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This year senior, Mel Cherry joined the Vixen in their quest for the WPFL title. Cherry had never played football before, but attended almost every one of the team’s games last season, and had friends on the team. Week in and week out Mel joined the 200 some odd fans who show up for every one of the Vixen’s home games. Hamline alums Stacy Thill, who has played pro football for five years, and Kim Miller, who has played for three, took notice of both Mel’s support for the team and her athleticism, and eventually convinced her to make the jump from the grandstand to the sideline. Mel was going pro.

“Most players on the team haven’t played football before,” explained Cherry, “but most do have sports experience. I played a lot of different sports in high school.”

Despite this lack of experience, Cherry says, the teams play good football, and are for the most part pretty even. Seventeen teams from around the nation call the WPFL home. Teams from California to New York, from Texas to Indiana, and of course, Minnesota make weekly treks across the country from the beginning of their season in July until the end of their season in the fall. Some states, like California and Texas, have two teams, but Minnesota belongs to the Vixen.

The teams and all their travel are completely self-financed. They look for corporate sponsorship, but the bulk of their budget comes from one place. The players.

That’s right. The WPFL avoids all the squabbling and tomfoolery that come along with contract negotiation and player rights in the NFL because the players themselves pay to play. The Vixen, for instance, front $1,000 at the beginning of each season just to put on their team’s jersey. Only if the team sees a profit, which is a rarity (in fact most end up slightly in the red), do the players get paid.

These players don’t suit up because they want to see their face on a box of Wheaties, although it would be nice for a little publicity; they do it because they enjoy the game and because they want to see women playing football.

“Interest in the sport is growing,” said Cherry. “We had a table at the State Fair that a lot of people stopped at. Most didn’t even know that we had a team, so it’s just a matter of getting the word out to people.”
Many of the team’s players are have to play multiple positions on the field, which means they have to learn how to play football from many different vantage points. Cherry plays primarily right tackle and tight end in addition to doing all of the team’s kicking, even though it’s only her first year in the league. This is, of course, in addition to her two jobs and 18-credit schedule on campus, but she like many others in the league remain undaunted. In fact, Cherry said that making the two practices per week and one game hasn’t been particularly difficult this year because she has only had to travel for an away game once since school started. The somewhat busy schedule, she says isn’t a problem for her, and shouldn’t be for
anyone who wants to join the league.

“Anyone who wants to play football should go for it,” Cherry said.

“We need all different kinds of athletic talent, and the coaches do a really good job at making an extremely complex game seem pretty simple.”

It’s dedication like Cherry’s in hundreds of women around the country that keep this league and teams like the Vixen competitive and exciting to watch. In fact, the Vixen have never had a season under .500, and made the playoffs last year. Though they didn’t win the Leagues title, they remain undeterred this season in their run for the top spot. This year they are 6-3 with just one game left in the regular season (at press time), enough to earn them a playoff slot for the second year running.