Lingerie
Football League, LLC. (LFL) and PPL Park officials announced LFL’s
back-to-back Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia Passion will be
playing their 2013 home games at PPL Park.
Since
premiering in 2009, the LFL has become ‘The Fastest Growing Sports
League in the US’ (BusinessWeek) drawing sell-out crowds, acquiring a
national television contract, first-ever video game deal in the history
of women’s sport, named highest-rated LIVE sports series in the history
of MTV Networks’ and incredible growth in the US as well as
internationally with formation and launch of LFL Canada (2012), LFL
Australia (2013) and LFL Europa (2014).
“LFL
Football has become one of the fastest growing sports in the country
and its momentum is only getting stronger,” said Global Spectrum’s Mike
Scanlon, General Manager of PPL Park. “We welcome one of the LFL’s most
successful franchises in the Philadelphia Passion to their new home
stadium.”
The
Passion have been one of the league’s most successful franchises
on-the-field going to the Playoffs in two of its first three seasons of
play. Despite their on-field success the franchise has struggled to draw
a significant Philadelphia fan base as the past three seasons of home
games were played at New Jersey’s Sun National Bank Center.
“We
want to thank the great people of Sun National Bank Center for hosting
Passion Football for the past three seasons. We are however thrilled to
finally bring the Philadelphia Passion where they belong, the great city
of Philadelphia. Our move to PPL Park creates the perfect storm of a
great franchise, a new home stadium and a fanatical sports city,” said
Mitchell Mortaza, Founder & Chairman, Lingerie Football League, LLC.
The
move to Philadelphia, as well as a shift in regular season schedule to a
Spring through Summer format, will surely draw a fan base to PPL Park.
The two 2013 home games will be played on Saturday, June 15, 2013 and
Saturday, July 13, 2013.
Showing posts with label LFL Australia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LFL Australia. Show all posts
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Lingerie Football: Reality Check For Lacrosse
By Marty ONeill (writer for IL Indoor)
I have to admit I was caught off guard this past Saturday night. Cruising the TV channels with my limited cable plan, I landed on a tape-delayed Lingerie Football League game between Vancouver’s team, the Angels, and Regina on CHEK-TV, which is a regular feed here in Victoria, B.C. I thought it was a gimmick because of an e-mail forward I received in the past. Secondly, I didn’t know anything about a women’s Lingerie Football League or a Canadian league. I watched with horror for about 10 minutes. The horror wasn’t that it was women playing football in lingerie. The horror was that this was a big time production and everyone was taking this thing seriously, including the gals playing the game. Here I was watching a football game Saturday night prime time and it wasn’t the CFL!
First off, there were people in the stands at the Abbottsford Arena watching, the same arena that would make the most sense for NLL expansion to YVR. Next up, you can tell that the costs to make this league happen took some decent cake. Last, while the action wasn’t great, it was entertaining for a moment and more entertaining than men’s arena football I’ve watched before.
Obviously, it appeals to women for the spectacle of this type of female athleticism and men for reasons that don’t need to be spelled out. This all adds up to more competition for the NLL and other indoor lacrosse leagues and that’s what’s on my mind and really bothering me as I write.
I started to look online for some facts about Lingerie Football. First off, the ladies play for free or part of the gate (after expenses). The franchises start at about $1.5 million, I read, much less than the NLL and I’m betting the Canadian franchises were much less. They have about 12 USA-based teams across the country and 4 in Canada, now in a satellite league.
They have had MTV2 cable coverage the last two years in America and they have travelled to play exhibitions in Mexico twice and Australia. In short, they aren’t the rollergals, they have a lot going on and seem to be building speed.
All this sweaty female action spells more trouble for the NLL. This LFL has a leg up on the pro lacrosse because it has no overhead for payroll and they are gaining exposure quickly with cable TV contracts and lots of interest in their brand of football and the girls behind the scenes.
Instead of the NLL pumping out the storyline of “regular Joe” during the week and professional lacrosse player on the weekend, Lingerie Football can take that a step further and say these regular Janes play for the love of the game and a few bumps and bruises but no cash. When you consider the wide appeal of the sport of football across this continent, you can see where I’m troubled by this newest competition of entertainment for our beloved sport of indoor lacrosse.
