In the last thirty to forty years women’s sports have taken some giant leaps forward and NFL for women look as though it’s finally going to become part of the national consciousness. Since the 1960’s efforts have been made to make women’s American tackle football part of the women’s professional sports scene, in the form of the three-year-old Women’s Professional Football League. Many stories have been written and told about the WPFL barnstorming tour of 1965, the NWFL of Oklahoma City Dolls fame of the 70’s, and other failed attempts before the 80’s to establish a women’s tackle football league.. Magazines, newspapers, radio, and television stations across America are realizing that the three year old Women’s Professional Football League could be here to stay.

This attempt at forming a national league started seven years ago, working with good quality professional athletes from a variety of different sports from all over the United States The idea was to put together two full teams of top athletes and play an exhibition game in the HHH Metrodome to judge the athleticism of the players, and the quality and marketability of women’s NFL. Interest was immediately apparent and this grew into the very successful 1999 WPFL “No Limits” Barnstorming Tour which convinced the organizers that it could turn into a viable national league. ‘’We knew that women wanted to play, and now we know that people want to see women’s full-contact professional football’’. Stated the organizers.

One of the most frequently asked questions about women’s NFL is, Where will suitable professional female tackle football player come from? There are no feeder systems to bring on young players yet the quality of play is extremely high. Many are former Division I, II, III athletes who have played basketball, fast pitch, hockey, lacrosse, soccer and track and field, as well as club rugby players and flag football players. The fact is that there are many top athletes from across the country who dream of playing football and who are ready to switch sports and as the popularity of women’s NFL increases so there will naturally be young hopefuls waiting to enter the game.

There are currently 16 teams in the WPFL, and with the growing enthusiasm for the sport this season, many national corporations have already recognized the value of women's professional sports. The women are more approachable and amenable, rather like the men’s game was 30 or 40 years ago before big money made the players into demi-gods. The national media like the accessibility of the top players, it’s refreshing to see the “girls” sign autographs after the game, stop in at tailgate parties prior to games and genuinely talk with the fans. The WPFL seem to have done their homework and to have got it right, long live women’s NFL.