began operating in 2004.

Since it was established, the League has grown from two to four teams. They hail from the three major cities of New Brunswick (Fredericton, Moncton and Saint John) along with a team from Halifax, Nova Scotia.[1] [2] A fifth team, on Prince Edward Island, played in the 2019 MWFL season before the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] [4]

The current MWFL title holders are the Saint John Storm, who won the 2024 championship game 15–6 over the Halifax Xplosion.

Teams

History

The league was founded in 2004 as the New Brunswick Women’s Football League, NBWFL. In 2006, it changed to its present name, the MWFL, when Halifax joined the competition.[10]

Football Canada wrote, "With many obstacles to overcome the growth of the league was slow and at times discouraging. New teams needed enough money to buy all new equipment, or share with teams."[10] The Maritime league became part of the Junior Player Development Program of Football Canada.[10]

The 2010 Canadian women's national team, runner-up at the World Championship, contained 18 gridiron players from New Brunswick, of whom 14 were from the Saint John area.[11]

The MWFL marked its tenth season, 2013, by naming an anniversary all-time team of the best players.[12] [8] In 2014, the season schedule was moved forward, earlier in the year, to play its seasons from April to June.[13]

Since the MWFL began, the Western Women's Canadian Football League and Central Canadian Women's Football League have also been established in other regions of the country.

Modified rules

In the MWFL, the playing field is a regulation Canadian football field, 65 yards wide, but offences are permitted four downs (rather than the usual three) to move the ball forward 10 yards. The one-yard neutral zone is the same as in regular Canadian football. Instead of 12 players per side, MWFL teams play with 11 per team according to the league's 2012 rules.[14] As of 2012, the four timed quarters are each 12 minutes long ordinarily, but 15 minutes long in the final two weeks of the regular season.[14] The league's former rules in 2007[15] stipulated that games were played with 10 players per team, in four quarters of 10 minutes each.

League champions

The league championship is known as the SupHer Bowl, while the championship trophy is known as the Judy Upward Trophy.[16]

YearChampion
2004Simmonds Seagals
2005Saint John Buccaneers
2006Capital Area Lady Gladiators
2007Capital Area Lady Gladiators[17]
2008Saint John Storm
2009Moncton Vipers
2010Saint John Storm
2011Saint John Storm
2012Moncton Vipers
2013Capital Area Lady Gladiators
2014Saint John Storm[18]
2015Saint John Storm[19]
2016Saint John Storm
2017Saint John Storm
2018Fredericton Nissan Lady Gladiators
2019Halifax Xplosion
2020 Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Saint John Storm
New Brunswick-only exhibition season due to pandemic border restrictions
2022 Halifax Xplosion & Saint John Storm (co-champions)
Championship game tied 10–10 after triple OT 		[20]
2024 Saint John Storm [21]

References

  1. News: Halifax Xplosion Women’s Football . Global News . April 3, 2019.
  2. Web site: Women’s football Xploding in Atlantic Canada . Canada Football Chat . March 29, 2019.
  3. News: Yarr . Kevin . P.E.I. women to get their shot at tackle football . CBC . December 20, 2018.
  4. News: MacMillan . Sarah . Island Demons make home debut in women's football circuit . CBC . https://web.archive.org/web/20190519111621/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-island-demons-maritime-womens-football-league-1.5141893 . May 19, 2019 . live.
  5. News: Gill . Jordan . Lady Gladiators football team looks to recruit new players, coach . CBC . December 4, 2018.
  6. News: Woodgate . Molly . Halifax Xplosion women’s tackle football team gives everyone an opportunity to learn . The Signal . December 4, 2015.
  7. News: Groff . Meghan . Halifax Xplosion recruiting players ahead of upcoming season . CityNews . April 1, 2019.
  8. Web site: Staffieri . Mark . Storm setting the standard . Canada Football Chat . July 3, 2013.
  9. Web site: Clow . Tara . Moncton Women’s Tackle Football Community Growing . 91.9 The Bend . https://web.archive.org/web/20221108212902/https://www.919thebend.ca/2022/11/08/moncton-womens-tackle-football-community-growing/ . November 8, 2022 . live.
  10. Web site: Women and Girls Football . Football Canada . https://web.archive.org/web/20211122232406/https://footballcanada.com/development/programs/women-and-girls-football/ . Nov 22, 2021 . live.
  11. News: Women prepare for world tackle football . CBC . April 16, 2010.
  12. Web site: Staffieri . Mark . MWFL Celebrates Milestone Season by Naming Its 10th Anniversary All-Time Team . Bleacher Report . June 29, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150601131344/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1686665-mwfl-celebrates-milestone-season-by-naming-its-tenth-anniversary-all-time-team . June 1, 2015 . live.
  13. Web site: Staffieri . Mark . MWFL looks to ride strong momentum of anniversary season into 2014 . Fourth and Feminine . December 3, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131229083541/https://fourthandfeminine.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/mwfl-looks-to-ride-strong-momentum-of-anniversary-season-into-2014/ . December 29, 2013 . live.
  14. Web site: Maritime Women's Football League Special Rules (2012) . Football New Brunswick . Web Archive . 9 April 2016 . unfit . https://web.archive.org/web/20120421192410/http://www.mwflfootball.ca/mwflrules.html . April 21, 2012 .
  15. Web site: Maritime Women's Football League Special Rules (2007). Football New Brunswick. April 9, 2016.
  16. Web site: History - Saint John Storm Women's Tackle Football Team . Saintjohnstorm.weebly.com . 2013-06-17.
  17. Web site: Women's Professional Championship Games . Lucky Show . https://web.archive.org/web/20200222043208/http://www.luckyshow.org/football/women'sCh.htm . Feb 22, 2020 . live.
  18. Web site: Storm finish undefeated season as 2014 MWFL Champions . Canada Football Chat . https://web.archive.org/web/20161004002707/https://www.canadafootballchat.com/storm-finish-undefeated-season-as-2014-mwfl-champions/ . Oct 4, 2016 . June 26, 2014 . live.
  19. Web site: Storm post second consecutive undefeated season in Championship run . Canada Football Chat . https://web.archive.org/web/20161004000932/http://www.canadafootballchat.com/storm-post-second-consecutive-undefeated-season-in-championship-run/ . Oct 4, 2016 . July 6, 2015 . live.
  20. Web site: https://www.facebook.com/MaritimeWomensFootballLeague/posts/pfbid029ueaL4SqdpBPuJA6Wrg7fXziGoWcZBx72VtBs1ZaPbcWNiB4dQ8MZmYCn1zE2qUml?__cft__[0=AZUFcyg0xH51F1os3V44WKwjc6BGFLjpC1gkAAdIcPWJzIj6BMxhHf0tV1owIlJautnYAfzKgoVWz_4rUYtRJWBEJd2iCXgEz1Cajzdtnn82rqP83q-7hdwl2uzMTWbrnXrDyiT8Ro9__VH0tDp2febTV0ZhbsahUiaLKJAp5CvtqSp-I3kzyaRtKVs7qRXP0sRfOifhtxyP4LCEsPOG-k2g Maritime Women's Football League ]. . June 26, 2022 . Halifax Xplosion and Saint John Storm fought for 3.5 hours in triple OT to a 10-10 draw..
  21. Web site: Maritime Women's Football League Final Standings (June 2024) . Maritime Football . June 2024.

External links

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