The LFL has ripped another page from the NLL handbook by having the players do meet and greets with the fans right after the game for autographs and the like. The games are on weekends and should be wrapped in less than two hours, another NLL strategy. They play music during games and have cool in arena props and such to go with flashy uniforms. The big difference is the sex appeal and who it’s directed at. Research turned up ticket prices in Regina that go for $75.00 on the sides, $37.50 for upper level sides and $16.50 for end zones. So you can get in the building for a reasonable amount if you’re a lookielue and you’ll have to spend to get up close or bring binoculars.
Minnesota, Seattle and Philadelphia have competition from the USA side and Toronto in Canada. While the first games don’t dictate attendance good or bad, for long term I will be checking these markets to see what the attendance draw is and if it surpasses the NLL teams in those markets.
This is an ego check for all of us involved in lacrosse. I have been saying all along that indoor lacrosse is entertainment and that we can’t take ourselves too seriously, yet. Marketing has to get aggressive now and we need to expose more of the aspects of the top levels of lacrosse to draw in interest from outside our regular fan base.
Later this week, the Mann Cup will start to unfold in Peterborough, Ontario, and in about 7 to 10 days it will be over. I predict the good people of the CLA and the OLA will miss yet another chance to get our national summer sport covered on a hockey starved “sports only” television network here in Canada and the Mann Cup will once again be a who-done-it for 90% of Canada.
At least I know I can catch a good Lingerie Football game in my own living room this coming Saturday night.
I have to admit I was caught off guard this past Saturday night. Cruising the TV channels with my limited cable plan, I landed on a tape-delayed Lingerie Football League game between Vancouver’s team, the Angels, and Regina on CHEK-TV, which is a regular feed here in Victoria, B.C. I thought it was a gimmick because of an e-mail forward I received in the past. Secondly, I didn’t know anything about a women’s Lingerie Football League or a Canadian league. I watched with horror for about 10 minutes. The horror wasn’t that it was women playing football in lingerie. The horror was that this was a big time production and everyone was taking this thing seriously, including the gals playing the game. Here I was watching a football game Saturday night prime time and it wasn’t the CFL!
First off, there were people in the stands at the Abbottsford Arena watching, the same arena that would make the most sense for NLL expansion to YVR. Next up, you can tell that the costs to make this league happen took some decent cake. Last, while the action wasn’t great, it was entertaining for a moment and more entertaining than men’s arena football I’ve watched before.
Obviously, it appeals to women for the spectacle of this type of female athleticism and men for reasons that don’t need to be spelled out. This all adds up to more competition for the NLL and other indoor lacrosse leagues and that’s what’s on my mind and really bothering me as I write.
I started to look online for some facts about Lingerie Football. First off, the ladies play for free or part of the gate (after expenses). The franchises start at about $1.5 million, I read, much less than the NLL and I’m betting the Canadian franchises were much less. They have about 12 USA-based teams across the country and 4 in Canada, now in a satellite league.
They have had MTV2 cable coverage the last two years in America and they have travelled to play exhibitions in Mexico twice and Australia. In short, they aren’t the rollergals, they have a lot going on and seem to be building speed.
All this sweaty female action spells more trouble for the NLL. This LFL has a leg up on the pro lacrosse because it has no overhead for payroll and they are gaining exposure quickly with cable TV contracts and lots of interest in their brand of football and the girls behind the scenes.
Instead of the NLL pumping out the storyline of “regular Joe” during the week and professional lacrosse player on the weekend, Lingerie Football can take that a step further and say these regular Janes play for the love of the game and a few bumps and bruises but no cash. When you consider the wide appeal of the sport of football across this continent, you can see where I’m troubled by this newest competition of entertainment for our beloved sport of indoor lacrosse.
The LFL has ripped another page from the NLL handbook by having the players do meet and greets with the fans right after the game for autographs and the like. The games are on weekends and should be wrapped in less than two hours, another NLL strategy. They play music during games and have cool in arena props and such to go with flashy uniforms. The big difference is the sex appeal and who it’s directed at. Research turned up ticket prices in Regina that go for $75.00 on the sides, $37.50 for upper level sides and $16.50 for end zones. So you can get in the building for a reasonable amount if you’re a lookielue and you’ll have to spend to get up close or bring binoculars.
