Golden State Storm
| Founded | 2025 |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Football Conference |
| Based in | Oakland, California |
| Stadium | Laney Stadium, Laney College |
| CEO | Jake Langner and Brad Grovich |
| Head coach | Daniel Robinson[1] |
The Golden State Storm are a women's American football team based in Oakland, California, that competes in the Women's National Football Conference (WNFC) as a member of the Pacific Division. The team plays its home games at Laney Field on the campus of Laney College.
Players are not paid, but some have received licensing deals.[2]
As with many other WNFC teams, the Storm have both a tackle team and a flag football team, but the flag football team only plays in tournaments.[3][4]
History
The Storm were established in 2025 and are playing their first season in 2026.[2] The team was founded by Jake Langner and Brad Grovich, who chose to locate the team in Oakland after being inspired by Laney College athletic director and football coach John Beam before his murder in 2025.[1][2] The team wore Beam's initials in commemoration during their first season.[5]
The current Board of Advisors includes former football coach Jay Paterno and former NFL players Reggie Stephens and Jeff Garcia.[6][7]
2026 Season
The team will play six games between March and May 2026.
| Game # | Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 28 | San Diego Rebellion | Home | L 36-0[8] |
| 2 | April 4 | Las Vegas Silver Stars | Home | W 31-2 |
| 3 | April 11 | Seattle Majestics | Away | W 23-18 |
| 4 | April 25 | San Diego Rebellion | Away | L 0-17 |
| 5 | May 2 | Oregon Ravens | Home | W 8-14 |
| 6 | May 16 | Los Angeles Legends (football) | Away | L 14-28 |
References
- ^ a b Marks, Anne (2026-03-16). "Women are bringing tackle football back to Oakland". The Oaklandside. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
- ^ a b c Kenny, Jane (2026-03-17). "55 players, 11 coaches, and one big bet: A women's tackle football team storms Oakland". The San Francisco Standard. Retrieved 2026-03-22.
- ^ Daetz, Ama (2026-03-27). "Women's tackle football? Yes, it's real and the Bay Area has its first professional team". ABC7 Bay Area News. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
- ^ Domhoff, Joel (2026-04-03). "Aptos' Ella Porter makes debut in professional flag football league". The Pajaronian. Watsonville, CA. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
- ^ Karnes, Jordan (2026-03-30). "Golden State Storm plays their first game in Oakland". KALW Public Media. Retrieved 2026-04-05.
- ^ "Golden State Storm Advisory Board". Retrieved 2026-03-22.
- ^ Furtado, Noah (2026-04-21). "She was told girls don't play football. Her Bay Area tackle team is proving otherwise". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2026-04-24.
- ^ Kenny, Jane (2026-03-29). "A scientist, a security director, and a super commuter team up in women's tackle football". SF Standard. Retrieved 2026-04-21.