The Arizona Cardinals football team hosted an event for female middle school students. | Dave Adamson/Unsplash
The Arizona Cardinals football team hosted an event for female middle school students. | Dave Adamson/Unsplash
The Arizona Cardinals provided girls the opportunity to play football recently at Villago Middle School in Casa Blanca.
Over 100 girls participated in numerous football drills such as passing, tackling, and running exercises, according to Pinal Central.
"It’s part of an initiative period, you know, Title IX back in the day, to give girls equal opportunity," Mo Streety, Arizona Cardinals manager of youth football, said, according to Pinal Central. "One opportunity missing was football; now, they have that and it’s only going to grow from here.”
Villago Middle School Principal Jeff Lavender was satisfied with the partnership, Pinal Central reported.
“It’s about building a community and a partnership with the Cardinals,” Lavender said, according to Pinal Central. “We have 100 eager female athletes ready to learn about football. It’s very important that they are involved, as it gives the girls the same opportunities that every other athlete has, so it’s great that the Cardinals see that in providing today’s clinic.”
Many players and coaches helped out, including wide receiver Anthony Edwards; the Arizona Cardinals’ official team mascot, Big Red; cheerleaders; and Casa Grande Union football coach Mark Luna, Pinal Central reported.
“Oh, I love it; it’s been a lot of fun,” Luna said, according to Pinal Central. “The girls are out here; they want to participate. It’s amazing they are opening the doors. I’ve been pretty fortunate to be involved in the 7-on-7 scene; I’ve been able to see the Tucson Turf girls and they are amazing. To see these girls out here today, I’d like to see if we could actually bring something similar to Casa Grande, and that would be awesome.”
There have been several other areas for women to get involved in football besides getting them on the field to play.
The Statista website noted that 2,404 females joined males in varsity football in 2019.
A study published in Human Kinetics Journals in 2017 showed that women make up 38% of fantasy football participants.
Maya Chaka was named the second female to officiate a game in the NFL’s 101-year history in March 2021, according to American Football International.
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