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PATERSON, N.J. — The Jersey Shore Wave is one of three new teams to join the Women's National Football Conference this year. Now entering its sixth season, the WNFC is a semi-professional tackle football league. Players suit up in pads and helmets, and the women are here to win. They travel to play teams in their division and compete to win the IX Cup — named in honor of Title IX — in June at the end of the season. The season kicks off Saturday, March 29.

At practice, Wave quarterback Karen Mulligan snaps her helmet into place. She adjusts her pads and jogs onto the middle of the field. Mulligan, aka Mully, lines up across from a group of eager receivers. It's time for some fast-paced drills.

"We're doing settle and noose." Mully shouts to be heard over the wind, "move up to the hash."

Everyone in earshot shifts their position. Mully settles into her stance. "Ready? GO!" She cocks her arm back and releases the football.

Down the field, wide receiver Shayla Thevenin sprints across the artificial turf, making it to the ball in time to scoop it against her body. "This is crazy," Thevenin laughs. "I'm over here winded, and it's only warm up."

Repeated tryouts and making the team 

The tunnel inside Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, N. J., is buzzing. Women dressed in pads and bright teal uniforms — fresh out of their packaging — laugh and catch up.

The Wave roster has over 50 players from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and some outliers like New Hampshire and Ohio. Earning a place on the team took repeated tryouts.

"We did a couple of combine stations, and it was pretty fun," says linebacker Brittany Howard, who learned about the team tryouts on social media. She added, "we had to run a 40-yard dash and do the jump, sit-ups and push-ups."

Howard's teammate and offensive lineman, Infinity Brooks, from Asbury Park, N.J., adds: " They wanted to see if you wouldn't quit.  Even if you didn't know what you were doing, would you quit? And I didn't quit. I'm not even the best right now, but I'm still not going to quit."

Brooks had so much fun at tryouts that she kept returning, even though she'd already secured her spot. "Everybody was so welcoming and joyful. I just kept going. It was fun. Everybody had great spirits. Everybody was beautiful. Everybody's got good energy."

Ben Pawson / NPR

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NPR

Being able to suit up to play tackle football wasn't a given. Many of the Jersey Shore Wave confronted naysayers from the family and friends who said variations of: "it's not a sport for girls" or "you can be a cheerleader."

The whole experience began to feel real for Vianca Borrero when she put on her pads for the first time. " I actually got bigger pads because I wanted to be super protected." The defensive lineman added, "I looked kind of like a turtle in a shell because it didn't really fit. Then I got these pads, and it feels like it's all coming together."

Brooke Avery is a rookie outside linebacker and member of the defensive line who grew up in a New England Patriots-obsessed family. Her dad wanted to name her after Drew Bledsoe, a former Patriots quarterback. Avery played hockey competitively and was looking for a new challenge and sport when she heard from a friend who played for the Florida Avengers that a team was coming to New Jersey. She decided to try it, and thus far, she's loving it and is ready for the challenge of the first season.

" We have a name to make for ourselves. This league has been around for quite some time, and being a new team, there's a lot of expectation, especially in this area… So, you know, we have a big, a big expectation to uphold."

Buying a team and bringing it to Paterson

Health care executive and New Jersey Wave Owner Dawn Sherman believes in her coaches and players. She has her sights set on going all the way to the IX Cup in June.

" My goal: win the championship, of course. So I mean, why set your sights low, right? When you can go all the way," she says emphatically. " I think the team's super motivated, coming together really nicely. And we have a lot of enthusiasm, and we're going to win some games."

Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh is an enthusiastic supporter of the Wave. He braved the cold, windy morning to watch the team perform some drills.

" I am a big-time football fan. I'm a New York Giants fan, just in full disclosure. And I've never actually seen a women's tackle football game," says Sayegh. "When we were first approached. I thought, forgive me, I thought it was flag football."

This is a common misconception. Vianca Borrero thought she was being recruited for a flag football team when she was approached to try out for the team.

On and off the field

Monae Clancy is a native Patersonian. So when she runs onto the field at the first home game on April 5, she'll be cheered on by a hometown crowd. The Wave have gelled as a team, and many players used the word sisterhood to describe the camaraderie.

" Everyone supports each other. Everyone pushes each other to their goal," says Clancy. " Even though we proved to ourselves already that we can play, we already know that there's a bigger goal. We have to prove to the world that we can play."

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