Pittsburgh Passion Ready To Begin IWFL Regular Season On Saturday
By Larry Snyder
The Pittsburgh Passion will kick off their 12th season on the road on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Durham, N.C., when they take on the Independent Women’s Football League defending champion Carolina Phoenix at 6 p.m.
It will be the 100th game in Passion history including both playoff and regular season contests. They have won 73 of 99 games and have made the playoffs in six of seven seasons, including the last three years straight, and have won three division titles since 2007. This year’s season opener will mark the farthest south the team has traveled to play a regular season matchup.
The Passion will continue to be road warriors as they play their first three games away from the Steel City. Next up will be a trip to A.A. Garthwaite Stadium to do battle with the Philadelphia Firebirds on Saturday, April 19. Then, on April 26 it will be time to take the team bus to the Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn to tangle with the New York Sharks.
After a bye week on May 3, the Passion will celebrate their home opener on Saturday, May 10 at 7 p.m. when they host the Montreal Blitz at Cupples Stadium, located at 930 East Carson Street on the South Side of Pittsburgh. The Blitz won the 2012 IWFL championship.
The remaining three home contests of their eight-game schedule will see the Passion host the Carolina Phoenix on May 17, the New York Sharks on May 24 and the Philadelphia Firebirds on June 7. All three games are on Saturdays.
Pittsburgh will close out the 2014 season back on the road at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School Stadium on June 14 against the Baltimore Nighthawks.
The Passion switched leagues back in September when they moved from the Women’s Football Alliance to the IWFL. They will play in the Mid Atlantic Division which includes the Baltimore Nighthawks, Erie Illusion, Keystone Assault, Philadelphia Firebirds and Washington Prodigy.
The IWFL was founded back in 2000 as an an international women’s tackle football organization. It will have 31 programs spread across six divisions in 2014. The league provides women’s tackle football teams the opportunity to play at the top competition tier of their sport, while fostering an environment of goodwill and sportsmanship.
Offering participation levels appropriate for all markets, the IWFL has taken the lead in the development of women’s football for future generations.