The announcement was a couple weeks ago but it didn't grab headlines. Bakersfield is getting a professional football team. Sunday a group planning on trying out for the team held their first drills. They lined up and got into the three point stance. At the snap they exploded into the tackle dummy.
Matthew Morris played football at Centennial High School and Bakersfield College. Now he is set to be the head coach of the Bakersfield Bombers, the latest expansion team to the Independent Women's Football League. The IWFL was founded in 2000 and provides women a chance to play a sport typically reserved for just men.
While most might picture the lingerie league when they hear women's football, the game is full pads, full contact, tackle football just like their male counterpart.
"It's a lot more physical than a lot of people think," said Morris. "There's a lot more skill level than a lot of people think."
Although tryouts will not be held until next month, Christy Specht was one of the ladies excited about the team. She was the first female to play roller derby when Bakersfield got a team and is just as motivated to become one of the first women to play football.
"I may be 35 but I'm going to go on and tryout," she said. "Because I think it's really beneficial for women to come out and play these sports."
Coach Morris says for a lot of women this will be their first "footballing experience." But he thinks the group he saw Sunday is athletic and will be easy to coach and train.
Tryouts are open to any women 18+ at Peacock Park across from Calvary Bible Church starting at 10:00AM. The cost is $25 to register the day of tryouts. For more information click here.
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