Minnesota, Seattle and Philadelphia have competition from the USA side and Toronto in Canada. While the first games don’t dictate attendance good or bad, for long term I will be checking these markets to see what the attendance draw is and if it surpasses the NLL teams in those markets.
This is an ego check for all of us involved in lacrosse. I have been saying all along that indoor lacrosse is entertainment and that we can’t take ourselves too seriously, yet. Marketing has to get aggressive now and we need to expose more of the aspects of the top levels of lacrosse to draw in interest from outside our regular fan base.
Later this week, the Mann Cup will start to unfold in Peterborough, Ontario, and in about 7 to 10 days it will be over. I predict the good people of the CLA and the OLA will miss yet another chance to get our national summer sport covered on a hockey starved “sports only” television network here in Canada and the Mann Cup will once again be a who-done-it for 90% of Canada.
At least I know I can catch a good Lingerie Football game in my own living room this coming Saturday night.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
The LFL Australia Announces 2nd Franchise
The LFL Names First-Ever Minor League Partnership
Lingerie
Football League, LLC. (or ‘LFL’) officials have named Ladies Gridiron
League (or ‘LGL’) based out of Sydney, Australia the LFL’s first-ever
official minor league.
The Ladies Gridiron League (LGL) was originally modeled off the success of the LFL and to bring awareness of American Football to the Australian Culture. “We are extremely excited to partner with one of the fastest growing sports league not only in the US but potentially the world. This association provides the LGL with instant credibility in Australia while providing the LFL with a better prepared athlete,” said Adrian Brown LGL Founder.
The LGL will work with LFL officials in the football operational build-out of LFL Australia across Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane. LFL Australia is set to officially kickoff December 2013 having already named its New South Wales Surge franchise.
More minor leagues associations across Canada and US are expected over the coming year.
LFL officials have been very focused on building the sport internationally in 2012 which includes the debut of LFL Canada and news that the LFL is now seen in more countries around the world than the National Football League (NFL).
“What started as simply a US focus and sport, is now evolving and translating well to a global audience. Groups like the LGL that are compromised of great individuals that are obviously part of the local culture will be instrumental in the growth of our sport beyond the US borders”, said, Mitchell S. Mortaza, Founder & Chairman, Lingerie Football League, LLC.
Alongside LFL United States, LFL Canada and LFL Australia planS are underway to launch LFL Europa in 2014 or 2015 with interest growing in league play in Mexico and South America.
The LFL will host its first-ever World Bowl to be played alongside the 2014 World Cup in Sao Paulo, Brazil featuring the champions of LFL US, LFL Canada and LFL Australia.
The Ladies Gridiron League (LGL) was originally modeled off the success of the LFL and to bring awareness of American Football to the Australian Culture. “We are extremely excited to partner with one of the fastest growing sports league not only in the US but potentially the world. This association provides the LGL with instant credibility in Australia while providing the LFL with a better prepared athlete,” said Adrian Brown LGL Founder.
The LGL will work with LFL officials in the football operational build-out of LFL Australia across Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane. LFL Australia is set to officially kickoff December 2013 having already named its New South Wales Surge franchise.
More minor leagues associations across Canada and US are expected over the coming year.
LFL officials have been very focused on building the sport internationally in 2012 which includes the debut of LFL Canada and news that the LFL is now seen in more countries around the world than the National Football League (NFL).
“What started as simply a US focus and sport, is now evolving and translating well to a global audience. Groups like the LGL that are compromised of great individuals that are obviously part of the local culture will be instrumental in the growth of our sport beyond the US borders”, said, Mitchell S. Mortaza, Founder & Chairman, Lingerie Football League, LLC.
Alongside LFL United States, LFL Canada and LFL Australia planS are underway to launch LFL Europa in 2014 or 2015 with interest growing in league play in Mexico and South America.
The LFL will host its first-ever World Bowl to be played alongside the 2014 World Cup in Sao Paulo, Brazil featuring the champions of LFL US, LFL Canada and LFL Australia.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
LFL Australia Brands It's First Franchise As The New South Wales Surge
The NSW team attended a Fuel TV (LFL’s Australia broadcaster) function where everyone gathered to watch the recent All Fantasy Games between the Western and Eastern conferences. During the evening each team member introduced themselves.
