Austin, Texas — Support for women's sports is growing across the United States, and the City of Austin joined the movement today, with a proclamation being announced and organizations being celebrated at a City Council meeting on Thursday.
District 8 City Council Member Paige Ellis announced that June 8-15 will be designated Women's and Gender Expansion Sports Week.
It was an emotional day at City Hall for those in attendance.
“It's really big for the city to recognize that and also spread that to the rest of the city and hopefully garner more fans and support for each team,” said Austin Rise FC co-founder Katie Reid.
Members in attendance represented various women’s sports clubs in the city, including Austin Rise FC (women’s soccer), Austin Outlaws (women’s full-tackle football), League One Volleyball (volleyball), Austin Torch (women’s ultimate Frisbee), Texas Roller Derby, Austin Valkyries Rugby and Round Rock Rage Rugby.
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Lily Messina represented the Austin Outlaws, who are in their 24th season of girls' full-tackle football. This marks the first time the city has fully embraced girls' sports, and she said she was overwhelmed with emotion hearing Councilman Ellis read the proclamation.
“It just goes to show that there is strength in numbers and together we can achieve more. [an] “It's an individual,” she said.
Reid said the girls' team met a few weeks ago to form the coalition, and seeing them all lined up Thursday morning meant a lot, Messina said.
“All the teams involved in this have been so supportive of each other,” she said.
Debra Hulme said Thursday offered a chance to move women's sports forward.
“It's just up from here,” Hulme said.
Messina called Hulme a leader in the coalition. Hulme is co-owner and co-founder of ATX Women's Sports Pub, which is still searching for a new location but has the goal of promoting women's collegiate and professional sports.
Hallam said she and her co-founder and owner visited Portland and Seattle and were impressed with how much support there is for women's sports in the Pacific Northwest.
“We were so impressed with it, we looked at each other and said Austin has such an amazing community that loves sports, especially women's sports, and we can make this work in Austin, Texas,” she said.
That support is something Julianne Forsett knows all too well. Forsett was a three-time All-American for the Texas women's volleyball team and was named Big 12 Player of the Year in 2010. After a lengthy career overseas, Forsett will be playing professionally in the United States for the first time in her inaugural season as a member of League One Volleyball Austin's team.
“I'm very excited,” she said. “I'm proud that this is my hometown.”
Fawcett said the development of girls' sports in Austin is likely a long time coming.
“Women work so hard in this industry and it's a proud moment to see it all come to fruition,” she said.
The Women's and Gender Enlargement Sport Week will see a series of events and games which Reid hopes will lead to even bigger success.
“Every single fan matters. Every single penny counts. All the support we get for our team is amazing,” she said. “Honestly, I don't think there's any limit for women's sports here.”
As for the future of women's sports from Austin to Messina, it looks like they will be treated equally to men's sports.
“We're hoping this just leads to a return to normalcy,” Messina said.
As for soccer, Reid said there are plans to establish a professional women's soccer club.
“I think this city deserves it,” she says. “I think there's a lot of love for sports in general and women's sports in particular.”
Hulme said they need everyone's support to make sure the future remains bright.
“Some people think it's only women who need to support women's sports, but that's not true. We all need to work together to support female athletes,” she said.
She's at least doing her part by hosting a watch party for the University of Texas softball team as they compete in the Women's College World Championships in Oklahoma City. She's also crowdfunding her business, which you can find a link to here.
