Contact:
Brian McCarthy
National Football League
(212) 450-2000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WOMEN FOOTBALL FANS GO BACK TO SCHOOL
FOR NFL FOOTBALL 101 CLASSES
Players and Coaches Help Teach Fun-Filled Classes

NEW YORK, October 14 -- Are you ready for some football? Women are answering yes and are going to school to learn even more about the NFL and its teams. As part of the NFL’s on-going effort to serve female fans, NFL 101 Workshops for Women will take place in a number of cities in October.

The NFL is putting on the classes in Dallas (Wednesday, October 15); Jacksonville (Thursday, October 16); Cincinnati (Monday, October 20); Minneapolis (Thursday, October 23) and Foxboro, MA, home of the New England Patriots, (Wednesday, October 29). These classes supplement existing classes in 15 other cities, which take place throughout the year. A portion of the registration fee is donated to a local charity.

Betsy Berns, the author of The Women’s Armchair Guide to Pro Football and president of the Women’s Institute for Football Education (W.I.F.E.), is the NFL’s consultant for the classes. Along with the NFL, Berns developed the curriculum and will serve as class instructor with players and coaches lending personal anecdotes, training and a behind-the-scenes look at the team.

In a workshop setting, women will learn about life in the NFL, the history of football, strategy, equipment, official signals, and helpful hints on watching a game. An insider’s tour of the stadium, locker room, weight room, and press box rounds out the class. Current and former players and coaches help teach the classes.

The NFL 101 classes are one element in the NFL’s on-going attempt to respond to the explosion in participation in women’s sports. Other efforts to encourage even more women to play, watch, attend and experience the game of football include the first full line of licensed merchandise just for women and grassroots participation programs. The NFL is also publishing The NFL Family Cookbook and advertising in women publications, such as People, Cosmopolitan, Self and Entertainment Weekly. A woman golfer on the LPGA Tour, veteran Danielle Ammaccapane, will play in NFL licensed merchandise from Moretz Sports in tournaments.

The NFL is the favorite sport of women, according to ESPN/Chilton (NFL-18.8 percent; MLB-13.6 percent; NBA-12.4 percent; figure skating-4.3 percent and NHL-3.6 percent). More than 40 million women watch NFL games each weekend, according to Nielsen. Women comprise 43 percent of the NFL’s fan base and more than 375,000 women attend NFL games each weekend.