Once the game had finished the squads were called onto the stage as the MC for the night Jimmy White read out a statement from LFL Founder and Commissioner Mitchell Mortaza.
“Unfortunately, we could not join you on this incredible and historic evening as we formally launch our New South Wales team of LFL Australia.
We could not be more proud of the excitement and enthusiasm you ladies have shown already in preparation of the 2013 inaugural season.
Sydney has already proven how much it loves LFL Football, now its time for you to win the love of all of New South Wales!
It is now with great pleasure and honour that we formally announce the name of the team and kickoff a new era in Sport throughout New South Wales…….history will be named tonight as you ladies are the first-ever roster of the……… NEW SOUTH WALES SURGE.
The ‘Surge’ was chosen for the power and determination of the Ocean that each you will possess on the football field”.
The players and supporters were all in agreement that this was a great name and would see the girls using it as a reminder of the relentless drive and force required to over power and dominate the opposing team.
At present there is a squad of 30 girls that will eventually be cut down to a roster of 20 who will go on to play in the 2013/14 season. The girls are currently training together as a squad every Sunday as well as doing their own personal fitness during the week. They plan to increase training to two sessions a week in the near future. These girls are willing to sacrifice for this sport. Just look at Courtney ‘cork’ Tildsley to see how serious they are. She drives a ten hour 460 mile round trip every Sunday to train with her team mates.
One thing is for sure, these girls are committed and determined to be ready. It is not just about wanting to play in the Australian LFL for these girls. They want to win it and own it.
The girls owe a lot of thanks to their two coaches who have been putting in a lot of hours to get them to where they are in such a short period of time. Jason Gaffey is the defence coach while Teren Tan watches over the offensive plays. Both coaches bring their extensive knowledge of the game to the table. Jason has represented Australia in Gridiron as both a player and coach.
I was present on the night of 7th June when the LFL held the trials for the NSW squad. To see how far these girls have come in such a short period of time is simply unbelievable. They have really embraced the LFL and to see the talk between themselves both at training and on social networking sites like facebook and twitter is very encouraging.
The girls all have back grounds in other competitive sports which has seen them all climb to great heights in those fields. It is because of this experience that they are all so committed and passionate about the game and one another. They bring that level of professionalism to LFL which can only be a huge positive.
You can teach the game of Gridiron however you can not teach athleticism and this NSW Surge team has that in abundance. A quick look at a few of the girl’s sporting bios shows just how good they are and what they can offer both the team and game.
Renee ‘the assassin’ Straumietis. Played in three baseball World Cups for Australia as a pitcher and had the fastest pitch in the country at 76 mph. She could be the next Ashley Salerno.
Bonnie ‘lil nug’ Gillespie. Originally from New Zealand she was a fantastic track cyclist who won a gold medal for her country. Has a real cheeky side. Will be a crowd favourite.
Amanda ‘AJ’ Janes. Played competitive basketball for NSW and used to play with Lauren Jackson. Was also in the Sydney Flames squad.
Jess ‘the flash’ Hamilton. Came from a surf lifesaving background where she won 5 national gold medals in beach sprinting.
Shari ‘amazon’ Onley. Out and out athlete who used to be Amazon on the TV show Gladiators. Will be the Liz Gorman of the Australian LFL. One highly motivated and inspirational player who will lead by example both on the field and off.
This is just a small sample of what the NSW Surge team have to offer.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Punch thrown during Lingerie League game
WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS A HUGE HELPING OF PROFANITY. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED
If you thought for one second that the Lingerie Football League’s Fantasy All-Star Game that took place in Australia over last weekend was going to be a boring, run-of-the-mill affair akin to its NFL counterpart, the Pro Bowl, think again. Why? Because these ladies couldn’t care less if an All-Star Game is a showcase event where the competition level is supposed to take a backseat to flashy plays by competitors going half-speed.
First of all, the name itself has a certain flair to it, given the inclusion of the word “Fantasy.” And if your particular brand of “fantasy” involves late hits on the sidelines from one scantily clad female upon another scantily clad female followed by a belly punch and profanity-laced tirades, the following video is especially for you as it has all those things tied up in a neat little bow.
