Jo Kilby brings jolt of leadership to British squad at IFAF Worlds in Vancouver

One of the greatest players to don the colors of the Birmingham Lions, Johannah (Jo) Kilby represents everything that is good about the growth of American female football in Great Britain. With a nation of notable female sporting heroes, Kilby, who spent over a decade competing on the rugby pitch, merits the opportunity to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with such greats.

With a captivating career running parallel to the relevance of the Birmingham Lions in Great Britain’s female sporting conversation, Kilby is one of the team’s gems. With a significant number of Lions players, including a pair of coaches named to the national team roster that graced the gridiron at the 2017 IFAF Women’s Worlds in Vancouver, British Columbia, the opportunity to share this meaningful milestone with so many familiar faces represented a strong point of pride,

“It is always a great feeling to take to the field in GB colours with my club team-mates. A high proportion of the Birmingham squad has been together for some years now so we are all good friends too. So to share the World Championship experience – and with two of our coaches also – was pretty special.

They are a great bunch, but so too are the rest of the GB gang, good players with good hearts who play for the team – can’t argue much with that.”

Part of Kilby’s growing legacy on the gridiron has also included the opportunity to wear Britain’s jersey prior to Vancouver. Part of a sterling run featuring international play that as a pillar of accomplishment for the dedicated Kilby, she was part of the roster that qualified for the gold medal game at the 2015 European women’s championships,

With the chance to compete at the 2017 IFAF Women’s Worlds, there was a shared sense of history with the host Canadian team. Of note, it marked the first time that a member of the British Commonwealth hosted the world’s finest in female football. In addition to host country Canada, the Commonwealth was also proudly represented by the Australian contingent, proudly making their IFAF debut.

Among the significant contributions that Kilby made in Vancouver, she was an essential component of a competitive British team. Assuming quarterback duties, serving as the team’s field general, Kilby’s consistency reflected in allowing the team a chance to win every game. As one of the most consistent performers for Team Great Brtiain, Kilby, a former rugby star, helped to set a positive example through her solid play, simultaneously supplying inspiring leadership, while providing the roster with significant star power.

In discussing if she was happy with her efforts, she is quick to point out that the team adjusted quickly to the standard of play that encompassed play at the Women’s Worlds. As the game in Great Britain does not consist of the same sized field, and the same number of players, the valiant performances on the field were truly impressive, testament to the team’s heart.

“In response, I guess the answer is a two-fold one. Yes, if you factor in where we’ve come from, and by this I reference the fact that in the UK we have no 11-aside, full-field women’s league football. We play 7- and 5-aside football on reduced sized fields over a 4-5 game-day schedule! and have done since the new era of women’s football began in the UK (in 2013/14).

Great Britain had played 6 international game in 4 years (prior to the Worlds) and we’ve had a ‘Diamond Series’ since 2015 where 2-3 games of 11s are played each year – so in 4 years the collective women of Great Britain have played at most thirteen 11s games (3 or so games a year!) with the only training that we do for 11s running into a handful of days at national camps pretty much.

So, in that regard, in comparison to some players that might play that many games in a season, or who are training let alone playing on full-sized fields week in, week out I think we – and therefore I – can be pretty proud about what we delivered at the Worlds, in competing, winning a game and having a tilt at bronze.”

While it seems difficult to fathom that Kilby was one of the oldest performers for Great Britain, among a rare number of competing players that have surpassed 40 years young, her youthful exuberance and valiant approach to every game made her one of the most admired competitors in Vancouver.

Akin to so many of the women on the host Canadian and American rosters, Kilby arrived to the game with expertise in a previous sport. Having first excelled on the rugby pitch (Olivia DeMerchant of Team Canada was also part of the Canadian contingent competing at the World Women’s Rugby Championships in August 2017), her tenacity and athletic skill allowed for a seamless transition to the gridiron.

While Kilby acknowledges that the technical aspects of football presented a learning curve, the position of quarterback one that takes on significant responsibility, it was a challenge accepted with great vivacity.

“That being said, there’s an inner perfectionist in all of us, no? Coming to the game late and being an older athlete (42) who’s already taken a good 15 years of damage (courtesy of my former sport, rugby), I have found it a real challenge learning such a technical position: my mechanics are by no means pretty, my range isn’t that of other QBs and reading defenses takes time to master.

