When Sarah Cooper watches football with her son, Kaullen Blunt-Cooper, the two view the game through a shared lens that not many mother-son combinations can relate to.

That’s because Sarah plays for the Everett Reign—a women’s tackle football team in the Seattle-area—as a defensive end, the same position that Kaullen plays for his middle school football team.

The football-focused bond between the two has gotten even stronger recently, as Kaullen participated in International Bowl VIII in Arlington, Texas earlier this month while Sarah is currently in Orlando, Fla. taking part in the 2017 Women’s World Football Games.

Sarah got her start playing powder puff football locally before a friend encouraged her to try out for the Reign. The growth of her own football career has mirrored the growth of the Women’s World Football Games, an event that brings together hundreds of female football players from across the world.

“We’re just getting more and more recognition, for an NFL team (the Saints in 2016) to welcome us in their training facility, that’s huge,” she said. “And here (at Pro Bowl), it’s an even bigger scale. It keeps getting better.”

Sarah has a bit of a leg up on the competition at the Women’s World Football Games. She took careful notes of the drills that Kaullen went through at the International Bowl, though the opportunity to share nuggets of football wisdom has helped both Sarah and Kaullen grow as players.

“I’ve taken stuff that I’ve seen, from when he was practicing in Dallas. I was there watching that, getting tips,” she said. “We help each other, and help each other become better football players.”

But it’s more about becoming better players. Kaullen is proud of Sarah’s dedication to the sport, while Sarah hopes her level of commitment is an example to Kaullen.

“He was impressed that I was willing to put so much time, effort, and money into pursuing my dreams,” she said. “(I want) to be a good role model for my son, (to show) that it takes diet, exercise, hard work and sacrifice to really excel and be a good athlete.”

That’s the reality of football in 2017: A football career is a dream that can be chased by mother and son alike. But it’s also a lesson that football has demonstrated for decades—that the sport continues to bring families and communities closer.