Before the video, a primer on what goes down: Tessa Barrara of the Los Angeles Temptation delivers a late hit after the play was over on Kyle DeHaven of the Baltimore Charm. DeHaven, clearly irate at the bush league act, retaliates by punching Barrara in the stomach. The entire scene further devolves into a shouting match loaded with profanity. It’s quite the provocative, visceral scene, on many, many levels.
If you thought for one second that the Lingerie Football League’s Fantasy All-Star Game that took place in Australia over last weekend was going to be a boring, run-of-the-mill affair akin to its NFL counterpart, the Pro Bowl, think again. Why? Because these ladies couldn’t care less if an All-Star Game is a showcase event where the competition level is supposed to take a backseat to flashy plays by competitors going half-speed.
First of all, the name itself has a certain flair to it, given the inclusion of the word “Fantasy.” And if your particular brand of “fantasy” involves late hits on the sidelines from one scantily clad female upon another scantily clad female followed by a belly punch and profanity-laced tirades, the following video is especially for you as it has all those things tied up in a neat little bow.
Before the video, a primer on what goes down: Tessa Barrara of the Los Angeles Temptation delivers a late hit after the play was over on Kyle DeHaven of the Baltimore Charm. DeHaven, clearly irate at the bush league act, retaliates by punching Barrara in the stomach. The entire scene further devolves into a shouting match loaded with profanity. It’s quite the provocative, visceral scene, on many, many levels.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
LFL EXPERIMENTS WITH RULE AND TIMING CHANGES DURING ALL-FANTASY GAMES
During
the 2012 LFL All-Fantasy Game World Tour, league officials are
experimenting with a number of rule and timing changes to move the LFL
game closer toward traditional football. Here are the rule and timing
changes fans can anticipate in the All-Fantasy Games.
OFFENSE:
- The minimum (2) run and (2) pass plays per an offensive series has been removed. Teams can run or pass any combination or number of times.
- Outside of lining up the (2) tight ends a 1 foot outside the center, any other formation is fine.
DEFENSE:
- The maximum blitz rule has been removed. Teams can blitz as many times as they wish as well as blitz any defender from any position on the field.
- The defense will continue to play 3yds off the ball prior to the snap, unless the offense is in the redzone (10yd line or inside the 10yd line).
- The defense can show any formation anywhere on the field.
TIMING
- The (2) 17 minute halves have been removed. Games will now feature (4) 10 minute quarters of football.
OFFENSE:
- The minimum (2) run and (2) pass plays per an offensive series has been removed. Teams can run or pass any combination or number of times.
- Outside of lining up the (2) tight ends a 1 foot outside the center, any other formation is fine.
DEFENSE:
- The maximum blitz rule has been removed. Teams can blitz as many times as they wish as well as blitz any defender from any position on the field.
- The defense will continue to play 3yds off the ball prior to the snap, unless the offense is in the redzone (10yd line or inside the 10yd line).
- The defense can show any formation anywhere on the field.
TIMING
- The (2) 17 minute halves have been removed. Games will now feature (4) 10 minute quarters of football.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM LFL CHAIRMAN MORTAZA ADDRESSING RECENT CRITICAL COMMENTS MADE BY AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL MINISTER FOR SPORT
In
the wake of recent public comments, laced with blistering rhetoric
coupled with an unapologetic rebuke of the Lingerie Football League by
Kate Lundy, Australia’s Federal Minister for Sport, LFL Founder &
Chairman Mitchell S. Mortaza today has released an official statement on
the matter.
From the desk of Mitchell S. Mortaza:
“In response to the Federal Minster for Sport Kate Lundy’s recent irresponsible comments in relation to the upcoming June 2 and June 9 Lingerie Football League All-Star Games Tour in Brisbane and Sydney, respectively, we are incredibly disappointed. LFL Football has been broadcast on Fuel TV since 2009 throughout Australia with incredible fanfare and excitement.
It was only the consistent persistence of Aussies wanting to see an LFL game LIVE that convinced us to move forward with the upcoming All-Star Game Tour.
