From My Side: What It Means to be a Female Football Player

Payton Timmons with coach.

Payton Timmons, Staff Reporter
September 28, 2022

It can and is hard being a girl in a male dominated sport. I usually find myself feeling weaker than my teammates and I oftentimes struggle to get better. Coming out of the youth league I was a superstar lineman. I was stronger than the boys and was one of the star players on the team. Now, I’m good but way far from being a superstar. A part of the reason is being on a higher level but another reason is the guys are getting stronger and faster at a quicker pace than I am. The hard part of being a girl playing football isn’t the doubt people give me. The hardest part is keeping up with my teammates. I normally have to work twice as hard just to be as good because of the fact they are getting better at a faster pace than I am.

 Last year I definitely felt out of place. Youth League and JV are two totally different environments. And being a girl on a high school football team made me feel even more out of place. Over the last year or so I’ve definitely grown more comfortable with the environment and my teammates and I appreciate the environment and the teammates that surround me.

 

Payton Timmons
Payton Timmons with Youth League Trophy

Even in today’s day and age there’s still that one person that has something to say about girls playing football. On the opposing team there is almost always someone having something to say. There have been occasions where the talking was from my teammates. It’s only happened once to my knowledge but the fact it happened just goes to show that even in modern times there is still always someone that has something to say about the fact i’m a female.

Additionally, the facility is not built for girls. I have to change in the equipment room, and, regularly, while I’m changing the coaches have to wait for me to get equipment for their players. Other times players are already in the equipment room and I have to wait for them to leave just to change. It doesn’t cause too many problems but it would be nice to have it more gender friendly.

The challenges I face don’t change the devotion I have for this sport. Playing football you face a lot of obstacles and being a female adds to it but I am willing to fight through the challenges and get better.