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The Jersey Shore Wave women's tackle football team is gaining popularity in North Jersey, showcasing the sport at Hinchliffe Stadium. Their mission goes beyond football, aiming to provide visibility and role models for the community.
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PATERSON â The first thing you notice at Hinchliffe Stadium is the sound.
Helmets crash into pads under the late afternoon sun while players shout assignments across the field. Music echoes through the stadium as fans begin filing into the historic Paterson venue, home to the Jersey Shore Wave, one of 16 teams in the Womenâs National Football Conference, or WNFC.
For the women wearing full pads and preparing for kickoff, though, the game represents far more than football. It represents visibility.
âWeâre building something that didnât exist,â Jersey Shore Wave CEO Dawn Springer said. âWeâre trying to bring something to the community, have role models for youth, and create a family-friendly atmosphere where people can come watch women play real tackle football.â
Story continues below photo gallery.
The Jersey Shore Wave of the National Women's Football Conference in action against the Atlanta Truth at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson during the 2026 season.
The Jersey Shore Wave of the National Women's Football Conference in action against the Atlanta Truth at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson during the 2026 season.
The Jersey Shore Wave of the National Women's Football Conference in action against the Atlanta Truth at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson during the 2026 season.
The Jersey Shore Wave is a women's tackle football team competing in the Women's National Football Conference (WNFC).
The Jersey Shore Wave play their home games at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, New Jersey.
The mission of the Jersey Shore Wave is to provide visibility for women in sports, create role models for youth, and foster a family-friendly atmosphere for fans.
There are 16 teams in the Women's National Football Conference (WNFC).

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The Jersey Shore Wave of the National Women's Football Conference in action against the Atlanta Truth at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson during the 2026 season.
The Jersey Shore Wave of the National Women's Football Conference in action against the Atlanta Truth at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson during the 2026 season.
The Jersey Shore Wave of the National Women's Football Conference in action against the Atlanta Truth at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson during the 2026 season.
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The Jersey Shore Wave of the National Women's Football Conference in action against the Atlanta Truth at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson during the 2026 season.
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The Jersey Shore Wave of the National Women's Football Conference in action against the Atlanta Truth at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson during the 2026 season.
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The Jersey Shore Wave of the National Women's Football Conference in action against the Atlanta Truth at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson during the 2026 season.
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The Jersey Shore Wave of the National Women's Football Conference in action against the Atlanta Truth at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson during the 2026 season.
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The Jersey Shore Wave of the National Women's Football Conference in action against the Atlanta Truth at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson during the 2026 season.
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The Jersey Shore Wave of the National Women's Football Conference in action against the Atlanta Truth at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson during the 2026 season.
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The Jersey Shore Wave of the National Women's Football Conference in action against the Atlanta Truth at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson during the 2026 season.
Now in their second season playing at Hinchliffe Stadium, the Wave are trying to establish themselves not only as a football team, but as part of Patersonâs growing sports identity alongside the New York Cosmos and the New Jersey Jackals.
For players like linebacker Marqweesha Guthrie, that connection to the city carries extra meaning.
âBeing from Paterson and being able to play here means everything,â Guthrie said. âPeople from this city are tough. We fight for everything. So being able to represent Paterson on the field and show little girls from here that women can play football, too, thatâs special.â
Guthrie said one of her biggest motivations is changing how people view womenâs football.
âA lot of people still donât know women play tackle football,â she said. âThen they come watch us and realize, âOh, this is real football.â We hit, we compete, we work just as hard as anybody else.â
That desire for recognition echoes throughout the organization.
âWhen I tell people about the team, they usually ask, âWait, women play tackle football?ââ Wave president Jared Ferko said. âA lot of people think I mean flag football at first. Then they come to a game and realize this is full-contact football played at a really high level.â
Ferko, who helped launch the organization in 2024 alongside his mother, Springer, said the teamâs growth has been fueled by both community support and a commitment to professionalism.
The Jersey Shore Wave of the National Women's Football Conference in action against the Atlanta Truth at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson during the 2026 season.
âWhen we started this team, we wanted to separate ourselves,â Ferko said. âPlaying at Hinchliffe gives us legitimacy. Fans walk in and realize this is serious. Visiting teams walk in and are blown away by the atmosphere.â
That atmosphere has become especially important as womenâs football continues to grow nationally. Though girls' flag football has exploded across New Jersey high schools, tackle football still fights for mainstream attention.
Wave defensive coordinator Athena Reyes said the team is trying to shift perceptions every time it steps on the field.
âWe want people to stop saying âwomen playing footballâ and just say âfootball players,ââ Reyes said. âThatâs the culture weâre building. Respect for the athletes and respect for the game.â
Head coach Fabian Alesandro said building that culture has not been easy. The roster includes veteran players, rookies learning the sport for the first time and athletes transitioning from other sports.
âYou have people coming in with completely different levels of experience,â Alesandro said. âSome players have been doing this for almost a decade. Others are learning football terminology for the first time. The challenge is getting everybody to buy in together.â
That process has created strong bonds inside the locker room.
Wide receiver Megan Stier said veterans immediately embrace newer players and help create a supportive environment.
The Jersey Shore Wave of the National Women's Football Conference in action against the Atlanta Truth at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson during the 2026 season.
âEverybody wants each other to succeed,â Stier said. âNobodyâs acting bigger than the team. The veterans really helped rookies learn the game instead of making them feel behind.â
Quarterback Danneille Ayala said balancing football with everyday life requires constant sacrifice.
âThese women are students, nurses, teachers, law enforcement officers. Everybodyâs doing something outside football,â Ayala said. âThen we still come here and give everything we have to this team.â
Springer believes that sacrifice is part of what makes the players so relatable to fans.
âThese women are members of the community,â Springer said. âTheyâre teachers, EMTs, police officers, students, mothers. On top of all of that, theyâre still showing up to play football because they love it.â
Running back Lauren Hall said that commitment creates accountability throughout the roster.
âYou donât want to let your teammates down,â Hall said. âEverybodyâs sacrificing something to be here, so you push yourself harder because you know the person next to you is doing the same thing.â
The organizationâs larger mission extends beyond the field. Through the teamâs âShe Canâ foundation, the Wave host youth girls flag camps and award scholarships to young female athletes during home games.
âWe want girls to see this and think, âI can do that, too,ââ Springer said. âThere hasnât really been a pathway for women in football before. Weâre trying to help create one.â
Ferko said the long-term goal is even bigger: paying players a living wage. At present, the players are not paid.
âOur number one goal is to eventually pay these women to play football,â Ferko said. âRight now, everybody here is sacrificing their time because they love the sport. But we believe womenâs football deserves the same type of investment and recognition other womenâs leagues are finally starting to receive.â
For now, the team continues building one game at a time.
Teams officials say attendance has increased during the Waveâs second season at Hinchliffe Stadium, and players say more fans are beginning to understand the level of competition on display.
âYou can feel it growing,â Guthrie said. âPeople come once, then they come back and bring more people with them.â
Springer hopes Wave fans leave Hinchliffe understanding one thing above all else.
âI want people walking out saying, âWow, that was an incredible football game,ââ she said. âAnd then I want them asking when the next one is.â
The Jersey Shore Wave will play their final home game this season at Hinchliffe Stadium on Saturday, May 16, at 4 p.m. against the Chicago Winds.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ women's tackle football team beats odds to build fan base