May the Force Be With You

By Todd McClamroch in News on May 25, 2006 7:14PM

Chicagoist is always looking for something new to check out in Chicago. On our calendar this weekend is something new to us but has actually been in Chicago for four years - Women's Full Contact Football. That's right, the Chicago Force, a member of the Independent Women's Football League (IWFL), plays football here in Chicago. The Force is one of more than 30 teams nationwide competing in the IWFL. The Chicago Force competes in the Midwest Division of the Western Conference. Chicagoist learned about the Chicago Force when we saw a schedule painted on the side of Hero's Submarine Sandwich Shop.

The team is composed of more than 40 woman who, when they are not working full time as mothers, police officers, engineers, teachers, or doctors, are suiting up for full contact football. The Chicago Force website describes the desire of the woman to play a sport traditionally for "men only" as follows: "We are women who have spent our lives seeing through the glass ceiling set above us, shattering the limits placed upon us, and living the dream that involves a pigskin, a hundred yards of grass, and of nothing but blood, sweat, and tears."

The Force has had great success since their inception in 2003, a season where they went 10-1 with their only loss coming in the post season. They have never had a losing season and have posted a .771 winning percentage with an overall record of 27-8. Their success continues this season, as they are sitting in second place of their division with an impressive 3-1 start, with four more games to go before the post season.

The Force look to improve their standing when they take on the Detroit Predators at 3pm on Saturday at Lane Stadium. The Force had no trouble stopping the Predators earlier this season in Detroit when they handed them a shutout loss 30-0. Tickets are $8 for adults, $3 for students and seniors, and children under 8 are free. You can check out their full 2006 schedule on their website.