Indiana Valor Kicker Jaci Merchant takes three steps back and two steps left. She pauses for a moment, lines herself up, and drills into the football.
The kick is good, and now it’s time for another.
“My background, it puts me in a position to help the team in any way I can, especially on special teams and any kind of kicking,” Merchant said. “I'm excited to get my foot back on the ball.”
Merchant kicks for the state’s only professional women’s tackle football team. The Indiana Valor is back for a second season, starting April 25 in Derby City. They say they laid the foundation, and now it’s time to strive to be the best.
“We push each other,” Merchant said. “And everybody's got the grit.”
The team’s home opener at Grant Park is May 2nd.
Linebacker Amanda Stanger said last season, social media and word of mouth helped build the team’s name recognition in the city. This season, players are already getting more attention from the community, and there are fewer questions about the validity of women’s professional football.
“I'm just so very excited,” Stranger said. “We have a very solid group of women here with all sorts of talents and skill sets.”
The Valor play in the Women’s Football Alliance, a national league that uses rules similar to the National Football League and the NCAA. Put simply, teams play 11-on-11 tackle football — just like the men do.
Though Indiana’s team is new, the league was founded in 2009. There are dozens of teams today, and the Valor plays in Division 2.
Valor staff, including head coach Eric Anderson, helped build the team from the ground up last year.
“I think one thing that has been huge for us is the girls that played last year were able to bring their experience and bring their knowledge to the team,” Anderson said. “The girls that haven't played yet have really been leaning on them. We have a really awesome mentor program that the girls put together.”
A female athlete’s path to professional tackle football isn’t always clear-cut. While professional male players may have spent their entire lives playing football, many female players don’t have those opportunities.
But some players, like Merchant, are familiar with the gridiron. This season marks a homecoming for Merchant after playing Division 1 soccer in college.
Locals might know her from her game-winning kicks on Warren Central High School’s football team. She was the team’s first and only female kicker.
“I took that as a challenge, because a lot of people said, ‘Hey, you're not going to be able to do that. You're a girl,’” Merchant said. “So, kind of working through that in high school, and then getting the opportunity to kick for the varsity team at Warren was something very life-changing.”
Merchant never thought that she’d be a professional athlete, let alone a professional football player.
“I thought I'd be back playing soccer at some point in my life, maybe,” Merchant said. “And even then, that was a long shot.”
Stranger is also familiar with the game, but she also never expected to play professionally.
“To be in this position now, it feels silly to say, but it's kind of like a dream come true,” Stranger said.
She played flag football in Indianapolis, and Stranger said those skills correlate with tackle football.
There have been efforts to grow flag football and make it a recognized girls sport. The Indianapolis Colts are working to bring 100 high school girls teams to the state by this fall, giving each team $10,000 in resources to make it happen.
“I feel like that's a great foundational start for the youth to get into tackle football,” Stranger said. “So, when they become an adult, they can try out for the Indiana Valor.”
The team was founded by Kristian Aleixo, a veteran and professional racecar driver. When the team was first announced, Aleixo said he was “most looking forward to giving young women in Indiana a long-term goal to strive to.”
“As they come up through flag football programs, the Valor can represent the ultimate destination for their hard work and dreams,” Aleixo said. “At the same time, our players are creating a new kind of superhero for those girls to look up to today, showing them what's possible for Hoosier women.”
The Valor is returning with two national first-team players, wide receiver Shay Powell and free safety Skylar Miles. The team ended its inaugural season with a 2-4 record. Coaches have been building up players and hitting the fundamentals, Anderson said.
“All these individuals have potential,” Anderson said. “If we bring those individuals together, now, we have a team that should be able to exceed the individual potential. So, I think that's my ultimate goal, is just to create a platform for them to thrive.”
Anderson said he wants to compete in the playoffs this season. The team’s motto is “Nil satis nisi optimum,” Latin for “Nothing but the best is good enough,” Anderson said.
“That's kind of what we strive for,” Anderson said. “It’s not always about winning. We want to strive for those championships, but it's more so about how we carry ourselves and just overall, we want to be at a high standard.”
The Valor’s founding came as Indianapolis is investing even more in female athletes.
Superstar Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark brought more eyes to the WNBA, and Indianapolis hosted its first WNBA All-Star Game last year. The Indy Ignite, a professional women’s volleyball team, launched its inaugural season last year. The Ignite is currently ranked No. 1 in Major League Volleyball.
The Indiana Sports Corp announced its goal of making Indianapolis the women’s sports capital of the world by 2050.
“I think we are going to be a big part of that, and we're the only football team in Indianapolis, so that puts us in an awesome spot to be able to have an impact in the sport,” Anderson said.
