First off I want to throw in a disclaimer. I am not in association with any league directly except through normal means of conversation. If I have a question to ask, I ask it. I do not speak on behalf of any league, but I do support Women’s Tackle Football.
With that said….
There has been much babble going on for a long time about leagues playing other leagues through scrimmages. I say babble because I honestly believe people are just passing on the information as it is passed on to them. It may be what the person foresees to be true, but the simplest way to find out is to ask the source directly.
What brought this on was a post on the Women’s Tackle Football Group Ning web site. One Coach had commented that he was trying to set up scrimmage games with two WFA and two IWFL teams and that teams from the IWFL did show interest in a scrimmage, but preferred to stay anonymous due to fear of “punishment” from the league.
Last night I wrote that coach a personal email:
Hey Coach,
Tell those IWFL teams that talked to you that they are full of crap. They apparently only gave you half truths. Give them my number and I will tell them so.
916-xxx-xxxx
I will be writing a story on the blog how teams can play each other. Should be up by tomorrow.
Women’s Football Talk isn’t here to be the first to report something. We want to report what is accurate information. There are times when we do get things wrong and will add an update so you know of a change to the original content written. This site is a personal blog and we are not an official site for anyone but Women’s Football Talk. We do the best we can to give you accurate information.
Yesterday after seeing the post on the Ning site, I corresponded with the IWFL. I first asked, has anyone ever made a request to play a scrimmage game outside of the league? I was informed that someone asked a general question without giving much detail, but never on an official capacity.
Just to give you a little background, I use to be a member of the IWFL as a player on a team. When they say official, that means it is coming from the chosen delegate of that team. If I ever needed something team related that needed approval from the league, I would go through our player rep and the player representative would bring it to the team management meeting for consideration. It is up to the delegate to bring it to the league. Now the delegate may not necessarily be the owner, so the delegate may go to the owner to discuss if it is something that should be taken to the league. The delegate is the acting principal to the league for that team. Everything must be requested by the DELEGATE. The delegate was chosen by the owner and interviewed by the league to make sure it is the best possible fit because the delegate will be the one bringing things to the table at the league meetings and representing them for the team.
Now not all things are brought to meetings. If a request is made of a team, the delegate is to be the one making the request to the league. I can’t just call or write the league and make a request to play my team (outside competing league) against my old team, the Sirens (inside competing league) for a charity fundraiser. The Sirens delegate would have to make the request , if the team was in fact interested. There’s also no guarantee that it will be approved even if it is for a good cause, because I may be in bad standing or have a negative history with the league.
Also I want to take away any misconception on how people view the leagues delegate system. I want to tell you, I talk to owners of teams all the time. I hear from them how the delegate system works. I got to tell you…I like it. I like it a lot. Management of the IWFL does not own the league. They execute the plans and policies that the delegates themselves set. Remember the delegates represent the teams. Seems more like a democracy to me.
So, if you are a member outside of the leauge (independent of the league you are contacting), first go to the team to make your request. Have them bring it to the owner or delegate for discussion and then the delegate must be the one to make a formal request to the league for consideration. This does not guarantee a yes, but it is an initial start to a trustworthy relationship and going in the right direction for the promotion and support of women’s football.
Go through the proper channels. Playing a non league game without approval is the only grounds for a disciplinary action with the league.
If you would like more information, please contact the team with your request.
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