Sunday is International Women’s Day and IFAF is celebrating those people across our member nations who were among the first to champion women and girls in American Football, or who have since made a significant contribution to the sport.

Flag football is a relatively new addition to the sporting landscape in Nigeria where one of the leading lights is Nancy Msendoo Damhindi.

A legal and development professional with more than a decade of experience working at the intersection of law, gender equity, governance, and grassroots empowerment, Damhindi serves as the Head of Legal and Human Resources at the Nigeria American Football Association (NAFA). She is the Program Coordinator for the Gridiron Gems Initiative, a flagship program by the Cleveland Browns and NAFA where she leads strategic efforts to promote women’s participation, leadership, and opportunity in sports.

“Nancy has played a key role in strengthening institutional governance within the organizations she supports, leading the development of constitutional frameworks, compliance systems, governance structures, and policy documents that guide operations and accountability,” says NAFA president Babajide Akeredolu. “She implements safeguarding policies, codes of conduct, and protection frameworks aimed at ensuring safe and inclusive environments for women, youth, and vulnerable populations in sport and community programs.”

IFAF is also celebrating men whose influence has inspired and enabled women to take a foothold in American football.

In 2015, then Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians received a phone call after he had suggested during an interview that he could imagine female coaches in the NFL based on merit. That offseason, as a result of that phone conversation, Jen Welter was invited by Arians to attend OTAs (Organized Team Activities).

“It was fascinating because one of the things that made Bruce open to that opportunity was that when he was coaching in college, he said one of the best coaches he had ever come across was a receivers coach at Hinds Junior College and her name was Dot Murphy,” explains Welter. “The fact that it had not changed in all this time, that it was no better for women, he said that’s gotta change. Bruce made that happen really on his own.”

Welter, who had played with the U.S. women’s national team and played and coached in indoor tackle football, took up an internship with the Cardinals that preseason, making her the first female to serve in that capacity in the NFL.

‘To have him go out of his way just on a good human person level, I’ll never forget it,” added Welter.”

Jessy Ringelstein made IFAF history when she took charge of the IFAF European U19 Championship game between Great Britain and France in 2023.

Having already worn the white hat earlier for an IFAF Women’s European Championships game in Germany, the Hamburg native was among the first female officials to referee a game of this magnitude at international level.

“For me it’s a really great honor to work this game,” she said at the time. “It’s big, not just for me, but for all female officials in our sport. I’ve been working for a long time to get here and gained a lot of experience as a referee in local games. All the little steps over the last years got me to this game.”

Davie Parsons, Chair of the IFAF Officiating Committee, assigned Jessy to the game.  “Historically we have been a sport dominated by male officials,” he explained. “We do have other females within our ranks now, but Jessy is the only one to take on the leadership position of referee and she has really earned this opportunity. Her success shows we are promoting diversity and attracting more females to our ranks.”

Marianna Tessera has played flag football since 2011 and was a member of the first ever Italian national team, representing Italy from 2011 to 2023. She served as defensive coordinator for the Italian U15 national team and as team manager at club team Skorpions Varese.

A true grassroots ambassador of the game, Tessera has enthusiastically built and promoted flag football from the ground up in her region and across Italy, driving the sport’s growth, culture and next generation. A lifelong lover of the game, she is committed to developing young athletes and strengthening the future of flag football at every level.

Coaching at the first-ever IFAF African continental championships was one of many milestones on a long road to breaking down cultural barriers and opening doors for women to play American football for Fouzia Madhouni.

The IFAF NFL Global Flag Football Ambassador led Morocco’s women’s team at IFAF Africa Flag 2025 in Cairo as the only female head coach orchestrating a nation’s fortunes from the sidelines. Madhouni was first introduced to American football by a university classmate and eagerly joined a team, attending practices, but she soon came across the first of those barriers.

“When the guys started the scrimmage, the girls went to the sideline, so I found it really unfair,” she said. “I felt more like a cheerleader than a football player. I told them: ‘either we’re going to play, or we’re going to form or own team’. They didn’t believe me.”

An initial two members began training before numbers soon increased to 20 players and beyond. They eventually created the biggest club team in Morocco.

“Struggle makes you a better person,” she added. The people who said no to me, who didn’t like who I am or where I came from, they gave me the motivation to carry on.”

As a coach, Madhouni launched her own ‘We Can Morocco’ academy to inspire others to follow in her footsteps and pick up a flag football.

In Great Britain, Jim Messenger was inspired to start a women’s tackle football programme that featured Hertfordshire, Southampton and Portsmouth universities after Lauren Hackney, a student at Southampton University, wrote to BAFA to ask about women’s football.

That led to the creation of a national programme, led by Messenger, that was designed not only to get the best players but also to support the growth and development of team teams.

A Great Britain national team then played a small-sided fixture against Sweden before going on compete in 11-on11 games and ultimately continental and global championships. In parallel a focus supported the growth and development of women in flag football with a lot of work undertaken by Andrew Gambrill and Phil Gaydon at the University of Warwick.

From those modest beginning, women’s American football was born in Great Britain. As interest grew along with investment in the sport, the women’s national team won silver at the 2015 European Championships under Messenger, earning first time qualification for 2017 IFAF Women’s World Championships. Five years later, Messenger had handed over the reins and GB became silver medalists in the competition.

“It has been a privilege to be part of this all and I would like to thank everyone out there who has given support to the building of women’s football in the UK,” said Messenger when he retired after eight years in charge of the women’s national team. “I’m still in awe! It has been your blood, sweat, and tears that earned the international respect and results that UK women’s football gained in such a short time. Keep going, it’s your game!”

Another first in Great Britain women’s tackle footballs this year saw Laura Moore become that women’s national team’s first female head coach.

“This is a hugely significant moment, not just in the culture and character that she will bring to the team, but to demonstrate the opportunities being taken by female coaches across the sport,” said  BAFA CEO Chad Ehlertsen. “We can always do more, and having Laura leading Great Britain women will open the door for even broader progress across the community.”

Moore was one of the game’s early trailblazers when she switched from playing rugby and played with the Birmingham Lions and coached with the Nottingham Ceasars. Having played in the first-ever national team she went on to captain her country and was part of European and World championships successes.