Women are bringing tackle football back to Oakland

"Raised in Oakland by a family with Raiders season tickets, early photos show her dressed in team gear even as a baby. One of Stewart's vivid childhood memories is of one time at the Coliseum when the referee blew a call that went against the Raiders and the crowd erupted in a chant that was about, well, bovine feces."

"This winter, Stewart is donning a helmet and pads to practice football on that same Skyline High football field, the field where legendary coach John Beam once built champions, with her teammates on the Golden State Storm, the professional women's tackle football team that launches its inaugural season on March 28."

"She spent a busy but joyous season driving from Oakland to Reno to play running back, while juggling a day job as a data analyst and a side job coaching track, distance running and flag football at Skyline. When the Golden State Storm launched, Stewart jumped at the chance to switch teams and play for her hometown."

Dom Stewart grew up in Oakland with deep Raiders fandom, attending games at the Coliseum and playing pickup football throughout her childhood. Though she excelled in athletics and competed in Division 1 track and field at UC Riverside, she lacked the opportunity to play football in high school and became a star sprinter instead. Over a year ago, Stewart discovered women's professional football and joined the Nevada Storm as a running back while maintaining her day job as a data analyst and coaching track at Skyline High School. When the Golden State Storm, an expansion team in the Women's National Football Conference, launched, Stewart switched teams to play for her hometown, finally pursuing her lifelong passion for football.

Read at The Oaklandside