Football Basics for Women

There’s a lot more to football than a bunch of hulking, sweaty athletes in tight pants running all over each other. And if you sign up for the city of Rosemead’s “Woman’s Guide to Football” program on Saturday, you’ll find out how much.

The 1 1/2-hour presentation will feature an overview of the game, including playing positions, formations, NFL rules, strategy and basic plays.

This will just be an overview, according to Steve Lechner, of the Los Angeles Raiders publicity staff, because it is impossible to teach all the game’s intricacies in one afternoon.

“It’s like trying to teach somebody about trigonometry in one day,” Lechner said. “Actual offense and defense schemes can be as complicated as upper-level mathematics.”

That may sound as intimidating as facing down the Raiders’ defensive line. But don’t panic. Lechner said he will start the seminar with the basics for those who don’t know a quarterback from a free safety. And there will be time for questions and answers.

Lechner said he has noticed that more women are getting interested in the sport, and it is not necessarily so-called football widows who want to talk to their spouses during the season.

“I think it’s the changing role of women in society,” he said, adding that it has become OK for women to be interested in traditionally male arenas. “You’d like to have everyone watching the game. There are plenty of fans of football who don’t know a lot about it. For a lot of people, the more they know, the more they enjoy it.”

The presentation starts at 3 p.m. at the Rosemead Community Recreation Center, 393 N. Muscatel Ave. The cost is $15. Information: (818) 288-6671, Ext. 235