Pontchartrain Center Hosts Women's Arena Football
July 15, 2013 - Arena Football League (AFL)
New Orleans VooDoo News Release
NEW ORLEANS - Fans of the VooDoo may be surprised to know that there is also women's arena football being played in the New Orleans area.
The newly formed Women's Arena Football League hosted its inaugural game on June 29 with the New Orleans Bayou Queens taking on the Dallas Darlings. While the VooDoo were on the road this weekend, fans could have still had their fill of Arena Football this past Saturday night at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner.
"Fans can expect the same excitement as the VooDoo games," said Bayou Queens head coach C.J. Maiden. "They may also find it surprising because these women have just as much great athletic ability as the men do. The women know how to make big plays, run routes, and make great catches."
Maiden is an Arena Football veteran and has spent 27 years in the game. Maiden coached teams in Lafayette, Houma, Shreveport, and even the old New Orleans Night from the early 1990s. He also has five ArenaBowl rings to his credit. Maiden says he approaches coaching the women in the same way as the men. "I look at athletic ability," said Maiden. "And I like to teach them multiple positions because you never know when you may have to play both sides of the ball like the AFL players do."
There are players who have been playing women's football for a few years, but the WAFL even attracted some new faces to the game like WR/RB Dawann Converse. "It's something new to get out there and get my feet wet," said Converse. "I've learned that you better run or you're going to get hit. But it's a little like a family; we're like sisters out there."
Women's football leagues have also been a spring board for coaches. The VooDoo's own assistant head coach Doug Miller also spent time coaching a women's team, the Orlando Fantasy, before joining the VooDoo coaching staff.
When comparing the difference between coaching men and women, Maiden laughed and said "women are easier because the men are always trying to compete for the next level while the women just get out there and play."
Arena Football League Stories from July 15, 2013
- SaberCats All-Time Leading Receiver James Roe Returns for Remainder of 2013 Season - San Jose SaberCats
- Pontchartrain Center Hosts Women's Arena Football - New Orleans VooDoo
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