Why the road to more women in the NFL starts in Indianapolis
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Pat McAfee cracks a joke while interviewing Colts owners Carlie Irsay-Gordon and Kalen Jackson during the 2026 NFL Women's Forum at the JW Marriott Indianapolis. Photo: Justin L. Mack/Axios
The 10th annual NFL Women's Forum returned to Indianapolis for combine week to highlight a decade as the league's most tangible pipeline for women pursuing jobs in pro football.
Why it matters: Today's NFL has more women leading on and off the field than ever, and the Circle City is at the center of that shift.
Driving the news: The invite-only forum educates and connects 40 women working in college football roles with NFL leaders in scouting, analytics, coaching and football operations.
- More than 450 women have participated since 2017, and the forum has generated more than 250 job opportunities.
By the numbers: According to forum creator Sam Rapoport, the NFL has the most women coaches of any male pro sports league, and the number of women in NFL roles has risen by 289% since 2021 to more than 350 women this season.
- Notable forum alums include Jennifer King, who in 2021 became the first full-time Black female coach; and Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar, the first female coaches to win a Super Bowl that same year.
What she's saying: "When we started this program, there were approximately three or four women working in scouting in the NFL. Today, we have women working in scouting departments in every single NFL team," Rapoport said.
- "That's not slow progress. That's breaking down a door and doing the work that we all know needs to be done."
The intrigue: The 2026 forum was headlined by a Pat McAfee-hosted fireside chat with Indianapolis Colts owners Carlie Irsay-Gordon and Kalen Jackson.
- Alongside Casey Foyt, the three sisters are among the most powerful women in the NFL and represent a new era of Colts leadership following the death of their father Jim Irsay.
- The conversation included insight from their first season at the helm and inspiration for the young women in the audience who hope to follow in their footsteps.
Yes, but: The chat also brought breaking news about ongoing efforts to sanction women's flag football as a varsity high school and collegiate sport nationwide.
- Jackson, who is part of the NFL's flag football working group, shared an update on a campaign called Road to 100 that includes a $1 million commitment from the Irsay family to help launch 100 teams in 2025.
- Last spring, the Indiana High School Athletic Association approved flag football as an "emerging sport," which is the first step to a full sanction.
- "We are well on our way," Jackson told McAfee. "We have over 100 girls flag teams committed for next year, and we basically have the 'wink, OK' that we will be headed toward a positive vote to getting sanctioned here in Indiana."
The bottom line: As Indianapolis works to become the women's sports capital of the world, it has established itself as an important proving ground for women in football.