Did you know that 44% of Tampa Bay football fans are female? As part of an ongoing effort to stress diversity and inclusion, the Bucs hosted the Women of Red Evening at Training Camp presented by Moffitt and AdventHealth for female football fans of all ages.
The otherwise closed practice included not only the chance to see their favorite team take the field for their sixth day of training camp, but also various stations set up to learn and interact more with the sport they love.
There was an asset shoot station, where you could take photos with special lighting like the Buccaneers' creative team uses on the players to get all those cool shots you see on billboards and in the stadium. Or you could learn about Bruce Arians' new coaching staff and how interconnected they all are with yours truly. All attendees were encouraged to wear athletic shoes to participate in drills just like the pros do on the field of the Buccaneers' indoor facility.
Though the festivities were moved indoors due to inclement weather, over 1,500 fans braved the storm to get up close with their favorite players for a post-practice autograph signing and got to hear from Buccaneers Owner and President of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation and Glazer Family Foundation Darcie Glazer Kassewitz.
"This fan club that we've created for our female fans has really grown over the years to become a crucial part of our ability to engage in conversations with our female fans so that what we do with the Bucs authentically resonates with their shared ideas and desires," Kassewitz said in a Tampa Bay Times article published ahead of the event. "I think women really enjoy these large-scale, up-close-and-personal, behind-the-scenes events that are for them."
View some of the top fan photos from Buccaneers' Women of Red Evening at Training Camp presented by Moffitt and AdventHealth.
Then it was time for practice as the enthusiasm (literally) echoed inside the indoor facility. Each successful completion was met with cheers. The defensive linemen trotting down the field for one-on-one drills with the offensive linemen on the other side got applause and even a resounding 'Suhhhhh!' for first-year Buccaneer Ndamukong Suh. A B-U-C, C-A-N, E-E-R-S, GO BUCS! chant even spontaneously erupted during one 11-on-11 period.
Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians has been at the forefront of diversity and inclusion on his own coaching staffs. He's currently the only head coach in the league to have all minority coordinators in Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles, Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich, Special Teams Coordinator Keith Armstrong and Asst. Head Coach and Run-Game Coordinator Harold. The Buccaneers are also the only team in the NFL that employ two full-time female coaches, assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust and assistant strength and conditioning coach Maral Javadifar.
Women of Red Evening at Training camp is just the latest effort to engage female fans of all ages by the Buccaneers. The team also sponsors the largest girl's flag football tournament in the state with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation Preseason Classic and provides flag football equipment for 35,000 girls in Pinellas and Hillsborough County middle and high schools in an effort to grow the game as a whole. To join the Women of Red fan club or learn more about the Buccaneers' female fan initiatives, visit Buccaneers.com/women-of-red.
