Pittsburgh Passion

The Pittsburgh Passion are a women's American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They were formed in March 2002 and are currently owned by Teresa Conn.

The Passion are a former member of the Northern Conference of the National Women's Football Association. The team became a member of the North Atlantic Conference of the Independent Women's Football League after the 2007 season. Beginning in 2008 they will play an eight-game regular season schedule. Two bye weeks are built into that schedule which runs from April to June each year. The season concludes with three rounds of playoffs and a championship game in July.

History

National Women's Football Association

In 2003, the Passion played its home games at Belle Vernon Area High School. The teams inaugural head coach was Larry Camerota. The team finished its inaugural season with a 2-6 record. The average attendance at each of their four home games that season was between 2,500 and 3,000 fans.

In 2004 season, the Passion changed its home stadium to Ambridge High School's Moe Rubenstein Stadium. Lou Rood was named head coach that season. The team improved its regular season record to 6-2, just missing the playoffs as a Northern Conference wildcard team. The Passion led the league in attendance for 2004 with crowds approaching 4,000 fans per game.

In 2005, the Passion carried an active roster of 55 players along with a practice squad.

Starting in 2006, the Passion have played its home games at George K. Cupples Stadium (formerly "South Stadium") in the South Side of Pittsburgh.

In 2006, the Passion were host to the annual NWFA championship game at Newman Stadium in Wexford, Pennsylvania.

In 2007, the Passion recorded an undefeated regular season going 8-0. After winning all three of their home playoff games, the team improved to 11-0 after victories over Erie, the West Michigan Mayhem, and Cleveland. The team then won the NWFA Championship Game on July 21, 2007 against the Columbus Comets by a score of 32-0.

As of June 2008, the Passion are on a 22-game winning streak dating back to 2006.

Independent Women's Football League

After the 2007 National Women's Football Association season the Passion joined the Independent Women's Football League. As well as having a new league, the team also gained two new head coaches, Jeff Ogden and owner Teresa Conn.

Tryouts

Each year, players are selected for the team after going through a tryout and interview process to test their physical abilities and gauge their interest in playing. Since the teams inception in 2002, over 200 women have attended tryouts.

Coaching staff

The coaching staff has a head coach and group of assistants with various coaching backgrounds and playing experience at the youth, high school,
collegiate and professional levels.

Team personnel

The team also includes volunteer workers. Volunteer support personnel include equipment and merchandising managers, athletic trainers, personal trainers, chiropractors, web designers, marketers, videographers, photographers, statisticians, and gameday coordinators. The Passion have also implemented an active internship program with local colleges and universities to give students hands-on experience throughout the year in fields such as advertising, marketing, public relations, journalism, business administration and sports management.

Player information

With little to no actual experience playing American football, Passion players come from various sports backgrounds, including softball, basketball, volleyball, soccer, rugby, lacrosse, and track & field.

External links

* [http://www.pittsburghpassion.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.iwflsports.com/ IWFL website]