Scott Pioli Creates Endowment for Female Coaches and Scouts

Along with The Women’s Sports Foundation and Atlanta Falcons, Falcons assistant general manager Scott Pioli announced the “Scott Pioli & Family Fund for Women Football Coaches and Scouts.” The fund will support female coaches and scouts looking for careers in football.

Pioli has a history of supporting women in the industry and joined the Women’s Sports Foundation Board of Trustees in the fall of 2018.  His belief in women working in sports runs deep. “My family and I chose to partner with the Women’s Sports Foundation on this new initiative because of its commitment to equality and expertise in closing the gender gap,” said Pioli. “We were inspired by Billie Jean King’s vision to see women and men advancing together in all areas of sports. Our endowment fund will ensure that women enter the leadership pipeline in football.”

Pioli’s interest in inclusion has already helped paid dividends. When he was the general manager of the Chiefs Sowers coached his daughter’s basketball team while concurrently playing and coaching women’s tackle football. Pioli saw Sowers’s leadership abilities and helped spark her NFL coaching career.

While there’s an upward trend in the number of girls’ flag football programs and Natalie Randolph, Samantha Rapoport, Kathryn Smith, Katie Sowers, and Jen Welter all have had opportunities to work in football at various levels the fund will be a much-needed support to other women who are looking to break into the industry.

Read more details about the fund here.