Camp focuses on women’s football league

By Jared Harmon

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008 | midnight

The Las Vegas Showgirlz women's football team hopes to show Southern Nevada how popular the sport can be.

Head coach Dion Lee expects roughly 600 coaches, managers, owners and players from across the nation to attend the first of what he hopes will become an annual women's football camp and conference focusing on the growth of the sport.

"We want to blow this up huge and really get women's football to the next level," Lee said. "The sport is growing and more people are getting involved. We want to have an event where we give players, coaches and mangers the skills to continue that growth or improve on it."

The Showgirlz are in their third season and averaged 600 spectators per game this spring, a 5-3 season played at Faith Lutheran. Lee said that was a good sign of the public becoming more familiar with the team and beginning to take the sport seriously.

Lee said the conference will bring in some of the top women's coaches in the country, as well as ex-NFL players like Randall Cunningham to speak to the owners about how to market their teams. Also, the women will receive on-the-field pointers.

"We're going to have coaches and NFL players working the ladies on the field, showing them football-specific drills," Lee said. "The owners and managers will get seminars on branding and organizing to help them see what works when you're trying to gain recognition in your community."

Showgirlz quarterback Kerri Mytych, 35, is in her second season and said she is impressed by the scope Lee has planned for the event.

"After two seasons with Dion, I've realized he always thinks big," Mytych said. "It's not going to be easy to get the type of turnout he's planning for, but it is attainable and I think he's capable of getting that kind of attendance. It's an important event for women's football but also for women's sports in general."

The conference will cost $125 for the four-day event and will be held at Texas Station. Lee is still searching for a field close to the hotel to be made available for the on-field work.

"I want to see this event continue to grow," Lee said. "We have received a lot of interest this year, and the conference is filling up quick. We have teams from all over the country calling and sending e-mails. We have a team in Germany that's expressed interest. Women's football has over 6,000 participants in the country, and I want to reach them all, eventually."

Jared Harmon is a reporter for the Home News. He can be reached at 990-8922 or [email protected].