First-year University of Akron football coach Rob Ianello and his wife Denise played host to a Ladies Football 101 clinic at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field on Thursday night. The event, designed to teach the basics of the game to female fans, was in support of the Northern Ohio Breast Cancer Coalition Fund and a portion of each participant's registration fee went toward that cause.
The evening began with a one-hour on-field drill session, conducted by the UA coaching staff. Participants were broken up into groups of 10 and rotated through six stations, each covering a specific area of the game. Hands-on instruction was shared on topics such as a lineman's three-point stance, proper tackling techniques (with the women going up against a padded practice dummy), the correct way to receive a hand off, and how a quarterback and wide receiver work to be in sync.
The evening continued on the First Merit Foundation Club Level of the venue, where the women were treated to beverages and hors d'oeuvres, and given a tote bag full of complimentary gifts. The group had the opportunity to try on a pair of football pads, jersey and helmet. The event concluded with a brief presentation about the basic terms and rules of the game.