"I'll get experience that I'll never be able to replicate anywhere else because nowhere else can give me what the WFLA is going to provide for me in terms of being paid to play, being around like-minded people from all over the world"
Tuesday 28 July 2020 05:55, UK
Shay Okelola has spent the last six years studying tape of the NFL's elite amid her development as one of British American Football's brightest female talents.
Now, she is one of multiple trailblazers for the growth of the women's game with the goal of young girls one day taking notes from her film as they look to break into the sport.
The London Warriors tight end has signed up to play for the Phoenix Red Tails in the newly-formed Women's Football League Association (WFLA), with the inaugural season due to start in May 2021.
"Even for myself having to watch film and when I get referred to players to look at, it would be male players," said Okelola on Sky Sports' Check In.
"I understand because they've been dominating the sport for so long but the WFLA has given us that leeway to be equal to the men's sport.
"The WFLA have been very forward in pushing women's sport, women's equality. Some of the owners are women of high status in the world. Just putting awareness out there that women are here and we're here to stay.
"I hope that first WFLA league pushes that and shows everyone that 'wow, this is a thing', but also there are women out there that didn't even know this sport existed for women. This gives them the opportunity to say 'okay, this is available, let me try' which is exactly what happened to me."
The WFLA, the first ever professional women's football organisation, aims to provide its athletes and coaches with a professional salary along with the same benefits that men enjoy, while also promising that players will never have to pay to play.
Santia Deck made history earlier this year when she became the first woman to sign a multi-million-dollar football contract as she joined up with the LA Fames.
"I do want to give other people that opportunity to be like 'okay, if I want to play, this is the style I want to play with and this person is a women'," Okelola added. "To even see people from all types of backgrounds in one sport is amazing.
"The NFL is quite diverse but it's all men, but now you have a women's league that's completely diverse. It's definitely for me the most diverse team I've been on in terms of background and culture.
"I can't wait to get over and meet all of them and see how people from different walks of life have come together by this one sport."
Okelola had contacted the Red Tails via her coach after coming across the opportunity on social media, before sending over film footage, taking part in an interview to discuss her background and eventually earning a place alongside four of her Warriors team-mates.
"My friend and my team-mate had actually been signed, two of them had been signed before I had and when I saw the opportunity I was like 'I've got to jump on this, I'm not getting any younger and it's something I've always had on my bucket list to play internationally and I do love the sport so I don't mind going'," she explained.
"I'm looking forward to pushing myself to new limits because it is a new country, the atmosphere is different, I'll be living over there so I'll be away from everything I know.
"I'll get experience that I'll never be able to replicate anywhere else because nowhere else can give me what the WFLA is going to provide for me in terms of being paid to play, being around like-minded people from all over the world, being able to make friends with people from all over the world and having competition."
While the global expansion of the men's game has been well-documented, the women's game is yet to receive the same kind of recognition, Okelola herself admitting many are likely unaware of the opportunities on offer.
The WFLA will consist of players originating from flag and full contact backgrounds, including the Legends Football League - formerly known as the Lingerie Football League.
It was being around male friends that played the sport and who introduced her to the rules that inspired Okelola to attend her first Warriors training camp.
"It was horrendous", she joked. "I was out of breath, I was tired, my body was hurting, I wanted to go home and this was all after the warm up.
"I went back for some weird reason and haven't looked back since."
Take a moment to scroll through Okelola's Instagram page and snapshots of her in pads are scattered between makeup tutorials and evidence of a love for fashion.
There is more than one side to her, and ensuring that remains the case is important to Okelola.
"I still like to be a girl," she said. "I feel like me and football are two different people. I have a very big alter-ego when I play football.
"I can get hit over and over again and get up and still keep playing, I've had concussions and kept playing, I've had fractured bones and still kept going because of the momentum.
"I leave that on the field and I go and become myself. I don't really mix the two because there's a lot of aggression in the sport where you have to be able to hold your own against people that are bigger than you.
"I go to work and talk to everyone nicely and we have a great day, I go out with my friends, I do my makeup and my hair. But when I'm on the field I have my hair in braids, I have no makeup on, I'm very focused and this is the goal."
A smile creeps through as Okelola discusses the Red Tails, an opportunity to play the sport she loves in America having once seemed like a pipe dream.
The league itself signifies arguably the most meaningful stride yet for the women's game, with 1,920 players set to be spread across 32 teams made up of 55-person rosters plus a five-player practice squad.
"I took the leap because I was like 'you're not getting any younger', this opportunity might never come again and I never wanted to look back and be like 'oh, I could have been an international football star but I didn't go'," she said.
"That alone pushed me forward and gave me the momentum to even want to play the sport abroad.
"I've always wanted to take this sport because I've put so much into it, physically, mentally, financially, that I couldn't go without giving it a chance.
"Again I'm still looking forward and have hope that it's going to be amazing. The emotion behind it, I'm so happy every time I think about it."
Don't forget to follow us on skysports.com/nfl, our Twitter account @SkySportsNFL & Sky Sports - on the go! Available to download now on - iPhone & iPad and Android
