When I first moved to Alabama, I was frequently asked two questions. I feel like you have a good guess on what those questions were. 1)”Where do you go to church?” 2)”What football team do you support?” My answer at the time was Alabama because that was one reason I had moved here, but now my answer would be different. For years now, Alabama has had a Women’s Tackle Team. This is not just any regular football team, but a football team that has always been successful.
After a hard time in my life, I wanted to challenge myself mentally and physically. When I Googled activities to do in Alabama for women, I saw there were many different things that were available to me. Yet, the one thing that caught my eye was women’s tackle football. Doesn’t that just sound intriguing? Little did I know that it would change my life.
WNFC Football
There are about 17 football teams in our leage with two different divisions (The Atlantic Conference and The Pacific Conference). So, the women’s teams have the exact same rules as the men’s teams. We have four quarters with half-time. We have kick-offs and special teams. What my brother did at Birmingham Southern when he played ball, he passed down to me. We usually have around eight games and then post-season is determined by record. This past season we made the second round of play-offs before we were eliminated by the team that won the WNFC championship (the reigning champions).
Alabama Fire
This season’s accomplishments were HUGE. Again, we were able to make it to the play-offs, but outside of that we were the first team to almost defeat the reigning champs! The stats also don’t lie:
- Our QB had the second most passing yards in the league.
- Our running back had the second most rushing yards.
- Our receiver had the most receiving yards.
- Our Rookie had the most sacks and was in the top 5 for most tackles.
- The awards we collected at the end of the season included Offensive Player of the Year & Rookie of the year.
If those are not enough reasons for you to come out and support our team, I can give you some more. This team is known to have heart. We are a family on and off the field.
Birmingham is growing and there are plenty of different teams you can go support, but we are the only team that is an all women’s team! Be a part of this change. Football has been dominated by men for years, but women are showing that they can compete at a high level, too—especially the Alabama Fire.
