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KAYSVILLE — It isn’t touch football, and it isn’t flag football. It’s full contact football and at a recent clinic it was women who were doing the rushing, kicking, and tackling.

The Northern Utah Avalanche, a women’s football team based in Kaysville, recently held the clinic to find interested women and to begin what they hope will become a Utah women’s football league.

"The Avalanche have been together for three years, but we’ve been having to travel, searching for other teams to play," said head coach Shane Andrew. "What we’re trying to do now is start and get going a Utah women’s football league."

Whitney Smith, a former Weber State soccer player said it was about time she got to play football.

"Ever since I was little I always wanted to play football and this is my chance," she said. Smith, 23, impressed the coaches with her speed and footwork, and said she loved the game.

"Just the hitting. God, I don’t know. Man, everything about it — watching it on TV and in high school and junior high I played with all the boys, and now it’s my turn," said Smith.

Soothie Hohrein, a 38-year-old, drove from West Valley to attend the clinic.

"There’s really not a lot out there for women, and these ladies have been putting this program together. I just found about it and I went to this clinic, not sure what I would do. They taught us some defense and some offense and some contact stuff," said Hohrein.

"I’ve just always liked the contact sports. I’ve just really been into sports my whole life. I just like all the hitting and stuff," she said about why she attended.

"Every one of my girls absolutely love it," Andrew said. "I don’t know if it’s just their individual love of the sport, or that they’ve never had the opportunity to do it and it’s here now put in front of them, but I honestly believe it’s a combination of both."

Andrew said the team has contact information for about 150 women that are interested in playing football, and although the turn out at the clinic was about only about 30, he is hopeful that, as the word spreads about the opportunity, the team will be able to form a league.

Andrew has enough coaches for six teams, and has big plans for the future.

"My all-time highest goal honestly would be to get it to the point of establishing a women’s professional league," said Andrew. "I think it’s only fair — we’ve got softball and basketball, but not a professional women’s football league and my question is ‘Why? Why not?’"

Smith said she believes the more women who know about the opportunity, the more potential players they’ll have.

"I think it’s just a matter of people knowing," she said. "I just found about this by chance. I think if people knew there was an opportunity, including all the women I played with, old athletes that graduated, that maybe don’t want to play soccer but want to do something, it could be huge. I’ve already talked to five different girls that want to know more about it."

Andrew said women of all ages and sizes are welcome to learn more about football and the opportunity to play in a league. To learn about upcoming clinics or to find out when the team practices contact him at (801) 529-4095 or check out the Northern Utah Avalanche website at www.nuavalanche.com.

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