My 10 year old daughter LOVES sports, ever since she was big enough to throw a ball or swing a racket – she has loved them all. I assume part of that is because I, too, loved sports as a child… playing them, watching them – I loved it all. Sports were a huge part of my childhood and have made a significant impact on my life.
Recently, my daughter asked me why they have football for boys – but not for girls. After all, there’s boys’ basketball and girls’ basketball; there’s softball and baseball; there’s swimming, golfing, tennis, volleyball (for both boys and girls) – you name it. And there is even girls wrestling now in many parts of the country.
I told her that while there aren’t yet ‘girls football teams’ in most places — that girls can absolutely play football. Girls can play any sport they want to play and they can excel! That intrigued her and led to a number of questions to which we started doing some research on women/girls involved in the game of football.
Here are some things that my daughter and I learned about the involvement of females in the game of football:
- While very few high schools or colleges offer the sport solely for women and girls, it is permissible for a female player to join the otherwise male team. And most states are seeing more and more females participating in football!
- In 1997, Liz Heaston scored the first points as a woman in College Football. She completed two extra points for the Willamette Bearcats team. Along with being the kicker, she was also on the soccer team for the school. (Source)
- In 2007, Abby Vestal recorded three extra points for the Kansas Koyotes, the first time a female scored in a men’s professional pro football game. (Source)
- Sarah Thomas was the first woman to referee an NFL game in 2015. She was also the first female to officiate Super Bowl 55 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs. (Source)
- 47 out of the 50 states in the United States saw an increase in female football player participation in 2018. When you compare that to just a decade earlier, there is a noticeable rise in girls participating in high school football as players. (Source)
- In 2019, Georgia became the fourth state to sanction girls flag football as an official high school sport. The following states currently offer girls flag football at the high school level: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and New Jersey. (Source)
- Some NFL teams are also backing these flag football programs with scholarships. The two teams to encourage High School Flag Football with scholarships include the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- In 2020, Sara Fuller was the first female to play in an NCAA Division 1 Football Game. Sara Fuller was on the Vanderbilt Commodores, part of the SEC. (Source)
- The overall percentage of women employed in the NFL has been increasing in recent years, reaching 38.8 percent in 2021. (Source)
Back in the late 90’s/early 2000’s (when I was in high school), our kicker was a female, who also played on our school’s soccer team. It was a BIG deal back then and I love that only a couple decades later it’s becoming more and more common to see women involved in the sport!
It’s so inspiring for my daughter to learn that over the years, there have been numerous stories of women throwing touchdowns, kicking field goals, refereeing games, coaching and more in football. These accomplishments illustrate to my daughter – and to all other aspiring athletes out there, that girls CAN (and do) play football and that they contribute positively to the sport. Not only are more girls playing the game, but many are also playing an important role in the game as referees, trainers, coaches, and more. I look forward to the day when it’s no longer notable to see a woman playing football – and for now, I am grateful to these trailblazers who show my daughter that football is for anyone who puts their heart, mind and energy behind it.
As time goes on, the opportunities are only going to continue to rise!
Future For Football is an initiative by the National Football Foundation to promote and celebrate the game at all levels. Follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also visit their site for other helpful resources and to find a league near you.
