CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A North Carolina girl is making history and kicking stereotypes to the curb this football season.

It was obvious from an early age that Sydney McCorkle loved football. It was a love that eventually pushed her to make the move from being a fan to becoming a player.

“Seventh grade I played receiver and just started to go into kicking a little bit more. Then I became more focused on that during practice until I became a full-time kicker,” McCorkle recalls.

She played in middle school, and in her freshman year at Providence Day, had no problem playing on the junior varsity team. 

Playing all four years of high school would not be a simple process for McCorkle however, because the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association doesn’t allow girls to play on boys’ sports teams.

“It was pretty stressful, because I mean, I love to play, and I didn’t want to stop playing it,” McCorkle says.

With the help of an attorney and the school’s athletic director and headmaster, McCorkle’s parents petitioned the state board to let her play varsity football. It was a two-year process that led to a historic decision.

McCorkle, now a kicker on the varsity football team, is the first girl in history to play football at an NCISAA school. 

“I didn’t really think much of it being a big deal just because I was girl,” McCorkle explained. “Like, I didn’t think I would get any special attention for it, because I’m just doing what I’ve done since seventh grade, and just doing what I love.”

Even now however, it still comes with the questions.

McCorkle says, “One of the first questions I get, always get, when I tell someone I play is ‘what’s it like? Do they tackle you? Do they treat you differently?’”

She says she is just like every other player however, practicing hard to help her team win games. 

According to the National Federation of High Schools, more than 2,400 girls played football in 2018. That’s up from 1,900 in 2016. 

It’s a statistic McCorkle’s parents are thrilled she’s part of. 

“First of all, we’re just obviously so proud of Sydney. She’s just loved the entire experience so much. I mean she just loves the game, and it’d be wonderful if she could stay involved in it, in whatever capacity it is,” her father Jim says. “On the field, she just wants to be a part of it.”

McCorkle says she plans on playing football until she graduates high school. After that, she’d still like to stay involved with football, whether it’s as a player or a coach.