Women's football may see 2027 return
Franchise wants third season at Hinchliffe
By: harry Brubaker
Paterson Press
PATERSON - as the final seconds ticked away in the Jersey Shore Wave's recent 37-0 loss to the Chicago Winds, many of the roughly 400 fans inside Hinchliffe Stadium remained in their seats while players gathered along the sidelines.
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The May 16 [2026] contest was the Wave's last game in a 1-5 season, their second in Paterson. Now, the question looms whether the women's tackle football team will return to Hinchliffe for a third year.
.... "We have made it our home," the team's owner, Dawn Sherman, said in a recent interview. "I think our fan base has been growing in Paterson.
..... "People have come to know that's where they should look for our team, so hopefully the powers that be in Paterson and those that control the use of the stadium continue to want the Jersey Shore Wave to be one of the professional teams playing there," Sherman said.
..... Baye Adofo-Wilson, part of the group of developers who run Hinchliffe, said he hopes the Wave play another season in Paterson.
...... "We like the Jersey Shore Wave and think they are a part of the community," Adofo-Wilson said. "We hope they come back. It's good for Paterson and young girls to cerate interaction between women professional athletes and the them to know that there is an option for girls in football."
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But teams like the Wave face financial challenges. For example, Sherman said, the team spends roughly $35,000 per way game covering flights, hotel, food, trainers and other travel expenses.
..... "We need people showing up at our games, because that drives everything else from a revenue perspective," Sherman said. "Fans and eyeballs on the game are what drive others to want to sponsor."
Players are unpaid, have day jobs
..... The Wave's payers don't get paid. The women work full-time jobs outside football and must carry their own personal medical insurance.
..... "The women who are playing today are working day jobs all day long," Sherman said. "Then they spend almost every evening reviewing film, practicing late a tight, getting home, going to sleep, and waking up to go back to work again."
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Sherman acknowledged that the organization is still trying to grow its audience and establish financial stability while competing in a league that continues searching for broader visibility.
..... "The goal is I don't want an empty seat in the stadium," Sherman said. "I want people begging for a ticket to get into a game."
..... Some fans attending the final home game recognized the direct relationship between attendance and the franchise's future.
..... "If it brings more fans, it will bring in some money," Waves fan Pete Torle said. "It gives us people somewhere to go on a Saturday afternoon."
..... Despite the financial challenges, Sherman believes women's tackle football is slowly beginning to gain more recognition nationally.
..... "Woman's sports is the place to be right now," Sherman said. "When we get the word out and people start knowing this is available to them, I'm sure the fan base will continue to build."
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Fans at Hinchliffe Stadium echoed similar sentiments, particularly regarding the viability women's football provides for younger athletes.
..... "All women's sports right now deserve a lot more recognition, especially women's football," fan Melissa Amaniera said. "Whenever people think of women's football, they think of flag football, so making it known that this is tackle football is incredibly important."
..... "More girls should be getting involved in football, and they shouldn't be afraid to do it," fan Jayden Martinez said. "If you're good at a sport, you're good at a sport."
Outreach to community
..... Sherman said the organization continues balancing operational costs while also attempting to expand its outreach efforts through youth camps, clinics, and partnerships throughout Paterson.
..... "We're working really hard to engage people," Sherman said. "I think it;s momentum and the snowball effect of one person who comes to a game and has fun telling five other people they should come too."
..... Sherman said one of he organization's long-term goals is eventually paying players, even if only partially at first.
..... "I hope we're in a position where we're starting to pay our players," Sherman said. "If we can't start by paying a full living wage, I hope we can a least start removing barriers and paying them something."