Football is physically demanding: the running, the catching, the tackling. Now imagine doing all that in your underwear.

What might be a nightmare for Tony Romo is a dream come true for the Dallas Desire. The 20 women are part of the new Lingerie Football League, a national group of teams playing football in, yes, lingerie.

The Dallas players range in age from 20 to 28, and most are models or actresses. They are pretty, and, it turns out, talented.

"The lingerie part grabs attention of the viewers, but these girls actually can play," says Dallas coach Antuan Edwards, who played in the NFL for seven years, including five for the Green Bay Packers. "Not only are they beautiful, but they are athletic. That is the 'wow' factor there. They can tackle, run, catch – and this is competitive."

The idea for the league came from the Lingerie Bowl, a pay-per-view event during halftime of the NFL's Super Bowl. There are two conferences and 10 teams in the LFL, and each team plays four games. The conference champs will play in the Lingerie Bowl in Miami on Feb. 7. About 120 women tried out for the Desire, and 20 made it. They've been practicing four times a week, three hours at a time, in preparation for their first game against the Denver Dream on Sept. 25 at QuikTrip Park. Their other home game is Oct. 23 against the Los Angeles Temptation.

The players say they're in it to win it.

"Obviously, we're marketing to a demographic that wants to see hot girls in next to nothing," says Shannon Brown, the defensive captain who also plays wide receiver and running back. "But after that, the world is going to be surprised by how athletic we are, how intense we are and how seriously we take this game."

The model and actress ran track in college and played a little powder-puff football. Any comparison there?

"It is in no way similar," Brown says. "I am bruised from head to toe. We had one girl on the team who had an ACL tear. It's a lot more intense than I ever expected."

"It's football 101," says Edwards. "We're practicing hard from a 50-page playbook. Fans want to see the girls hitting, passing, catching. They want to see a little of everything. They don't want a boring game."

The women will be playing in lace-edged boy shorts and bras, garters, pads and helmets. With that look, the LFL has the potential to take wardrobe malfunctions to a new level. Edwards said that is definitely not the point.

"After watching [the opening game between Chicago and Miami], there was none at all," he says. "They got a perfect fit there. I'm sure we'll have somebody on the sideline in case we have some kind of malfunction."

The players are more conscious of it.

"I am a little nervous about playing in that outfit, but I plan to have some tricks up my sleeve so nothing breaks out, like double-sided tape" says running back and linebacker Gabrielle Marie. "I don't want to be a YouTube phenomenon."

Any gathering of scantily clad women doing something targeted toward men will inevitably provoke a big question: Is it sexist? Desire player Erin Marie Garrett rejects the idea, choosing instead to call it "sexy."

"I believe what the LFL is promoting is strong, sexy, athletic women," she says. "It's empowering, because the LFL shows beautiful women playing a tough game. In many cultures, women are secondary and weak. The LFL gives us a chance to be sexy and strong."

The players are anxious to start the season, and for fans to see them play.

"We're really putting everything we have into this game, and we don't expect everyone to take it seriously," says Brown. "It is about entertainment, but we would ask people to come out and support us as a team. We want to represent this city and this state."

Lingerie Football 101

Info and rules from lflus.com.

Teams: Chicago Bliss, Dallas Desire, Denver Dream, Los Angeles Temptation, Miami Caliente, New York Majesty, Philadelphia Passion, San Diego Seduction, Seattle Mist, Tampa Breeze.

Playing field and points: Teams play on a 50-yard field. A touchdown is worth 6 points. A conversion from the 2-yard line is 1 point, and from the 5-yard line is 2 points. No punting or field goals.

Positions: There are seven players on each side of the ball. For offense, there's a quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers and one linewoman. Defense, two linewomen, one linebacker, two cornerbacks, two safeties.

Clock: The teams play two 15-minute halves. Overtime is sudden-death style, and lasts 8 minutes.

Details: The Dallas Desire plays the Denver Dream on Sept. 25 at 9 p.m. at QuikTrip Park, 1600 Lone Star Parkway, Grand Prairie. $10-$115. 1-877-883-3747. lflus.com.

Meet them: Join Dallas Desire teammates as they celebrate Jessy Jamez's birthday at Joyce on Thursday. 10 p.m. 723 N. Pearl St. No cover before 11 p.m. (RSVP to rsvp@stylelistik .com.) 214-573-8787