Women are rising up the ranks throughout professional football, earning positions of power in a space that for too long was ruled almost exclusively by men. We're seeing more and more women breaking barriers in the sport, but what are the stories beyond the headlines? Who are the women shaping and influencing the NFL today? Answering those questions is the aim of the Next Woman Up series. While the conversational Q&As are edited and condensed for clarity, this is a forum for impactful women to share experiences in their own words. Without further ado, we introduce:
Faith Lee, Arizona Cardinals
Position: Player Personnel Coordinator
How did you get your start in a career in football?
I got my start at the University of Alabama as part of the UA Student Recruitment Team. It was based in admissions, but a component of it was working with the football team and its high school recruits when they came for official and unofficial visits. We were the recruits' friend for the day as a student and ambassador of the football team. That was the first time I saw how a football program runs. It was also the first time I saw women working in a football office, and some of them are still working under the new staff.
Were you a football fan prior to that?
I was a fan, yes. I grew up in Alabama, and the Iron Bowl is a huge deal. People are a fan of either Alabama or Auburn, and I was always a fan of Alabama football.
Growing up rooting for Alabama then getting your start while Nick Saban was still coaching had to be exciting. What is your biggest takeaway from working in a program that was so prolific and had accomplished so much?
It might sound cliché, but treat people the way you want to be treated. At the end of the day, it was all about giving five-star hospitality when it came to whoever came through the football office. We were the ones interacting with those recruits the most, hosting them for eight-plus hours a day when they were on campus for a summer camp or game day. I was always trying to be the person that the recruit or his parents would come to if they had questions. It was my responsibility to take care of them for the day and my responsibility to set the standard.
What was the process like of going from Alabama to the Arizona Cardinals?
I was getting ready to graduate with my master's degree, and I sat down with Alabama's associate director of recruiting operations, Ashleigh Kimble, and she told me that she could see me working in personnel. It had been in the back of my mind, but I didn't know much about scouting and personnel, so the next step was exploring that. I ended up posting on LinkedIn that I was getting ready to graduate, and NFL vice president of player personnel Ken Fiore saw the post and reached out. He had an internship opportunity, so I went through the hiring process and ended up getting a "no" at the end. It was an opportunity that I truly wanted, but I was OK because it wasn't my time. I stayed in contact with Ken throughout that summer, and he actually reached back out to me about a full-time player personnel coordinator position when I was still working some summer camps in Alabama. I went through the interview process again and got the position. I moved from Alabama to New York in about two weeks. I spent two years there and knew it was temporary, but that department was kind of a feeder to working with the clubs. There are a lot of people throughout the league who worked in the department I was in -- the NFL management council -- before going to work with clubs. I was connected with a lot of people, including Arizona Cardinals director of football administration Matt Harriss. I ended up interviewing with the entire personnel department for an opening as player personnel coordinator, and within a week, I was in Arizona.
I started this position right around training camp last year. Year 1 was me trying to craft this role into what I wanted it to be and how I could best support other departments.
And what does your role as player personnel coordinator entail?
The busiest time of the year is during the regular season. On Mondays and Tuesdays, we host tryouts for free agents, and I play a big role in planning those by talking to the players' agents, getting the players flights and hotel accommodations and putting together itineraries. I am also talking to our coaches about what time works best to conduct these tryouts, talking to trainers if we need to do physicals, talking to the facilities department to make sure we have the space for the tryout. I am communicating with a lot of our personnel department, specifically our scouting assistants, to logistically make sure everyone is at the right place at the right time. Once the tryout is complete, our higher-ups will make the decision about signing the player. If we do sign a player, I make sure our player engagement department is ready for the next part of the on-boarding process.
Throughout the rest of the week, I help our pro personnel department with advanced scouting, which is when we look at our opponents and break down their rosters, player contracts and things of that nature.
I primarily work with our pro personnel department, but I do help our college department more when we finish the season and head into draft season. One aspect of college I do help with is our crosscheck weekends, which is when all our road scouts come to the facility. I will help with the logistics -- hotel, travel, meetings or other events we have planned. During the offseason, I am booking travel for our staff when they go to the NFL Scouting Combine and NFL draft, which are big undertakings. During the combine, I help coordinate meetings with prospects and prepare itineraries and travel for future Top 30 visits.
During this time of the year, I am planning some free-agent workouts and attending OTAs, as well as putting in calls to agents about injured players to see where they are in their recovery process.
You certainly wear a lot of hats. When looking at your role, what would you say is the most challenging part about it?
I would say the communication aspect, because I have to make sure that everyone is on the same page. There are so many people in so many different departments who need to know what's going on in the personnel process. I am someone who likes to overcommunicate to make sure everything is covered, because if one thing is off, it throws the entire schedule off.
What is your biggest takeaway from your first year in this position?
I didn't realize how much of an impact my role would have on the personnel department, but I am in the center of it all and must make sure everyone is on the same page. There are a lot of moving parts.
Do you have a favorite moment from your first year with the Cardinals?
Crosscheck weekend was the first time I got to meet all of our road scouts and their significant others. Connecting with them was something I appreciated, because they are so busy and are away from their families for a long time throughout the year.
Let's pivot to mentorship. Do you have any mentors, and what advice have you received from them?
Ashleigh Kimble instilled in me being flexible and adaptable, and that has stuck with me throughout my career. There is structure working in football, but a lot of things can change throughout the day. You have to learn on the fly and know what to do. Ashleigh was the woman I could go to with anything, and she would do her best to help. She as also the one who showed me I could work in football and be a voice in this space.
There are so many people who have helped me at Alabama, the league office and the Cardinals, and answered my questions along the way, some of whom have worked in football for decades, but one thing I have noticed is most people are always willing to help. It's been great to be in an environment where people are so eager to help others learn.
I value mentorship a lot, and it's something I look for when connecting with others. There are women who I previously worked with at Alabama who have reached out to me, and although I don't feel I am someone people consider a mentor yet because I am early in my career, I am always willing to try to give them advice.
Along those lines, what advice do you have for other women looking to get into a career in football?
Be true to yourself and learn whether you have a passion for working in football. If you are passionate about it, you are going to make sure you're putting in the work to improve. It's also important to decide if this is the career path you want to take, because it does come with a lot of sacrifices. There are times you don't get to be with family when others do, so it's important to understand what working in football is like as a whole.
That is some great advice. Now, when looking ahead, what goals do you have for your career?
I would love to win a Super Bowl here first. It's honestly hard to envision where my career could go, because I wear so many hats in my current position and touch so many different spaces. But I know I want to stay in personnel and elevate in that area. I truly enjoy working in personnel and being around scouts. I watched the entire process play out, from when our scouts talk about a player they evaluated to our team selecting the player in the draft. It was a great feeling to see our personnel department come together for a common goal.
Lastly, what are you most proud of?
My goal in college was to work in professional football, and now I'm doing that. You can always set higher goals, but looking back, I'm really proud I fulfilled that goal. I will also say getting my master's degree, because I am a first-generation college student. I still want to grow and have my sights set on getting my MBA at some point.
