By DOMINGA GLEASON
Contributing Writer
The NFL team the Arizona Cardinals made history this summer by adding a new intern coach to their team, Dr. Jennifer Welter. In doing so, Welter became the first female coach in NFL history.
With the preseason coming to an end, the Cardinals have decided not to keep her as a full-time employee. Welter, however, is not done with the athletic world just yet.
37-year-old Welter interned as the linebacker coach for training and preseason with the Arizona Cardinals beginning in July 2015. Talk began of hiring a female coach shortly after Sarah Thomas was hired in April as the first female referee for the NFL.
Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians was asked when the NFL would have a female coach. Arians responded, “The minute they can prove they make a player better, they’ll be hired.”
At this time, Welter was was working as the first female coach in a professional men’s football league, for the Texas Revolution of the Indoor Football League. Devin Wyman, head coach of the Texas Revolution and former NFL player, reached out to Arians suggesting Welter for the job.
Welter has a vast background in education, making her a more than a qualified choice. She has earned a doctorate degree in psychology, a master’s in sport psychology, and a bachelor’s in business. Apart from her schooling, her knowledge of sports is significant as well, due to 14 seasons of professional football and 18 years of experience in fitness expertise.
In 2014, when Welter signed with the Texas Revolution as a player, her 5-foot-2-inch and 130 lb frame provided her services as a running back. This made her the first female running back for a professional men’s football team, as well as the second woman to have a position other than kicker or placeholder kicker.
Football has been a sport dominated by men since it first began, so the hiring of a female coach is a large step towards gender equality in the world of sports.
Starting as early as high school, teams all over the country are now having girls play on their football teams. Right now the positions played by females are predominantly kicker or placeholder kicker. However, qualified and brave girls are willing to go out there and pick up other positions more involved in the field.
While most sports have separate leagues for gender, professional football is not really an option for girls. There is the Legends Football League; however, the player’s skills are often overlooked and the league does not receive the same level of respect as the NFL. Not to mention the degrading nature of their uniforms.
Less popular, however, is the full-tackle Independent Women’s Football League in Texas. The IWFL was founded in 2000 by women who wanted to be involved in serious, competitive football. According to their mission statement, the IWFL is focused on “creating a positive, safe and fun environment for the women who play football and a fun experience for the families coming out to watch them.”
Welter is inspiring to many young women who dream of playing professional football, as well as encouraging girls to get more involved in the sport.
