Tile Hill woman is first to play in American Football league

[dutchman]

Brave Till Hill sports star Jen Hilton is about to make history - by becoming the first woman to play alongside men in the British American Football league.



The tough cookie from Tile Hill is putting on her pads in tireless training to make her debut with the Coventry Jets this summer.

The sport’s national governing body has confirmed the 27-year-old will be the first woman to play the full-contact game at league level.

Coventry is a hotbed of young female talent with Warwick and Coventry universities hosting the UK’s first established women’s non-contact “flag” teams.

But 5’10” Jen will be the first – and only – woman to play with and against men in the national league and, as the Jets’ running back, she’ll be guaranteed contact with burly blokes on the field.

She said: “I saw American football on telly a few years ago and it’s just so interesting and totally different from any other sport I had seen.

“I heard about the British League, looked them up and wanted to go down and practise with the Jets.

“When I turned up I got a really good reaction. They were very professional and didn’t blink an eyelid when I asked to join. I was really impressed by that.

“I just went along and tried my best and I probably practised more than anyone else on the team.”

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