After a successful kickoff to the Women's Football Academy that hosted 100 participants last year, Ball State University coach Brady Hoke said attendance for Saturday's event doubled.
The second-annual Academy will begin with registration 9 a.m. Saturday at Scheumann Stadium and will conclude at 3 p.m. The clinic is $40 per person, and all proceeds from the event will go to Ball Memorial Hospital's Cancer Center.
While Hoke said he enjoyed the chance to teach women about the sport he loves, he believed the most important part of the day is the opportunity to give back to the community.
"We love coaching the game, but if we can help The Cancer Center in any way, we can we're thrilled about that," Hoke said. "I think there's a lot of people in need, and this is just a way for us as a program to give something back to the community."
During the six-hour event, Ball State football players and coaches will tutor women through individual drills and organize a flag football game on the Cardinals' synthetic field turf. The women also will be given lunch midway through the day.
Women of all ages - from two Ball State soccer players to an 84-year-old Muncie woman - came out for the inaugural event last year. Hoke said he's heard great feedback from the participants, but the women especially enjoyed the opportunity to play on the Cardinals' home surface.
"I think in the afternoon when we cut them loose to play some games and get on the field, that's a real highlight for us," Hoke said. "We as a staff have a great time with the ladies that come out, and it gives them a chance to see what we're about as a staff and our players."
Senior administrator Terry Pence said The Cancer Center was among the best operations of that kind in the state. The Center serves Delaware County and five surrounding counties, and its policy is to accept all patients in need of assistance. Pence said the facility cared for an average 150 people per day and saw approximately 1,000 new cases per year.
"One of the battles we have is getting people to understand you don't need to go to Indy to get the best cancer care in the state," Pence said. "I had a woman just recently get cancer in Indianapolis, and she came back to me and said she got the same care and was told the same things that she heard from us. To us, it's important to provide this service because the last thing you want to do after a chemotherapy session is travel two hours in a car."
Pence said last year's football academy raised a couple thousand dollars for his department. Pence said proceeds specifically helped uninsured patients receive care as well as providing funds for unbudgeted equipment.
While the donations are important, Pence said, the education participants receive is priceless. The women will be given a packet of information on skin cancer, which will include vital statistics and teach how to screen yourself for the disease.
"I think it's a great event that Brady Hoke organized to not only generate awareness about his program, which is important, but also to raise cancer awareness," he said.
While Hoke said he's happy to give back to the community, he added it would be nice to see some return on his program's investment this fall.
"Hopefully we can educate them more about the game of football so when they come back in the fall to see the Cardinals play, they have a better idea of what's going on," Hoke said.
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