Callie Brownson is one of many women breaking barriers in the world of tackle football. Brownson currently serves as chief of staff and assistant wide receivers coach for head coach Kevin Stefanski of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, and she’s taking on the additional role of head coach of the 2022 U.S. Women’s Tackle National Team in the coming months.

Brownson, who played on gold-medal winning U.S. Women’s Tackle National Teams in 2013 and 2017, is excited for the opportunity to lead a team built of the nation’s best women’s tackle football players.

“I want this to be a group that encompasses what it means to be a national team player. I want to go to Finland with 45 really incredible women who have such a fiery passion for the game but also want to be great ambassadors for the game,” Brownson said. “I think that’s a big piece of it that sometimes gets lost. We’re leading the charge for tackle football in the world.”

USA Football will hold workouts on March 12-13 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. to select the 45-athlete Women’s National Team roster from more than 180 attendees.

“We’ll see a lot of talented football players, but I also want to see good-character people,” Brownson said. “We talk about how important it is to embody what it means to put that uniform on and to wear that shield. It means so much. I really want to see great teammates, coachable players, people who are students of the game and love to be around it. I want to see energy and passion for the sport.”

Brownson leads a veteran coaching staff of eight, which possesses more than 90 years of football coaching and playing experience. Some prominent staff members include defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Stephanie Balochko, offensive line coach Becky Worsham, and running backs coach Odessa Jenkins.

“Not only did we go out and get women, we got, in my opinion, the best quality women to do this, which was really important to me in this process,” Brownson said.

Brownson’s staff will receive some extra help at the team’s player trials in Bradenton, Fla., from Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust and Washington Commanders assistant running backs coach Jennifer King.

“We’ve all been cheering each other on through our journeys together, and we have such a passion for the game,” Brownson said. “I gave them a call, and it was an instant ‘Yes I want to be a part of it.’ That speaks so much to them. They’re obviously trailblazing women in the NFL, but they care so much about women in football in general.”

Since her playing days with the (Washington) D.C. Divas in the Women’s Football Alliance, Brownson has seen opportunities for women to play and coach football expand, especially for youth players.

“I’ve met so many young girls at some of these events who aspire to play tackle football. Now’s the greatest time they’ll ever have to get involved, and there’s support behind it. That’s been the biggest thing that’s been missing in the past, the support and the welcoming of a young girl or a woman who wants to get involved in women's tackle,” Brownson said. “Now the support is there, the community is there, there’s a lot of traction behind it. You’ve got NFL female coaches who are involved in building this up and creating so many different avenues for women who want to get involved. I think now is as great a time as ever for anybody who wants to get involved.”

After a week-long training camp in July, the U.S. Women’s Tackle National Team will travel to Vantaa, Finland for the 2022 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Women’s Tackle World Championship from July 27-Aug. 8.