B.C. lingerie football team in training as opening game nears

These gridiron goddesses are ready for a turf war.

At a training camp in Burnaby on Sunday, members of the recently formed B.C. Angels of the Lingerie Football League (LFL) said they will kick some serious butt at the Canadian league’s first game next month.

After tryouts in Richmond, the coaches have whittled the team down to 22 players. For the Aug. 25 8 p.m. home opener at the Abbotsford Event Centre, the team will again be trimmed, with 14 B.C. Angels selected to play.

PHOTO GALLERY FROM BC ANGELS TRAINING CAMP

Ashley Hamer-Jackson, 23, played university soccer and jumped at the chance to play for the B.C. Angels.

She is playing defence and feels they are well prepared for opening night.

“We have been training hard and we have an awesome group of girls,� she said.

Once the team was picked, Hamer-Jackson said coaches Kevin Snell and Kevin Estabrooks began with the basics, as the women got used to running and hitting while wearing shoulder pads and helmets. Some on the team, she notes, have played a high level of rugby and “have incredible hands.�

The other teams in the LFL’s upstart Canadian division are from Regina, Saskatoon and Toronto.

Coach Estabrooks said the season is short (four games) and the new team needs to be ready to go hard each game.

“You’ve got to come out guns ablaze,� he said. “Four games is not a long season.�

Stephanie Manou, 25, is the team’s running back and played rugby at UBC. She likes the hitting part of football, and the personal trainer said she has been preparing for the upcoming season.

“I can honestly say this is the best shape I’ve ever been in,� she said as the team was put through the paces.

The LFL was formed in the U.S. in 2009. LFL founder and chairman Mitchell Mortaza was in Burnaby on Sunday watching the Angels prepare for their opening game.

He said the LFL is seeing huge fan interest in the U.S. And the LFL is expanding to Australia in 2013. Mortaza said they expect to be announcing a Canadian television deal sometime next week.

There is also a video game in the works. Mortaza admits they need to get a foothold in Canada and “the next phase will be to build it up more as a business.�

While the players are not paid, Mortaza said all their team travel and expenses are covered.

He thinks there should be some good football played, and he maintains the league is “not just built on sex appeal.�

The size of the field is 50 yards, with the end zone 10 yards in length. Other than the opening kickoff, there is no punting or field goal attempts. Offensive and defensive teams have seven players on the field.

Mortaza thinks once the league gets established in Canada, they will attract sponsors.

“We have been called the fastest growing sports league in the U.S,� he said. “This sport is getting the attention. They are all athletic women — that’s their background.�

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