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When you think of American football, it is unlikely that the image of girls running around and bossing the game is one of the first that would come into your head. However, at Coventry American Flag Football Academy, that is exactly what you will see.

Girls are more than welcome on the team and many of the team’s biggest stars are female. Head Coach Andrew Gambrill, 44, said: “Pretty much every national title I have been part of has featured females in a prominent role.” He even went a step further in his praises, saying “my dream is to win a national title with an all girls team”, emphasising how inclusive the sport is.

In fact, young female starlet Hannah Russell-Yarde, 12, recently scooped the Coaches Award at the team’s awards ceremony, showing that there are truly no barriers at the club for success, irrespective of gender. She is a driven young woman and is not fazed at all by playing in the male dominated arena of flag football, saying: “My team mates act fine with having female team players like it doesn’t matter. It’s not an unusual thing.”

The Jets encourage girls to take part in their training sessions as much as possible, sending representatives into schools in order to recruit new players with gender not being an issue at all. Many of the team’s current female players state that these sessions were what got them involved in the club at first. Tina Nguyen, 14, said that “Pete [Pete Evans, club founder] came to Holbrooks when I was in year 6” and this was what got her into the side.

Even the boys on the team are happy to welcome the opposite sex into the team and see them as useful additions to the club. Seasoned player Tom Basnett, 15, likes the presence of girls, saying: “Girls bring teamwork and a different technique in the sport”.

Shailen Tailor, 16, agrees with this, thinking that “it’s a really good thing to have females on the team”. This shows that Jets are a club which encourages gender diversity and which gives absolutely anyone the right to learn a new sport and make new friends in a fun and healthy environment.

Chris Mepstead, 15, goes even further as he thinks that “having girls on our team gives us a competitive advantage”, showing that he really values the fact that his team allow players to join, irrespective of whether they are male or female.

Coventry Jets are known for being a team that has a much higher quota of female players than almost any other team. For years now, the team has been a haven for girls in sport with them always forming a key part of the club. American flag football is a fantastic way for girls to show that they can be just as sporty as their male counterparts, despite the gender stereotypes that suggest they can’t.

An inspirational voice for girls in the sport is Coventry Jets’ most recent acquisition, Hollie Humphries, 21, who gave some valuable advice to any girl considering getting involved in flag football.

“Give it your best shot. Try, try and try again. It’s all about determination and drive, anything your team mates can do, you can do too. It’s about having fun and pushing yourself to be the best you can be for yourself and your team.”

This shows that Coventry Jets is a club that cares deeply about providing opportunities for young people to get involved in sport and a club that will continue to care for years to come.

By Tom Beasley