Gridiron Invasion

The Hidden History of Women’s Football

Women have long participated in the game of American football. From informal, secret games, to educators’ use of touch football for female students, to attempts at professional leagues, women’s experiences in the sport have continuously evolved throughout the gridiron game’s history.

In Gridiron Invasion, author Katie Taylor traces the hidden history of women and girls playing football, revealing that their progress has not been straightforward. At times, their breakthroughs are hard won and then lost mere years later. Contextualizing women’s participation within changes in society and the norms to which girls and women were expected to adhere, this book covers the lives of the pioneering players that contravened expectations. By scouring decades of newspaper reports and other primary sources, Taylor reveals that while there was occasional outrage at women’s football, far more often the