Women's Contact

Women’s Contact American football is played at 7-a-side, 9-a-side and 11-a-side in the United Kingdom.

The National Women’s Football League (NWFL) is the highest level of competitive Women’s Contact Football in the UK, with the National League playing 9’s and the Regional League playing 7’s.

The Great Britain Lions Women’s National American football team compete internationally at 11-a-side, most recently winning a silver medal at the 2023/24 European Championship, after winning another historic silver at the 2022 IFAF Women’s World Championship in Vantaa, Finland.

News

Keep up to date with the NWFL season’s fixtures, results and standings on LeagueRepublic.

Take your first step in American football today

With 14 clubs playing contact American football in the NWFL, there are opportunities across the country to get involved with the sport.

Whether it’s your first time playing a contact sport or you’re simply looking for a new challenge, find an active, inclusive and competitive community in the National Women’s Football League.

Use our Club Finder and filter by Women’s Contact to find your closest club!

Relive the excitement of the 2024 NWFL Championship Game

The NWFL’s 2024 season came to a thrilling conclusion in Coventry as the Birmingham Lions took on the reigning-champion London Warriors on day one of Britbowl XXXVI weekend.

Catch up with all of the action, live streamed by our partners at Onside Productions.

History of the women’s game

The Women’s Contact league started in 2012 and was originally played in the 5v5 format called the Sapphire Series. As the women’s contact game grew over the years, the league was extended to a two tier system with a Division One and Division Two in 2016, each with a North and South conference.

After seeing a further growth in participation in 2017/18, all divisions were moved to the 7v7 format which is the format that we play today. The league currently has 17 active clubs located across Great Britain – making the sport widely accessible to athletes across the country.

In 2020, the Sapphire name was dropped in favour of a more conventional name for the league, the National Women’s Football League (NWFL), and the season was moved to the summer period to avoid a crossover with the winter sports schedules.