Gender Equality - Tampa Bay Buccaneers Community - buccaneers.com

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Women's Summit for Careers in Football is an ongoing initiative featuring informative master classes with senior coaching staff and club executives who will provide insight into the skills, responsibilities and objectives of a leader in the NFL.

The Girls in Football Scholarship, made possible through a $250,000 commitment from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation, was established for graduating high school seniors participating in a form of football (flag, tackle, touch) with plans to enroll in a full-time accredited four-year college or university and pursue a career in sports. The Buccaneers are the first NFL team to create an academic scholarship program of this kind.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers launched the High School Girls Flag Football Coach of the Week award, presented by Nike, becoming the first NFL team to establish a Coach of the Week program dedicated solely to girls flag football. Fans have the opportunity to vote each week throughout the spring flag football season for the chance to reward a deserving coach with a $2,000 grant from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation to support the school's flag football program, coaching gear from Nike, and a chance to be voted the High School Girls Flag Football Coach of the Year.

Through the Jr. Bucs program, the team brings flag football to more than 35,000 middle school girls every year. The Buccaneers Foundation also launched the Jr. Bucs Girls Flag Football League, a first-of-its-kind league in the City of Tampa, where the foundation covers league fees and equipment for participating girls at more than two-dozen City of Tampa Parks & Recreation centers.

The Buccaneers Girls Flag Football Preseason Classic, presented by AdventHealth, is the largest girls flag football tournament in the country. Now in its fifth year, the multi-day event has grown to over 80 high school teams and nearly 1,600 student-athletes in a round robin-style competition that kicks off the spring flag football season.

The Buccaneers have played a key role in the NFL Women's Careers In Football Forum, an annual event at the NFL Combine promoting diversity and inclusion. Co-Owner Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, Head Coach Bruce Arians and team staff have all taken an active role in the event, which helps broaden the candidate pool for NFL jobs in scouting, coaching, football operations and business.

The Buccaneers proudly support the Women's Sports Foundation, established in 1974 to advance the lives of women and girls through sports and physical activity. The Women's Sports Foundation enables all girls and women to reach their potential in sports and life through education, advocation, research, and financial support. In 2020, the WSF honored Bruce Arians with the Champion For Equality award for his efforts towards gender inclusivity and the team's initiatives to promote women and girls in football.