http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/us-team-favored-in-world-football-championship

US team favored in World Football Championship
written by Kristian R. Dyer

Usually when a woman is standing on the sidelines of a football game, she is there as a team employee, a sideline reporter or a journalist, or shaking her "groove thang" as a cheerleader. It has become commonplace to hear women announcing the game as commentators, providing analysis and insight to television viewers.

It's just that you just don't usually hear them barking out the play-call from the line of scrimmage. Welcome, America, to women's football.

On Sunday with much of the country still recovering from the Americans loss in the World Cup or wondering where LeBron James will hold court for the next six years, the United States beat Austria 63-0 in the inaugural International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Women's World Championship. The tournament features six teams from around the world, playing in the first ever competition of this sort. The American women are heavy favorites to emerge from Stockholm, Sweden as the winners.

The United States is the top seed in the tournament, a ranking determined by the number of women in each country who play football. Every participant nation is guaranteed two games in the first round and then will vie for a chance at the medal round, held this Sunday.

The sport, to be honest, has often lived in the shadows.

Women's football has failed, seemingly, to capture the public attention, despite the precedence for other women's sports to grab the occasional headline. Females in basketball have gone mainstream, from Lisa Leslie and Cheryl Miller to Diana Taurasi and Rebecca Lobo. In 1999, the women's national soccer team captured the hearts and minds of the country, with the penalty kick shootout win over China etching an all-time Nielsen rating for the sport of soccer in the United States and producing an iconic moment when Brandi Chastain revealed her sports bra to the world.

Even the women's hockey team garnered some attention in the most recent Winter Olympics, getting a silver medal. Women's track has produced stars and controversy and women's tennisis  often more discussed and followed in this country than the men's game.

But don't blame the sport, says the head coach of the United States, John Konecki.

"Women's football is in its relative infancy - [this past] Sunday we were playing in the first game of the first women's world championship in football," Konecki said. "Golf and tennis dates back to the early 20th century. The sport is growing."

Konecki, a highly respected high school coach in Illinois who also coaches the Chicago Force in the women's league, says that 40 years ago, there was 120 women playing organized football. Now he says, there are nearly 2,000 women on 51 teams in the Independent Women's Football League (IWFL).

For the women, though, it is a badge of honor to play.

One member of the national team, Jeanna Fisher who plays for Portland in the IWFL, says she discovered the league when she walked by a table promoting the local team at a civic fair. Another, Molly Goodwin, got into the sport after playing competitive Ultimate Frisbee and flag football in the Boston area. Still another, Mia Brickhouse, played softball at Villanova and used the sport as an outlet and a "distraction" while going through law school.

"I just figured, ?Well, I've done well at the family barbeques playing football. Let me just give it a try'," Brickhouse said.

And try she did as Brickhouse has now played the sport for nine years and is eagerly looking forward to representing the United States in the tournament.

Women's football is an untapped market for the IFAF and even the NFL. According to Nielsen Media Research, 41.9 million women aged 18 and over watched the most recent Super Bowl. By comparison, the 82nd Academy Awards, often considered prime advertising time to target women, attracted 41.7 million total viewers this year. It goes deeper, a 2004 Harris Poll had 30% of all women listing the NFL as their favorite sport, more than double baseball which came in a distant second. College football was third, a favorite of 10% of the women polled.

The growth of football at the international level and especially for women will follow the successful blueprint that has turned soccer into a global sport and has brought baseball, basketball and even hockey into the worldwide sporting discussion. International competition and subsequent exposure is key to the marketing, branding and the growth of gridiron football internationally.

"The popularity of our sport around the world continues to grow ? that includes interest in playing the game at all levels. The women's world championship is a great example of that interest," said Chris Parson, vice president of NFL international. "The tournament is sure to be an outstanding event for the players, coaches and fans that will be remembered for years to come."

And what the NFL might remember most is the ringing of the cash register.

"It could be that springboard that really puts us on the map, so in that regard I think we could really springboard into a full professional league with national exposure from this tournament," said Goodwin, who plays on the IWFL's Boston Militia.

Many women on the team say that there is usually some surprise when they tell people that they play in the IWFL or will represent the United States on a national team in international competition. Most people they talk to assume that they play in the much ballyhooed Lingerie Football League.

The response, says Fisher, is that they wear pads and helmets, not push-ups and heels.

"Um, ?No, we are absolutely not the lingerie league.' And then I'll get questions like, ?Do you guys actually wear pads? Do you actually hit each other?' - like we're not capable of doing something that the boys do," Fisher said. "But we do it all."

The women's game closely mirrors the NFL or big-time college football.

Konecki runs the spread offense on his Chicago team, which he says utilizes the speed and dynamics of his offense. He sees the tournament as a chance for the women to show that they can play football at a high level and that while you can't compare the skill-level between men and women on the field, he notes that many of his players were top college athletes in other sports, making this an athletic group of women.

Brickhouse said that her mother is warming up to the sport, noting that she was pleased to see that her daughter was the "one delivering the hits and not receiving them." Her father, though, has gotten behind her daughter's football accomplishments. Brickhouse's brother was more comfortable with computers and technology, she says, so this is an opportunity for her dad to root for a child of his on the football field.

