Woman tackle football players. Photo by John Torcasio at PublicDomainPictures.net.
The Cali War's origin as a professional women's tackle football team is traced to the California Lynx, a team owned by Anthony Bartley, co-founder of the Women's Football Alliance league, under which the team played its only season for the league's inaugural 2009 season. A falling out between Bartley and the league's other owners after the 2009 season led to the California Lynx being withdrawn from the league and, in 2010, the Pacific Warriors were established in its place, retaining a number of California Lynx players. In 2017, the Pacific Warriors were renamed Los Angeles Warriors. For the 2019 season, the team was again renamed, this time to Cali War. The War continues to play under the Women's Football Alliance league within their American Conference - Pacific Region. The team's home is at Mira Costa High School Stadium in Manhattan Beach.
The War (then as the Warriors) played in the 2018 WFA Championship Game against the Boston Renegades. As had happened with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series that same year, the L.A. team lost the championship to Boston (score 42-18). At the end of the following season, the War again faced Boston in the 2019 WFA Championship Game, but again lost the championship to Boston, 52-24. In 2022, Cali War came close to competing for the WFA Pro Championship title, however, was defeated for a slot in the final match-up by the Minnesota Vixen.
In 2022, Cali War won the 2022 Women's Football Alliance (WFA) Pacific Regional Championship, defeating Arlington Impact, 30-25. War, however, was bested 36-30 by the Minnesota Vixen, in a playoff game, for a spot in the 2022 WFA National Championship.
Regular Season Win-Loss-Tie Record by Season
In December 2019, the Legends Football League, fielding the Los Angeles Temptation (see below), announced that, after playing 10 seasons, it would not return in 2020. Shortly thereafter, the new rebranded Extreme Football League was announced. The new league would field, among eight teams across the nation, the Los Angeles Black Storm.
The Black Storm planned to play it's first season in 2020, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic that year, the season was cancelled. The league was again rebranded, this time as X League, launching its first season in June 2022. The Black Storm played two games in that season, winning one and losing one. It ranked third place overall in the league.
Actually, the Los Angeles Temptation plays in Ontario in San Bernardino County, just next door to Los Angeles County. Nevertheless, they label themselves with "Los Angeles" and they're not far from our county line, so we're including them here. The team originally launched as a 7-on-7 women's tackle football team in 2004, originally named Team Dream, to play at NFL halftimes under the Lingerie Football League (renamed Legends Football League in 2013). That year, the team won Lingerie Bowl I against Team Euphoria (New York), 6-0. The team, renamed Los Angeles Temptation in the following year, again defeated New York Euphoria in Lingerie Bowl II. Los Angeles yet again faced New York in Lingerie Bowl III in 2006, but was that time defeated, 13-12. Los Angeles, however, won three later Lingerie Bowls, defeating Chicago Bliss, 27-14, in Lingerie Bowl VII (2010), and Philadephlia Passion twice, scoring 26-25 in Lingerie Bowl VIII (2011) and 28-6 in Lingerie Bowl IX (2012). The team currently calls Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, their home.
In December 2019, the Legends Football League announced that they would not return for 2020. Shortly thereafter, they announced the formation of a new, rebranded league (see Los Angeles Blackstorm above).
Regular Season Win-Loss-Tie Record by Season
* The 2012-2013 season moved to start in 2013.
The California Quake was a Los Angeles area-based semi-professional women’s football team that played 15 seasons from 2001 through 2015. Their home games were played at Carson High School stadium in Carson. It affiliated in its first season with the Women’s American Football League, its second season with Women’s American Football Conference, and, since then, with the Independent Women’s Football League. In its first season in 2001-2002, the Quake defeated the Jacksonville Dixie Blues, 30-14, for the league championship. The team narrowly lost the 2010 Independent Women's Football League championship game to the Atlanta Ravens, 24-22. The team was founded by Sandy Kaneko and originally based in Long Beach. In 2008, ownership passed to 11-year veteran player Catherine B. Vivo.
Win-Loss-Tie Record by Season
1 Independent Women's Football League
2 Women's American Football Conference
3 Women's American Football League Champion
The Los Angeles Amazons was a Los Angeles area-based semi-professional women’s football team that played 11 seasons from 2002 through 2012. Their home games were played at Miguel Contreras Learning Complex High School’s stadium in downtown Los Angeles. It affiliated in its first six seasons (2002-2007) with the Women’s Professional Football League, its 2008 season with the National Women’s Football Association, two seasons (2009-2012) with the Independent Women’s Football League and its final seasons (2011 and 2012) with the Women's Football Alliance. The team was founded by Aubrey Duncan.
Win-Loss-Tie Record by Season
1 Women's Football Alliance (WFA)
2 Independent Women's Football League (IWFL)
3 National Women's Football Association (NWFA)
4 Women's Professional Football League (WPFL)
In 2015, the Women’s Football Alliance National Championship game was held at Southwest College Stadium in Los Angeles, in which the D.C. Divas defeated the Dallas Elite, 30-26.
There had been a number of women’s football teams that had their home in the Los Angeles area: