USAfootball

U.S. Women's National Team selected for 2013 world championship in Finland

Forty-five (45) women spanning 15 states have been selected to play for the 2013 U.S. Women’s National Team in football. Team USA will compete June 28 to July 6 in Vantaa, Finland, in the second International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Women’s World Championship.

USA Football assembles America’s national teams in the sport for international competition. Team USA defeated Canada, 66-0, in Stockholm, Sweden, to win the gold medal at the inaugural tournament in 2010. The IFAF Women’s World Championship is an eight-nation football tournament held every three years. Schedules and other participating countries will be announced at a later date.

Team USA will be led by head coach JOHN KONECKI of Schererville, Ind. Konecki also was head coach of the U.S. Women’s team that won the 2010 gold medal in Stockholm, Sweden. Konecki has led the Chicago Force of the Women’s Football Alliance to a 34-7 (.829) record in four years, including two straight undefeated regular seasons and a runner-up finish in 2012. He also is the offensive coordinator at Crete-Monee High School in suburban Chicago, helping that program go 56-14 (.800) and qualifying for the playoffs in all six of his seasons with the school. Crete-Monee went 14-0 in 2012, winning the Illinois Class 6A state championship.

“There is no higher honor than representing your country in international competition,” Konecki said. “Additionally, I am fully committed to advancing women’s tackle football, and competing on a world stage allows for women to continue on with the mission of being ambassadors for the sport.”

The team will hold a training camp in Chicago prior to departing for Finland. Team USA held a padded, full-contact National Team Trials on Jan. 25-27 in Austin, Texas, to help select its roster. Team USA assistant coaches will be announced in the coming weeks.

USA Football is the national governing body of the sport in the United States and the U.S. representative to IFAF. IFAF unites 64 nations spanning six continents. USA Football fields national teams in men’s, women’s and high school-age tackle as well as men’s and women’s flag football.

U.S. Women’s National Team

USA Football’s national team program is supported by corporate partners Cutters Gloves, Gatorade, Marriott, Rawlings, Riddell, St. Vincent Sports Performance, Shock Doctor, Sports Authority and Upper Deck.

About USA Football: USA Football, the sport’s national governing body in the United States, hosts dozens of football training events annually offering education for coaches, skill development for players and resources for youth football league commissioners. The independent nonprofit is the official youth football development partner of the NFL, its 32 teams and the NFL Players Association. USA Football manages U.S. national teams within the sport for international competitions and provides more than $1 million annually in equipment grants and youth league volunteer background check subsidies. Endowed by the NFL and NFLPA in 2002 through the NFL Youth Football Fund, USA Football (www.usafootball.com) is chaired by former NFL team executive Carl Peterson.