With the support of NFL teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons, girls across the country have been encouraged to pursue football at higher levels, beginning with more funds allocated to girls flag football programs and recognition of girls football as an official high school sport in several states. In 2008, just 0.1% of tackle football players in Washington were girls; by 2018, that number had grown to 0.4%. While this may seem marginal, it represents a larger shift in the culture of football, a shift also occurring within Lakeside’s program. The football team’s few female players in recent years include former students Hannah H. ’23 during the 2020-21 season and Liz B. ’20 during the 2019-20 season. But for the first time in almost three years, there’s another name that sticks out on the football team’s roster: Chloe S. ’26, a 5-foot-3-inch  wide receiver/linebacker whose unlikely story compelled her to sign up for the team this fall.

Chloe discovered a love for football during the Covid-19 pandemic. While looking for ways to pass the time, she found what she didn’t even know she was looking for. “One day, I saw a football, and I just asked my dad to teach me how to throw it,” says Chloe. Although her immigrant family was unaccustomed to watching American football or any sports at all, since that impromptu lesson, Chloe has become an avid fan.  

In three short years, learning how to throw a football catapulted her into a new period of her life marked by a growing love for the game. On the topic of first joining the football team, Chloe says, “I feel very welcomed,” from the first warm handshake from head coach Mike Lengel the first day they met when she was 12 and looking forward to attending Lakeside. Chloe says, “I wanted to feel like I was part of the team, not just on it.” For her, the little things the program has done have made the environment one she would call inclusive. “Honestly, they did the most important thing to me, which was to just talk to me. The first person to talk to me was Izzy M. ’24. And from there … I got to know Thomas E. ’24 … Lincoln W. ’24 … Griffin L. ’24. Just everyone,” she says. “That was probably the biggest thing I could have asked for.” Despite originally meaning to join the program her freshman year, Chloe officially joined the junior varsity team this season. Even though she is currently injured, she has been received with a positive attitude by the team, which she reciprocates by cheering from the sidelines.

When asked their thoughts regarding football and gender inclusivity at Lakeside in the latest Tatler Poll, Lakeside students, in general, stated that they didn’t know girls could join the football team and felt that girls’ participation should be promoted more. However, some respondents were skeptical about whether girls joining the football team should be allowed, for various reasons regarding safety and the environment the football program creates. Although the football program does not actively recruit players based on gender, Mr. Lengel maintains that football information meetings are and have always been open to any incoming students grades 8-11, regardless of gender identity. Coach Lengel emphasizes that anyone who takes the first step in joining the team will be met with open arms. Chloe echoes Mr. Lengel’s message. Although both hope that the team will become more gender-inclusive in the future, in the present, they are focused on simply getting anyone to join and getting players to where they need to be. Looking to her future after high school, Chloe admits, “It kind of hit me that I’d never get a chance to play the sport that I really like in college … This is my only chance.”

In addition to visiting female football teams like the Seattle Majestics to get tips on incorporating gender-inclusive language and fostering a positive environment, the football program, as stressed by Mr. Lengel, implements inclusivity in how players “look out for each other. They hold each other accountable, and they ask for the best versions of one another.” As Chloe says, “I think that on the football team that I know from this year, someone’s gonna say something if something’s wrong. It’s people really supporting each other.” In the future of Lakeside football, Lengel hopes for “more of a gender-inclusive team. I think the stereotypes of what football is and who can play football are incorrect. And I think that anybody who wants to play football has a place to play on our team.”