Legends Football League



The Lingerie Football League (LFL) is a women's 7-on-7 tackle American football league, created in 2009, with games played in the fall and winter at NBA, NFL, NHL and MLS arenas and stadiums. The league was founded by Mitch Mortaza. The league's administrative offices are in West Hollywood, California.

Concept
The concept originated from the Super Bowl halftime alternative television special called the Lingerie Bowl. It draws millions of viewers as a pay-per-view event broadcast annually directly opposite the Super Bowl halftime show. The television show has become a staple of Super Bowl Sunday festivities for millions worldwide and is broadcast in over 85 countries.

Playing style
Playing style is full-contact and similar to other indoor football leagues. Uniforms consist of shoulder pads, elbow pads, knee pads, garters, bras, panties, and ice hockey-style helmets with clear plastic visors in lieu of face masks.

There are no field goals and no punts. There is a kickoff to start the game and second half. A team must attempt to get a first down on every fourth down. After a touchdown, a team can attempt a one-point conversion from the two yard line, or a two-point conversion from the five-yard line.

There are seven women on each side of the 50-yard field, one fewer than the eight players usually found in arena football or other indoor leagues. Teams consist of 20 players, only 14 of whom are active on game day. This means that there are usually three or four players who play both offense and defense.

The standard offensive formation features 1 quarterback, 2 running backs, 1 center, and 3 wide receivers. The standard defensive formation features 2 defensive linewomen, 2 linebackers, 2 cornerbacks, and 1 safety.

The field is 50-yards between end zones, 30 yards wide, and the end zones are 8 yards deep, roughly the same as other indoor leagues.

A game consists of two 17-minute halves, separated by a 15-minute halftime. In the event of a tie, one or more 8-minute sudden-death overtimes are played until a victor is determined.

The Lingerie Football League is unique among indoor football leagues in that it plays its games during the traditional fall football season and not during the spring.

Media
In 2009–2010, the ten LFL inaugural season teams competed in a 20-week season with games at major arenas and stadia. The weekly games were shot in 1080i high-definition and to broadcast on some MyNetworkTV affiliate stations, international stations, and online streaming.

In 2010–2011, MTV Networks' MTV2 channel has licensed the rights to broadcast 20 regular season and two conference playoff highlight programs. LFL Presents: LFL, Friday Night Football on MTV2 is scheduled to premiere on September 10, 2010.

In 2011-12, MTV Networks' MTV2 channel will once again broadcast 20 regular season games, two conference playoff games, and the championship game during half time of the Super Bowl. This year however, they will present the games in their entirety and will broadcast them live at 9:00 PM ET. LFL Presents: LFL, Friday Night Football on MTV2 is scheduled to premiere on August 26, 2011 from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

2009–2010
The league announced it would play with ten teams in its 2009–2010 season. The league schedule ran from September 4, 2009 to January 29, 2010, with one game each Friday. Teams played one game against each other team in their conference; 2 games were at home and 2 games were on the road. The top two teams in each conference met in playoff games on February 4, 2010, in Miami, and the winners played in Lingerie Bowl VII on February 6, 2010. The Western Conference Los Angeles Temptation defeated the Eastern Conference Chicago Bliss by the score of 27–14.



Most of the teams are coached by former NFL players and coaches already well known in their respective cities. A majority of the players have a background in competitive athletics. Many of the players have experience in other sports at the college and semi-pro level, such as track and field, tennis, volleyball, softball, soccer, basketball, and fitness-style bodybuilding. A few also have experience in tackle football from playing in semi-pro leagues.

2010–2011
For the 2010–2011 season the League granted new franchises to both Orlando (Fantasy) and Baltimore (Charm). The New York Majesty and Denver Dream have suspended operations in an effort to find a suitable arena or stadium for each team.

The 2010 LFL All-Fantasy Game was held June 10, 2010 in Monterrey, Mexico, with the Eastern Conference prevailing over the Western Conference 36–14. The All-Fantasy Game's co-MVPs were Philadelphia Passion's Tyrah Lusby and Miami Caliente's Anonka Dixon.

The 2011 Lingerie Bowl was played in Las Vegas, Nevada, at Thomas & Mack Arena on Sunday, February 6, 2011 venue, during halftime of Super Bowl XLV. It was won by Western Conference champions Los Angeles Temptation who defeated Eastern Conference champions Philadelphia Passion 26-25.

