The Women’s National Football Conference (WNFC) had to cancel their spring season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, that didn’t stop the Dallas-based organization from boosting efforts to bring women’s tackle football to a global audience. In August, the two-year-old league introduced new uniforms in an effort to help sponsors, partners, fans and even professional men’s tackle football players consider and support women playing tackle football.
In May 2020, sportswear giant Adidas announced that the WNFC were the recipients of the Adidas + iFundWomen grant, an endowment awarded to help break down the barriers of funding for women entrepreneurs nationwide. Three Stripes, alongside sports equipment manufacturer Riddell, will be outfitting all 20 teams when their sophomore season kicks off next spring.
“We are excited to continue our support of the Women’s National Football Conference for a second year,” Cameron Collins, Head of Adidas Football said in a statement. “This partnership allows us to bring our biggest mantra to life, that through sport, we have the power to change lives and inspire the next generation of female leaders. At adidas we strive to be the best sports brand in the world – and in order to deliver on that promise, we need to show up for both the women and men on the field.”
WNFC CEO Odessa Jenkins, who spoke exclusively with Yahoo Sports about the future of women’s tackle football in June, echoed Collins’ remarks with comments of her own.
“It’s amazing how the images, personas and lives of women in the WNFC align with what these companies are searching for,” Jenkins said. “More important, we refuse to allow our brand of football to be left out of the conversation. The way that I look at it, no one invited us to the party, but we are getting dressed up and showing up anyway. Who knows, we might steal the show!”
Though it will be months until the players debut the new looks on the field, you can see every uniform colorway on the WNFC’s Instagram. Each style was captured and published in the 2020 Reimagine Football uniform magazine, and fans also have the option to purchase digital and hard copies of that publication online. Uniforms may not be available for purchase, but you can find other gear on the organization’s fan shop.
[Article written by Vinciane Ngomsi Yahoo Sports Contributor]
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