"Dad is 100% on board. He's at every game he can be at, he's on the internet, he's the first one that calls me after the game. For him, it makes no difference whether I'm a girl or not," Brickhouse said. "For him, he's just proud of me and all the accomplishments."

And for the women of the United States team at the world championships this week, they hope to convert a few more Mr. Brickhouses to their side over the next week.

Kristian R. Dyer covers the NFL for FoxSports.com and Scout.com as a publisher of GreenAndWhiteReport.com, covering all things about the New York Jets. He can be reached for comment at KristianRDyer@yahoo.com and followed at twitter.com/kdyer1012.

http://www.derryinklink.com/2010/06/shes-tackling-world.html

She's tackling the world

Jen Pirog, No. 32, during a practice game in Austin, Texas, this week.

By CAROL ROBIDOUX

Union Leader Correspondent

DERRY - Jennifer Pirog knows that this is her once in a lifetime moment and so she's running with it like she's just intercepted a game-winning touchdown, and is closing in on the end zone.

Not only is the 41-year-old Manchester Freedom wide receiver from Derry in the best shape of her seven-year football career, but she's about to make history as one of 45 American women participating in the first-ever International Federation of American Football Women's World Championship next week in Stockholm, Sweden.

 

PIROG

Six teams representing the best female athletes from around the globe - USA, Austria, Canada, Germany, Finland and Sweden - will go head-to-head for the championship. Although the U.S. team is the No. 1 seed going into the games, win or lose, all of the players are there to demonstrate their passion for the sport while putting women's football on the international map.

 

Priog has been in Austin, Texas, all week practicing with top players, culled from IFAF teams around the country, for a crash course in teamwork.

 

"I can't quite describe what it means to be here at this point in my career. It's exhilarating to be with all these women who are really, really good players. It's like we're one team, even though we may play each other in our regular season, it's like we've been together forever," said Pirog during a phone interview from Austin Monday between workouts.

 

She grew up in Merrimack in a football-centric family, but never got to play on teams like her brothers. Seven years ago she heard about a women's league in Massachusetts and tried out, but that league fell apart.

 

Then she found Freedom in Manchester.

 

Pirog was a quick study and fast became one of the team's most well-rounded players, said Dave Sarvis, former head coach and current director of operations.

"What sets Jen apart? She's a former power lifter and has been actively involved in sports since she was young, so she brings that natural competitive nature and desire to be the best at her craft to the field with her," said Sarvis. "She's highly motivated and critical of her self, and that makes her a bona fide athlete and standout player."

 

Current owner of the Freedom, Ray Simoneau, explained the international tournament is a test run for what organizers hope will be a recurring event.

 

CARIGNAN

"It's a pilot series, something they're thinking about doing it every four years, so this is a trial. Although women's football has been popular for years in Europe, this is the very first time an American team has gone overseas to play a football game or tournament of this type," Simoneau said.

 

Looking forward to the Freedom's 10-year franchise anniversary feels good, said Simoneau. "We're still here, and we find that once fans find us, they stay with us. We've outlived other local football franchises, like the Wolves. I believe women's football is not only here to stay, but after this, it's only going to grow."

 

He noted that in addition to Pirog, fellow Freedom teammate Julie Carignan was also called up for the international tournament, doubling the hometown pride for Freedom fans.

 

"Julie's been with us since day one. She's an outstanding defensive player and puts her heart and soul in the game," Simoneau said. "In the last couple of years she's been taking on more of a coaching role, she's had some tough injuries. But she was chosen for the international team for her past performances. To be honest, I'm not sure where the team would be without either of these two ladies - they do so much more behind the scenes, and bring so much more to the team than I can say."

 

As for Pirog - whose team nickname is Frog "because it rhymes with Pirog and she happens to like frogs" according to Sarvis - her talent and ability are boundless.

 

"Here's a gal who never played before she came to us, and has learned multiple skills and skill sets for offense and defense. She started as a corner back and developed into what we call a shut down corner. That means you can put her one-on-one with the best athlete on the field and know we can take that athlete out of game and make them a non-factor. Her coverage techniques are that good," Sarvis said.

"She went on to learn special teams and had a lot of interceptions, so her open field running ability stood out, and she became our punt returner. Because of that, she made her way onto offense where she learned both running back and wide receiver positions. She went from zero to star athlete and a threat in four positions on the field," Sarvis said.

 

"And off the field, it would be hard to find a more humble or well-tempered person. She's just spectacular, both she and Julie are the kind of players you want to send to an international tournament to represent the United States," Sarvis said.

 

Pirog downplays her success as a player with regular doses of reality. Participating in women's football is all about the passion, because she doesn't get paid a dime for it. During the regular season, she works the two weekly practices and Saturday games around her schedule as a hairdresser in Nashua. She's tough, but she's also 41 and will be that much closer to 50 in four years when the next international team is being fielded.

 

"So yeah, I truly know it's a once in a life time thing for me. I say every year it will be my last playing football - been saying that for a while. But maybe, after this, it will really be it," said Pirog. "It sure would be a good way to end my football career."

 

The IFAF Women's World Championship in Stockholm, Sweden is June 26 - July 3 and kicks off with Game 1, U.S. and Austria, on Sunday.  Game video will be available for downloading 24 hours after a game is over.  Video & stats for all games will be available for downloading at: http://www.2010wwc.info/