July 13, 2011
Rose Mary Phillip
ESKS.com
Yes, women like football.
No, it’s not for eye-candy.
Just ask Theresa Tsoukalas. She doesn’t just watch football. She lives it.
Tsoukalas has been a fan since she was five-years-old and she attended her first game as a member of the Eskimo Knothole Gang.
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| Theresa Tsoukalas leaves an Eskimo sticker at every stadium to mark the empire’s presence. |
For the next five months, the 10-year season ticket holder will watch the green and gold at home game and every road game – in person. “There was a lot of planning and a lot of saving but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” says Tsoukalas who kicked off the season in Regina wearing a game-worn Patrick Kabongo jersey that she bought at the Locker Room Sale in 2007.
A few decades ago Tsoukalas would have been an oddity. Today, women represent 34 per cent of the Eskimo Empire. That’s up from 28 per cent in 2007 and just under the league average of 38 per cent.
It’s not about tight uniforms and cute quarterbacks
Tsoukalas is as knowledgeable as she is enthusiastic.
“People think that [women] don’t know the rules or what’s happening on the field because we didn’t play the game,” she says. “My football knowledge gets under-estimated a lot.”
She stays on top of trades across the league and studies the Eskimo roster. She can tell you who’s active and who’s injured and highlights for those didn’t make the day’s news.
She doesn’t have to ask what the rules are. She already knows them.
Need stats and scores? Plays and penalties? She knows those too.
Looking beyond the 18 – 34-year-old male demographic
Stephy-Lynn Burke is a mother of three and a self-proclaimed stereotypical fan.
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| Stephy-Lynn Burke’s daughter Alexxis is already an avid Eskimo supporter at just seven-years-old. |
“I like beer and wings and curse at the T.V. when things aren’t going my way,” says the mother of three.
Fans like Burke are catching the attention of advertisers. Largely because women are in charge of big-ticket purchases in most households.
Clothing makers are also catering to Burke’s demographic and designing more female fan gear. They go further than swapping green and gold for pink. The collections expanded.
Burke has noticed an increase in female-friendly sports gear at the Eskimo Store, including a women’s T-shirts, tube tops, bikini bottoms and more.
Gridiron girls
Terry Yahnke doesn’t just dress like a football player. She is a football player. (No lingerie. That’s a different league.)
Seven years ago, she founded the Edmonton Storm, a female tackle football team inspired by the Eskimos. “I play a variety of positions – primarily defensive back,” says the 10-year vet.
The sport once considered too aggressive for women is flourishing among them. The Western Women’s Canadian Football League recently added its eighth team, Saskatoon.
When the Eskimos host the B.C Lions this Saturday, Yahnke, along with members of Edmonton Rage and Edmonton Rockets, will take to the field for a women’s touch football match at half time.
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| Eskimo Alumni A.J. Gass spoke to the Edmonton Storm and founder Terry Yahnke (#25) |
Ladies Night
The game is part of the first ever Ladies Night at Commonwealth Stadium.
“We have a large and growing number of female fans of all ages and Ladies Night celebrates the role they play in Eskimo football,” says Eskimo Vice President of Marketing and Brand Management Duane Vienneau.
In further appreciation of female fans, Eskimo family will be selling limited edition flip flop sandals with all proceeds going to the Eskimo Women’s Ovarian Cancer Research Endowment Fund.
To date, $135,000 has been raised through three annual Women’s Dinners and sales of autographed memorabilia. All proceeds support ovarian cancer research at the Lois Hole Hospital for Women in Edmonton.
The Eskimos also host a Football 101 class for women who want to learn more about the game. The three-hour class is taught by alumni and comes with a few perks. A Football 201 class is available for those who want to take it to next level. The classes have become so popular that they quickly reach capacity.
So yes, women like football. Many love it.