As such, for me, I more often than not, come off the field after a game and always feel like I immediately need another game to re-throw that wayward pass, or re-visit the mis-read or the timing breakdown in the back-field, and I guess that’s where the point above comes into play – we just need more time playing football, on full-sized fields, and explicitly 11s, to grow exponentially (rather than organically).”

The chance to compete in the bronze medal game represented a proud highlight for Kilby, signifying how far the team has come. Competing against Mexcio, who were also making their IFAF debut, such a historic contest represented that the rest of the world is catching up to perennial powerhouse nations such as Canada and the United States.

Among all the games that Kilby participated in, there was also a strong sense of redemption. Avenging Great Britain’s loss to Finland at the 2015 Euroepan championships by defeating them in their opening game in Vancouver, it was a watershed moment that signified how far the British had come as a competitive team.

Recognizing the solid efforts of the defense in helping achieve this landmark win, Kilby’s reflections on the match represent the tremendous importance in shaping the program’s confidence. As Kilby ponders the possibilities, with the European Championships approaching in two years, golden dreams are poised to supply ample motivation to build on this momentum.

“Beating Finland was pretty special – it was not a vintage performance from the Offense, but the Defense were brilliant and to watch that goal line stance was just immense. There’s more to come from this Finnish side (ahead of the 2019 European Championships), I am sure but whilst they have two years to prepare – so does GB.”

At the heart of the narrative is also a remarkable dignity and sportsmanship. Throughout the female sporting community, there is a sense of mutual respect and community, and female football embodies such values. For so many women who graced the gridiron in Vancouver, the element that made such an event feasible found its roots in the Women’s World Football Games (WWFG).

Having participated in the inaugural edition of the WWFG, which were hosted near Dallas, Texas, it was one of the turning points in Kilby’s gridiron career. Getting the opportunity to play and compete with participants from over a dozen countries, visiting the renowned Dallas Cowboys practice facilities, and be part of an event that truly signified that female football had arrived; the event is one that still pays dividends for Kilby.

Taking into account that several members of host Canada’s roster had participated in the WWFG over the years, while many players from Team USA served as guest instructors, there were no shortage of familiar faces on-hand. The chance to be reunited with several of these participants provided much more than an opportunity to rekindle fond memories of such an enjoyable time, truly a paradigm shift in the game’s history, it added luster to the thrill of competing for a podium finish in Vancouver, supplying Kilby with another series of moments that shall be treasured beyond the moment that she hangs her helmet for the final time,

“In terms of favourite moments it was great to meet up with a few of my friends from Team USA (Rachel Huhn and Becky Smallz in particular) who I met when attending the first World Women’s Football Games in Texas, and have stayed good friends with ever since; getting to feel like a pro-athlete for a week or so is always pretty cool too. Hey, leaving work behind to live by hour by hour schedules, be routinely fed and transported from facility to facility to train and play…ah, how the other half live, huh!”

With the competing nations situated at numerous venues throughout the Vancouver region, the opportunity to enjoy one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities was somewhat limited. Despite being in one of the more suburban regions, it made enough of a profound impression that a subsequent personal vacation may be in the future plans for many players.

As the final day of the Women’s Worlds coincided with Canada Day weekend, it was a treasured opportunity for Kilby and her British teammates to witness history. With July 1, 2017 representing Canada’s 150th anniversary, the chance to share in such a proud moment in national history allowed for a brush with a cherished element of Canadian culture, one that Kilby reflects on with a proud sense of jubilation. Undoubtedly, for the Canadian fans in attendance at Vancouver who witnessed Kilby’s world-class skills on the gridiron, that sense of pride at seeing these remarkable international women contribute to a sensational chapter in sporting Canadian generated a reciprocal feeling,

“Do you know we didn’t get to see a lot of Vancouver alas. We were out at Trinity Western University, which, whilst lovely and serene, didn’t afford us the opportunity to walk to anything close by; we got out to a local mall which was fun and some of us visited Fort Langley which was very pretty. Whilst a lot of the team proclaimed they’d love to come back most of us were pretty chuffed when we got to meet some of your wonderful Mounties at the closing ceremony.”

“All quotes obtained first hand unless otherwise indicated”