If you are not tuned into women and football, you are missing out! Well, let me rephrase that…..if you are not tuned into women’s football, you are missing out!! Women, young and old are no strangers to world of athletics and football is no different. From flag football to tackle football, women continue to make history in this male-dominated sport. My journey in football has been amazing and I can’t let my love for the sport disappear. The connections and relationships developed over these years are still visible today and that is the reason for this story.

My journey started around 15 years ago with me playing flag football in a league in Birmingham, Alabama. The coach of the team, which was “Best Yet” was a very well known coach in Alabama, Cedric Lane. His notoriety was from him being a legendary high school basketball coach. Teams under his leadership had won state championships many times. His competitive nature is what intrigued me to play flag football. For years I enjoyed playing flag football in the league. We would often travel to other states to play because our team was so competitive and we were always seeking more talented competition. We traveled to Georgia and even to national tournaments in several parts of Florida. Competition and success is what we yearned for.

Coach Lane continues to be a coach of many sports and develops talent to this day. I remember vividly having conversations with him about wanting to create a women’s tackle football team to represent the State of Alabama. When he approached me with the idea, I was somewhat hesitant, but knew if Lane had his hand in it, we would be successful. He charged me with handling the business and organization side of it and we got to work. Researching leagues and all the things that came with it, it became a reality. As the owner, he was quick to let me know that his main priority was to coach and I could handle all the other “stuff!” He aspired to develop and put talent on the gridiron.

In 2015, the vision came to fruition and Alabama Fire Football was birthed and we played our inaugural season in April 2016 as part of the Women’s Football Alliance. It was a great first season. In our Inaugural season, we were the 2016 WFA National Conference – Southeast Region – North Atlantic Division champs!! This was only the beginning for this team and we knew this team would continue to grow and succeed especially under the coaching leadership of Coach Lane. In the beginning, Coach Lane and I both had dual roles with the team. He served as owner and coach and I served as General Manager and player (offensive line). This was not just a hobby for us, but was a passion and priority. We both were full time educators. He was an educator/coach in the Birmingham area and I was a school administrator in Oxford. This is where I begin to talk about relationships and connections. I remember when I was preparing for tryouts in 2015, my first set of pads and my helmet came from Coach Wes Brooks. You will hear more about him later. I remember me telling him that I was about to participate in tryouts for a women’s tackle football team. He didn’t laugh or doubt me. He just told me what I needed to prepare. I knew then, I had a support system. Let’s fast forward to right now! Girls flag football became a sanctioned sport in the state of Alabama by the Alabama High School Athletics Association just this year. Several high schools decided to participate.

When we heard about the possibility of there being a girls flag team, Coach Brooks reached out to me with excitement wondering if we would get one in Oxford. I told him from day one, I would definitely support and push for that. As time passed he continued to be excited and never gave up and wanted to make that a reality. We had many conversations about it and I am so glad it is happening.

As of today, the elite 8 for AHSAA girl’s flag football is happening and two teams for the final four have secured a spot. There are two amazing teams that are a part of the elite 8 that I have great connections with. These teams are Oxford High (has secured a final 4 spot) and Wenonah High (in the Elite 8 and waiting to play for a final 4 spot next week). The head coach of Wenonah is……..you guessed it, Cedric Lane and the head coach of Oxford is…..yes, Wes Brooks. Talk about joy in my heart right now. I hope to see these two schools in the finals. I spoke about my connections with these coaches a little, but there is so much more to this amazing story.

Often times female sports are forced on coaches who may not have a desire to be the coach. One thing I can say about these two coaches is they want to be there and they take it serious. They are competitive and their resume speaks for itself. Both coaches have led teams to earn what we often refer to in Alabama high school sports as the “blue map!” These are what the state championship trophies look like. Brooks, a state championship coach in baseball and Lane, a state championship coach in basketball are made for this. Seeing them compete for a flag football championship would be amazing.

Coach Lane continues to coach not just high school sports, but women’s flag football and women’s professional tackle. Recently his women’s flag football brought home a championship from Miami. Women’s tackle season kicks back off in the spring, where Alabama Fire will continue to compete in the Women’s National Football Conference (WNFC), which they joined in 2018.

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The connections and relationships continue. The WNFC is a league that continues to grow and connections continue to me made. Speaking of connections, I know the name Dr. Jen Welter definitely rings a bell when you hear the word football. Dr. Welter, a true pioneer, was the first female to coach in the NFL. In the summer of 2015, she served as a linebackers coach for the Arizona Cardinals and of course she didn’t stop there. Dr. Welter continues to lead the charge for football especially that in the flag world. Dr. Welter has led many camps for girls on the gridiron. Let’s talk about connections. In February 2019, Coach Welter hosted a camp in Georgia. Several teams in the WNFC had the opportunity to help out or attend the camp including the Atlanta Phoenix and Alabama Fire. As the GM of Alabama Fire I was excited to get an opportunity to see not only Coach Welter, but many young ladies excited about flag football. Remember, this story is about relationships and connections. I had a connection with a young lady in Oxford that I knew had a passion for football. She had played football in the community on a team where she was the only female. Her mom and I had many discussions about her passion for football. Her mom signed her up for this camp and she had a chance to participate with girls from across many states. Let’s fast forward again to today. This young lady I am referring to, Gabby Lindsey, will appear in the final four flag football tournament as the quarterback for Oxford High School under Coach Wes Brooks. Talk about connections.

Regardless of the outcome of the AHSAA flag football championship, I know girls and women across the world will continue to break barriers in this sport. You never know where your relationships or connections will take you. It is great to build positive relationships and connections with people. I wish all the teams competing for the AHSAA girls flag football championship trophy, the “blue map” the best of luck these next few weeks. I encourage you all to support girl/women athletics no matter where you are. Promote the sport of women’s football and help these women continue to break barriers. See you either on the gridiron or supporting those who are!