By Danny Brady and River Mitchell
@rivermitchell27
From the track to the gridiron, Amanda Alpert’s journey to playing football was far from linear — it was not until after college that she was able to play the sport she had wanted to play since eighth grade.
Growing up, Alpert distinctly remembers being in middle school and asking her mother if she could play football in high school just like her brother.
The answer?
“She was like ‘Nope, absolutely not, not happening, find something else to do,’” Alpert said. “[I thought], ‘I’m never going to play football.’”
With the idea of playing high school football shot down by her mother, Alpert continued in track and field as a thrower throughout high school. Her goal was to attend a school where she could be an athlete and compete at the collegiate level.
“I was looking for a place where I could compete,” Alpert said. “[I was like], ‘I want to keep doing it. I love being a part of a team, and this is what I know.’”
After she visited Springfield College, her decision was easy.
“When I stepped on campus, I just knew,” Alpert said. “Immediately it just felt like home.”
During her time on Alden Street, Alpert tried crew, also known as rowing, where she met coach Mae MacIntire. Alpert did crew for a semester, and McIntrye decided to take Alpert under her wing, counseling her.
“[Coach MacIntire] was getting her masters in athletic counseling,” Alpert said. “Since I wasn’t on the [crew] team anymore, she asked me if she could use me [for counseling].”
This is where Alpert got wind that there were a few women’s football teams in the area that she could try out for during her senior year.
“We’re in one of our sessions, and she says to me, ‘Listen, I just tried out for women’s football,’’’ Alpert said – immediately thinking back to her middle school dreams. She immediately looked into the opportunity. Suddenly, the light that seemingly had been extinguished in her adolescence was reignited.
Alpert knew she wanted to return home to the Boston area after college, so she started researching teams in the area, eventually landing a tryout with the Bay State Warriors the weekend of Thanksgiving.
In the weeks that followed, Alpert’s inbox rekindled the lost fire of the dream to play football: she made the team. received a letter in the mail telling her that she had made the team.
With the team’s approval for Alpert to complete her final semester of school before joining the team, Alpert competed in her final season of track and field.
As soon as the season and the school year finished, Alpert immediately packed her bags and left for Boston.
“I think the [final] meet was on a Saturday,” Alpert said. “Packed my stuff Sunday, went home, and by Tuesday I was at my first football practice.”
The rest is history. She has played on three different teams, earned 12 all-star selections, and won eight football championships – including five straight – as a center for the Boston Renegades.
Outside of football, Alpert is married with two kids, and is the Athletic Director at Chelsea High School in Chelsea, Mass., where she was originally a school counselor.
In spite of her remarkable success on and off the field, she has had to deal with sexual discrimination. She pointed to social media as an example.
“When I first started looking at [negative social media posts], I would get really mad,” Alpert said. “But then I would remind myself that there are people out there who support the sport, who love the sport, who enjoy the game, who support the athletes.”
Alpert says that there have been signs of improvement when it comes to sexual discrimination in her experience. Coaches have played a major role in these changes, as they have treated everyone equally and truly care about her and the rest of the team, regardless of their gender.
“Our coaches are amazing,” Alpert said.
She also indicated that famous male athletes have played a major role in the subject in a positive way.
“[The change] really started with Kobe [Bryant] and the support that he gave to the WNBA,” Alpert said. “If these superstars recognize how amazing the female athletes are, then the armchair quarterbacks should just follow their lead.”
Despite improvements in the way female athletes have been treated, it is still far from equal. Players in the Women’s Football Association not only don’t get paid, they have to pay to play.
“Depending on a variety of factors, players can pay up to $1,000 a season to play, which includes league fees, equipment and team costs,” Alpert said.
Interest in women’s football is higher than ever.There are roughly 70 women’s football teams across the country today, making it easier than ever for women to compete in a sport that has always been considered a “man’s game.”
“Don’t be afraid to go on social media and reach out to them,” Alpert said. “I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had people reach out to us because they were interested, and didn’t know how [to get started].”