The year 2020 has seen many social changes, however one that seems to slip under the radar is the number of female coaches that have been hired by NFL franchises. These individual hires are leading to changes in the way that women are being perceived in football and are making an impact across the entire sports world.
Back in 2013, Jen Welter became the first female NFL coach in history when she was hired as a strength and conditioning coach. Since then, many teams have followed suit. The newest addition to the quickly growing number of female coaches is the Denver Broncos new hire, Emily Zaler. Zaler worked as an intern during the Broncos training camp in July 2020 as a part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. She had previously worked for the New York Knicks until the coronavirus shut down (Legwold). Now she's a full-time strength and conditioning coach and one of only 10 full-time female coaches in the NFL.
These hires, as well as programs such as the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship, are creating waves of impact throughout the NFL and the greater athletic world. “The NFL has also created an event called The Women in Football Forum meant to encourage women
who have played and participated in football to pursue careers in coaching, scouting, or front office roles” reported Madilyn Zeeger from Sportscasting. Organizations such as the Female Coaching Network are making it their priority to showcase the benefits and accomplishments of women in the sporty industry everyday.
By creating these opportunities, younger generations of girls are not only seeing that its possible but that its increasingly encouraged for women to get on the field. This level of acceptance is another step towards gender equality in the sports world. By having women in a male dominated industry there is a balance of power, and a increase in diversity that creates a more inclusive environment for teams, players, coaches alike. In a post-COVID world it is even more important that emphasis is placed on the benefits of having a range of perspectives. A new perspective is exactly what female coaches are bringing to the field as more are hired full-time. The changes within the NFL are the first step to changing the world of sports, women are having a profound impact on football and are an inspiration for the future.
Legwold, Jeff. “Denver Broncos Make Emily Zaler First Female Coach in Franchise History.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 6 Sept. 2020, www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29820680/denver-broncos-make-emily-zaler-first-female-coach-franchise-history.
Network, Female Coaching. “Female Coaching Network.” FEMALE COACHING NETWORK, 27 Jan. 2020, femalecoachingnetwork.com/2020/01/27/women-coaches-of-the-nfl/.
Zeegers, Madilyn. “Are There Any Female Coaches in the NFL? - Sportscasting: Pure Sports.” Sportscasting, 6 Dec. 2019, www.sportscasting.com/are-there-any-female-coaches-in-the-nfl/.
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