With all due respect, as a government official Mrs. Lundy should be a representative of her entire constituency and not try to impose her own personal morals and what she deems as sport or entertainment to the entire country. We were under the impression that our All-Star Games Tour was scheduled for Australia, not North Korea.
Her recent comment about LFL Football being ‘cheap, degrading perv’ is certainly not representative of our sport or its athletes. If Mrs. Lundy actually took the opportunity to watch an LFL game or meet with its athletes, she would have understood that LFL Football is a real sport played by remarkable women from all walks of life which include doctors, lawyers, mothers, military personnel, etc. It is incredibly insulting to these women for Mrs. Lundy to make these remarks without understanding the sport or its athletes.
The thousands of Aussies who have already bought their tickets to the upcoming tour and the millions that will be watching around the world, obviously disagree with Mrs. Lundy’s observation of the sport and its athletes. Everyone has the choice to either buy a ticket or not.
I would like to take this opportunity to invite Mrs. Lundy to sit next to me in my executive suite during either the Brisbane or Sydney game, and if after watching the sport she still maintains that it’s nothing more than ‘cheap, degrading perv’, we will respect her opinion.”
From the desk of Mitchell S. Mortaza:
“In response to the Federal Minster for Sport Kate Lundy’s recent irresponsible comments in relation to the upcoming June 2 and June 9 Lingerie Football League All-Star Games Tour in Brisbane and Sydney, respectively, we are incredibly disappointed. LFL Football has been broadcast on Fuel TV since 2009 throughout Australia with incredible fanfare and excitement.
It was only the consistent persistence of Aussies wanting to see an LFL game LIVE that convinced us to move forward with the upcoming All-Star Game Tour.
With all due respect, as a government official Mrs. Lundy should be a representative of her entire constituency and not try to impose her own personal morals and what she deems as sport or entertainment to the entire country. We were under the impression that our All-Star Games Tour was scheduled for Australia, not North Korea.
Her recent comment about LFL Football being ‘cheap, degrading perv’ is certainly not representative of our sport or its athletes. If Mrs. Lundy actually took the opportunity to watch an LFL game or meet with its athletes, she would have understood that LFL Football is a real sport played by remarkable women from all walks of life which include doctors, lawyers, mothers, military personnel, etc. It is incredibly insulting to these women for Mrs. Lundy to make these remarks without understanding the sport or its athletes.
The thousands of Aussies who have already bought their tickets to the upcoming tour and the millions that will be watching around the world, obviously disagree with Mrs. Lundy’s observation of the sport and its athletes. Everyone has the choice to either buy a ticket or not.
I would like to take this opportunity to invite Mrs. Lundy to sit next to me in my executive suite during either the Brisbane or Sydney game, and if after watching the sport she still maintains that it’s nothing more than ‘cheap, degrading perv’, we will respect her opinion.”
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
LFL ARRIVES ‘DOWN UNDER’ — BRISBANE TO HOST HISTORIC ALL-FANTASY GAME
LFL Founder and Commissioner Mitchell Mortaza, flanked by Los Angeles Temptation star Chloe Butler and Tampa Breeze stand-out Adrian Purnell, today officially introduced LFL Football, ‘Down Under’, as the league arrives on Australia’s Gold Coast to play two highly-anticipated exhibition games this June.
The historical premiere of LFL Football in Australia will take place on June 2, 7:30 p.m. kickoff, at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. An announcement regarding the second game in Sydney is expected today.
The LFL All-Fantasy Game Tour will feature 32 of the most athletic and beautiful women across the league as the Western Conference battles the Eastern Conference in what promises to to be an intense battle for global supremacy. The exhibition games come on the heels of wildly successful All-Fantasy Games in Canada (2011) and Mexico (2010).
During the wide-ranging press conference, Mortaza remarked, “I don’t know if there’s greater excitement to the ladies back in the ‘States [than] the thought of coming to play in Australia. They’re on cloud nine right now.”
LFL Football has developed one of its largest international fan bases in Australia, having been broadcast on Fuel TV since the league’s inception in 2009.
Tickets for the Brisbane event will go on sale, April 13. For more information on the Australia LFL All-Fantasy Tour, visit www.lflinaustralia.com.
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