Today we’d like to introduce you to Lily Messina.
Hi Lily, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
In the year 2000, I was attending an Austin Ice Bats game and overheard an announcement about tryouts for a new women’s football team in town – The Austin Outlaws. The next day I was at tryouts, and that set me on a path to being a part of one of the longest-running women’s football team in the world. I had always been a fan of the game, I loved watching and covering games for my school yearbook when I was younger – but I had no idea how much actually playing the game would change my life. I started my first few seasons as a defensive player, then moved to offensive line, with most of my 16 seasons as a Center. In 2003 our team was going through a league change and I ended up taking a leadership role as the General Manager, in addition to continuing to play. I retired (the first time) after ten seasons, had a back surgery, got better, and since have un-retired several times to contribute as a backup linemen when needed. I have continued to serve as General Manager/President for our non-profit organization since 2003. It’s one of the best and hardest things I’ve done and continues to be equal parts challenging and rewarding.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There is literally nothing smooth about football. To get smooth at football takes practice, reliance on others, trust, blood, sweat, love, and tears. You have to give without expecting to get anything back, and when it works – you are rewarded in spades. This applies to both the effort you pour into playing the game itself and the work required to run a team successfully year over year in an environment where women’s sports traditionally struggle with funding. In my earlier years, women’s football struggled nationally with its identity and governance. We’d have leagues fold quite often, which created an environment where validation and legitimacy were hard to come by. For the past 12 seasons, we’ve been a proud member of the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA). This league has been able to create a solid and sustainable environment for teams to succeed. This past season we played our league championship game in Canton, OH at the NFL Hall of Fame Stadium – and proceeded to sign a five years deal. The recent surge in support for women’s sports has helped our team recruit and be able to sustain our organization locally as well. Personally, I’ve experienced what feels like every injury in the book – having undergone five surgeries leaving me with 22 pieces of nice, expensive titanium in my bones. I’ve at times felt like in order to successfully play the game of football, you need to become a professional at rehabbing. 🙂
As you know, we’re big fans of Austin Outlaws Women’s Football Team. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The Austin Outlaws are a 501c3 non-profit with a mission of empowering women through the sport of football. We have been playing football every year since 2000, with 21 total seasons (2020 season was not played due to Covid-19). We are one of the longest-running women’s football teams in the world, equal with the D.C. Divas at 21 seasons and second to the Minnesota Vixen at 22 seasons. I am most proud of the fact that in the sometimes-tumultuous world of women’s football, we have never rebranded, never missed a game, and have never required our players to pay player fees to play. We’ve managed to continue season after season with fundraising goals only for players and by relying on our amazing alumni to continue supporting and promoting our team.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I like best about Austin is its ambivalence to something that isn’t quite ordinary. “Keep Austin Weird” is the motto, and the city has done a great job of staying weird. Doing something out of the ordinary is normal here, and we have had very few instances where being a female football player was frowned upon. What I like least about the city is the costs and difficulty associated with securing practice facilities. It’s expensive, it’s not a priority for anyone to call you back, and it seems you have to know someone who knows someone to even get an appointment or return call. Finding a “home” for practice has always been both a financial and administrative struggle.
Pricing:
- $12 tickets at the gate
Contact Info:
- Email: austinoutlawsinfo@yahoo.com
- Website: www.austinoutlaws.com
- Instagram: theaustinoutlaws
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAustinOutlaws
Image Credits
Photo Credits: Anderson Photography (photo is stamped) Marylou Spence (all others)
