TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have put themselves on the map as national champions.
As they work to take on another ring and win this year, they're also making valiant efforts to empower women through their Women's Summit.
Bucs owner, Darcie Glazer Kassewitz and her team are working to turn a sport and league once dominated by men into a realm women no longer have to watch from the sidelines.
"You know there's so many women who love football and want to follow their passion for football into a career," Kassewitz said.
The Women's Summit is a platform that links females looking to break into the business with those who are hard to get face-to-face time with, like Buccaneers Coach Bruce Arians.
"We really wanted to bring tremendous awareness to all women that there were these possibilities in the NFL and we wanted to provide them with some insight from the top people to help them in their journey," Kassewitz said.
The summit offers a series of virtual online classes with top Bucs leaders from coaches to general managers, scouts and trainers.
Forty women have been selected to be a part of the program this year.
Well before the summit was created, Kassewitz knew there was a need for it.
"A couple of years ago we had a training camp and a mother came to me and she was kind of rolling her eyes and saying, uh her daughter wants to be a coach in the NFL and she, you know I could see it in her face what is she doing and I told her that we have two female coaches and in that moment I saw this light bulb go off in her and all of a sudden she believed in her daughter," Kassewitz said.
The organization has also created a scholarship fund for high school girls entering college with hopes to get into the business. For more information about the Women's Summit click here.
