Jen Welter
Welter landed the role of linebacker coach at the Cardinals Getty

Jen Welter was unveiled as the first female coach in the NFL on Wednesday 29 July after being appointed linebacker coach for the Arizona Cardinals.

Just over a year on since the San Antonio Spurs broke the gender barrier by naming Becky Hammon the NBA's first full-time female coach, the Cardinals and head coach Bruce Arians have followed suit and made 37-year-old Welter one of seven intern coaches for preseason.

"I didn't start playing football to be here," Welter said following confirmation of her appointment. "The beauty of this (is), while it wasn't a dream I could have ever had, now it's a dream other girls can grow up having."

Here are five things to know about her.

Welter spent 14 seasons as a professional with the Dallas Diamonds of the Women's Football Alliance where she won four titles along the way. She also won gold with Team USA at the International Federation of American Football's Women's World Championship in 2010 and 2013.

In February 2014, she became the first woman to play a non-kicking position in a men's professional football league when she played running back for Texas Revolution of the Indoor Football League. No one can say she hasn't played the game.

It's been a year of firsts for 5ft2in, 130 pounds Welter. In February, she became the first woman to coach in a men's professional league after taking up a role with the Revolution staff to coach linebackers and special teams.

Welter's first sport was tennis before being told she was too short to establish herself as a professional. She also tried her hand at football (soccer) and rugby at high school and college respectively before turning to the Women's Football Alliance.

She also has a master's degree in sports psychology and a PhD in psychology.

Rookie linebackers Alani Fua, Andrae Kirk, Edwin Jackson and Gabe Martin will begin training with Welter this week before recent signing Sean Weatherspoon and veterans Darryl Sharpton, Kevin Minter, Glenn Carson and Kenny Demens join up later this week.

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