2011–2012
On November 10, 2010, it was announced that Oklahoma City would be receiving a expansion franchise for the 2011–12 season, only to be publicly rejected by the city's mayor, who said he would not allow the league to operate in the city.

On December 6, 2010, it was announced that Cleveland, Ohio beat out Columbus, Ohio for the newest franchise. In the 2011–12 season, the Cleveland Crush will begin play at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland.

On December 8, 2010, it was announced that a Las Vegas expansion side, to be known as the Las Vegas Sin, would begin play for the 2011–12 season.

On January 25, 2011, the league announced an expansion team would be awarded to Green Bay, Wisconsin in the fall of 2011. They will be known as the Green Bay Chill and play home games at Resch Center.

On March 17, 2011, the LFL announced that the Dallas Desire would be suspended for the 2011-2012 season with a planned return in 2012-2013. The stated reasons were financial and issues with the commitment of players on and off the field.

On March 23, 2011, the LFL announced a franchise to Minneapolis for the 2011 season. The team will be known as the Minnesota Valkyrie and will play at Target Center in dowtown Minneapolis (home of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves).

On April 12, 2011, the LFL announced that they are going to have a franchise in Toronto, Ontario. This is the first franchise outside of the United States. Their games will be played in the Ricoh Coliseum where the American Hockey League's Toronto Marlies play.

The status of the San Diego Seduction is unknown; they are no longer included on the LFL's list of teams, but no suspension of operations has been publicly indicated. The Miami Caliente folded.

The 2011 All-Fantasy Game was held in Hamilton, Ontario on July 30, 2011 at Copps Coliseum. Trailing 18-6 in the second half, the Eastern Conference rallied to win 24-18 over the Western Conference. Anonka Dixon, quarterback for the Orlando Fantasy, was awarded offensive MVP for her 3 touchdown passes and game-winning rushing touchdown, while Liz Gorman, a safety with the Tampa Breeze, was named defensive MVP.

Future Expansion
LFL Chairman and Commissioner Mitchell S. Mortaza announced that the league offices are in negotiations with ownership groups to bring the LFL to San Jose, Houston, Phoenix, Detroit, Washington, D.C., Carolina, Buffalo, Columbus, New Orleans and New Jersey in the coming seasons.

The league has announced plans to launch leagues in Canada (2012), Australia (2013) and Europe (2014). In 2014, the champions of each of the four leagues will compete in the LFL's first-ever World Bowl in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

LFL Canada
For the 2011-12 LFL season, the All-Fantasy Game was played in Hamilton, Ontario. This was due in part to the league's announcement that in 2012 there will be a Canadian Lingerie Football League. LFL Canada will consist of a twelve week season with teams in six markets, culminating with the first Canadian Lingerie Bowl on November 24, 2012, the day before the 100th Grey Cup.

Teams
On September 28, 2011, it was announced that, in addition to the Toronto Triumph currently playing in the regular Lingerie Football League, LFL Canada's other five markets would consist of Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Quebec City, and Montreal.

LFL Australia
LFL Australia will premiere in 2013, with the league to play the first Australian exhibition game in Spring 2012. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide have been designated as the four inaugural season market teams.

LFL Europe
In 2014, LFL Europe is set to debut with teams in Barcelona, Frankfurt, Rhein, Manchester and Dublin.

Critical reaction
The league has met with significant criticism. Critics say the league degrades female athletes through "pernicious objectification". Potential players have responded more positively, with one quoted as saying "I just appreciate playing football, I don’t care what they put me in." and another favoring the limited clothing, saying "It’s more comfortable this way." Other players are quoted as viewing the uniforms as a necessary evil, with one saying "Maybe one day, girls won't have to wear lingerie to get people interested [in women's football]." LFL players with experience in track and field competitions have noted that the typical LFL uniform is not that much more revealing than typical track uniforms. The league has been accused of fining players for wearing too many clothes, and for not paying medical bills for injured players. The league prohibits players from commenting on personnel matters, a rule that prompted the vast majority of the Toronto Triumph, including team captain Krista Ford, to quit in protest in October 2011. Originally a professional league with players receiving a cut of net revenue, Mortaza stopped paying his players beginning in the 2011 season and converted the league into an amateur organization; players also must pay for their own health insurance. League founder Mortaza has admitted that the league is marketed toward "mostly beer-drinking college students aged 21 and up."