New York Mills, N.Y. - After about 4 months of searching, the Utica Hellcats - the City's first-ever women's professional full-contact football team - has officially found a home.
The Utica Hellcats have officially chosen The Fitness Mill Gym in New York Mills as their home gym.
“Their image for our community is the same as ours. We want to make sure that we're doing the best and always giving back as much as we possibly can just like they are as well,” said Nicole Caquias, CEO of the Hellcats.
“We had a few meetings together and we put together our partnership along with the Hellcats and it's just been nothing but terrific. What a great group of ladies and what they do for our gym and showcase our gym and their workouts has been terrific,” said Alex Carbone, owner of The Fitness Mill.
Workouts will be scheduled three times a week for players with trainers from The Fitness Mill. Players can visit to workout anytime.
For the players, choosing a gym means that the plan is coming to fruition and they hope younger girls view their team as an inspiration.
“This is my first time playing football. I’ve played softball pretty heavily in the community so I’ve been rooted in sports for a while but this is my first time playing football,” said Alexandra Tracy, member of the Hellcats. “I'm all for women's empowerment and going out there and putting ourselves out there. But to be a part of something that is the first time, it's like making history. You want to be a part of that.”
“I started playing football when I was 11 (years-old) with the boys. I played three years of football,” said Tonya Snyder, member of the Hellcats. “I can't wait for the season to start and make history and just helped pave the way for younger girls to see that they can do whatever they put their minds to.”
The Hellcats are one of 66 teams in the Women’s Football Alliance; the largest 11-on-11 football league for women. The season was scheduled to kick-off during the first week of April. Due to the pandemic, it has been delayed one month to begin on May 4th.
