MASON, Ohio — A new football team is forming in the Cincinnati area and it’s recruiting women who want to play tackle football.


What You Need To Know

  • The Cincinnati Cougars are a new all-women's tackle football team

  • The team is trying to get enough players to compete in the Women's Football Alliance, a women's tackle football league

  • The Cougars plann to finish picking the team in January and start competing in April

Even in snowy weather, this team is busy training players for the next competitive season.

“My main position is outside linebacker,” said Christine Mason.

Mason, a mother of two, said she’s been playing football for the last 10 years.

“I joined a women’s flag football team and on that team, there were a lot of women’s tackle players. And they encouraged me, they appealed to me,” said Mason. “My ego was telling me ‘Oh, you should play tackle, you should play tackle.’ So I tried it and I fell in love.”

That’s why she’s helping to lead a brand new women’s tackle football team called the Cincinnati Cougars. 

“One of the big challenges is just getting women to come out and try it because most of them think it’s intimidating because they haven’t played before. So they think they’re not going to be good enough when they come out, since it’s brand new to them,” said Mason.

Women’s tackle football is not exactly new. The Women’s Football Alliance has been operating since 2009. 

There are WFA teams in major cities across the country, and Mason is working to make sure the Cougars are one of them. 

“The coaches really work with all the players to teach them the fundamentals and everything from the ground up,” said Mason.

She said they’re still trying to find more players to finalize the team come January. 

They’re looking for players 18 and older and hope to break barriers for girls in football. 

“There’s already a lot more girls playing now than there was 10 years ago. So when you see female refs in NFL games or you see girls playing at the high school level, every once in a while you hear a new story at the college level. Things like that and things like our women’s team that helped inspire the younger generation that they could play football and they can do it,” said Mason.

The Cincinnati Cougars are expected to start competing in April. 

The players do not get paid for the games, but there is a fee to join.

For more information, or if you’re thinking about playing, click here to find the team's social media