WILLIAMSBURG — The energy was contagious at William & Mary’s Jimmye Laycock Football Center on Sunday as football players from around Virginia gathered for an afternoon of training, speeches and community-building.
These players, however, were not college students getting ready for the fall season. They were there to show that women can participate in all sports, at all levels — and not just from the sidelines.
About 20 people attended the fourth annual women’s football clinic, hosted by William & Mary head football coach Mike London and his daughter, Kristen London. Notable attendees included team members of the RVA Lady Tomahawks and the D.C. Divas, both women’s tackle football teams.
The event began with featured speakers such as W&M President Katherine Rowe; Karai Lockley, executive associate athletics director for internal operations; and Washington Prodigy player Quineshia “Hollywood” Leonard. Other speakers were also featured on a video montage, including Callie Brownson, the assistant wide receivers coach for the NFL Cleveland Browns.
“The importance of women in athletics extends far beyond the playing surface,” Lockley said. “Supporting women in athletics is not just about fairness; it’s about championing women’s athletics, participation and achievements in sports at all levels.”
Mike London, the father of four daughters and three sons, emphasized his role as a self-proclaimed “girl dad” and how his passion for athletics and representation sparked inspiration for the clinic. Overall, London said he hoped the event would serve as a judgment-free zone for players of all levels.
“Hopefully we can pour into the glass to help fill in some information, the techniques, the drills,” London said. “That’s the goal more than anything — having fun and learning something today.”
Kristen London, a graduate of the University of Virginia and former professional basketball player, began her own football journey at 8 years old playing with the New Kent Falcons, an all-boys team. After returning from playing basketball in England and Switzerland, Kristen began playing football for the Atlanta Phoenix before transitioning to the Denver Bandits and finally the Houston Mambas.
She emphasized how football was able to give her a voice.
“I see other opportunities and I’ve been able to enrich my community and my friendships,” she said. “Now we’re becoming commentators, we’re becoming athletes, we’re becoming analysts. Getting … on the field and in the action and off the sidelines.”
But it’s about even more than representation and visibility, she added. “I found my home, I found my community, I’ve found my sisters.”
All the speakers at Sunday’s clinic further urged women to get involved with sports and highlighted the clinic as a space to challenge stereotypes within male-dominated fields.
Throughout the day, hosts and attendees participated in a series of tours and information sessions focused on offensive and defensive schemes. Before putting what they had learned into practice, university football staff, including running backs coach Perry Jones, quarterbacks coach Ted Hefter and co-defensive coordinator Ras-I Dowling, helped present position-specific information to the participants.
Two attendees included former William & Mary head volleyball coach Debra Hill and her wife, Camilla Buchanan — Williamsburg locals who recently celebrated their 42nd anniversary. Hill mentioned that, as a former coach, she was fascinated to learn about all of the logistics that go into the football season. Buchanan spoke about her favorite elements of the day’s events, including the excitement of participants.
“To see the growth of football for women, it’s something I always wanted to do as a kid but couldn’t,” Buchanan said. “It’s just been really, really fun. Very high energy.”
After moving to the field at Walter J. Zable Stadium, attendees participated in a team entrance ceremony complete with a smoke tunnel before concluding the clinic with 7-on-7, 1-on-1 games and a skills competition.
More information about Mike London’s football camps can be found at mikelondonfootballcamps.totalcamps.com.
Emma Henry, emma.henry@virginiamedia.com
![If it were not for the efforts of a William & Mary president in the 1960s there would not have been a marine science program to benefit from the school’s recent largest financial gift. Davis Y. Paschall, president 1960-1971, was instrumental in the development of the substantial academic programs of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) at nearby Gloucester Point on the York River, The Virginia Fisheries Laboratory was established in 1940 as the Virginia Fisheries Laboratory as a joint effort between W&M and the Virginia Commission on Fisheries (now the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. It was initially organized […]](https://www.pilotonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/6SCYSOUXX5GSHC7UWSYZ2RSEAU.jpg?w=408 "If it were not for the efforts of a William & Mary president in the 1960s there would not have been a marine science program to benefit from the school’s recent largest financial gift. Davis Y. Paschall, president 1960-1971, was instrumental in the development of the substantial academic programs of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) at nearby Gloucester Point on the York River, The Virginia Fisheries Laboratory was established in 1940 as the Virginia Fisheries Laboratory as a joint effort between W&M and the Virginia Commission on Fisheries (now the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. It was initially organized […]")
