Meadowbrook’s Arnold Blazing a Path for Other Young Women
BYESVILLE, OH
A member of the Meadowbrook Colts football team is trying to help blaze the path for young women in the most popular game in America, as she continues to set a standard for women in sports. Here is the story of Hailey Arnold.
“I’ve always been a fan of football. When I was little, I was like, man, I wish I could be out on that field, and now it’s a reality.”
She’s making her mark, she’s making history, and she’s making believers out of anyone that tried to tell her otherwise. Hailey Arnold is making a difference with the Meadowbrook football team, and her journey started just over a year ago at the annual powderpuff game.
“Around this time, actually, it was homecoming week. We were doing our annual powderpuff game. I’m just kind of screwing around out on the goal posts. A couple of coaches took a video of it, and said ‘Hey, let’s send it to Coach Norman” said Arnold.
Meadowbrook head coach Steve Norman said, “A couple of our coaches who were coaching the powderpuff game said, ‘Hey, you got to, you know, watch Hailey kick the football. And, you know, so I watched the video that they took and the ball just really jumped off of her foot.”
“She approached me and asked about, you know, potentially joining the team, you know, doing the handling, kicking responsibilities. She came in the summer, she did all the workouts with the guys. She did everything that everybody else on the team was doing, and then she worked on her craft. So, yeah, that’s kind of how the magical story of Hailey Arnold has started.”
She might be kicking extra points and field goals for the Colts, but Arnold has other goals in mind and points to prove.
“Honestly, I just want to show people that I could do it. I know there was doubts, but I just wanted to prove to myself also that I could do that.”
“Regardless of, you know, male or female, we welcome them all. Like, you know, we’ve never actually had it, but we never actually discouraged anyone, It just, you know, usually doesn’t happen.” Norman added,
She has proved in 2024 that she belongs on the Colts team, and she has one simple message for any other young woman that wants to follow in her footsteps.
“If somebody has something to say, just ignore it and do what you want to do. If football something you want to do, try it. All you can do is try.”
“I actually teach in the eighth grade. And I had…I was telling her, one of my female students just looked at me and said, I’m going to be the next Hailey Arnold. And I said, hey, I’m all for it, you know, so obviously when you tell Hailey that stuff, she gets a big smile because again, she is certainly setting the path for others to follow.”
“Yeah, she’s a great representation of, you know what we want Meadowbrook football to be, and, you know, we’re certainly happy to have her.”
