By Ashliegh Jarzenski
Engagement Insider
Ever thought about playing tackle football? To be completely honest, I have very limited experience playing the sport of football. My personal experience doesn’t go further than playing on my college’s intramural flag football team. Even then, I’m no M.V.P. Rather, I spent my short-lived time on the field stumbling and tripping over the untied shoelaces on my hot pink and blue Nikes.
However, don’t let my experience hinder your thinking of women playing the sport.
Between the tackling and physical contact to the locker room situation, when it comes to women in football, the NFL might be a far-away dream. But there are other options. Samantha Rapoport, former Montreal Blitz player, is putting together a nationwide flag football program for women. Rapoport states, “I don't think that women's participation in the NFL should be the metric for their success in the sport.”
There is the Women's Football Alliance. The fastest growing women's tackle football league in North America with some 63 teams, the WFA is the largest ever women's football league in the world. The DC Divas are part of the WFA, and running back Okiima Pickett hopes to be the first women to tryout for the Washington Redskins. "I've been saying I'll be the first woman to try out for the Redskins, because they need a running back," Pickett said.
Additionally, USA Football assembles America’s national teams in the sport for international competition. 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. Team USA defeated Canada, 66-0, in Stockholm, Sweden, to win the gold medal at the inaugural tournament in 2010.
In my opinion, for all that it’s worth, the NFL is the gold standard for all of football. The NFL, like the NBA, NHL, and MLB, has always been exclusive to men. While the NFL may not be the best frontier for women to begin their journey into the sport, there are a growing number of legitimate options for women who want to become more than just fans by playing the game of football. Time to lace up!
Learn more about women in pro football.