PLAYER PROFILE
MANCHESTER, NH – Kelsey Silva, a resident of Dracut, Mass., has an easy smile no matter which position she is playing in for the New Hampshire Rebellion. Thus far, she has played at tackle, guard, tight end, fullback, wide receiver, and linebacker. Although she stands at little more than 5 feet tall, Silva, 23, has nevertheless found a way to utilize her strength to overpower larger opponents.
Last season was Silva’s first year playing on a women’s football team. Working as a case manager for a mental health organization, Silva found it difficult to manage a practice schedule in addition to her full-time job. This year, she is working nights in a new position in order to make it all work. For road games involving a long drive, such as this year’s upcoming match in Delaware, Silva plans on making the game even if she has to use her time off to do so.
“I call her my little ball of hate,” Marina Dickey, an offensive guard, said with a smile. “She’s all of five-foot nothing, and the girl has some power behind her. Watching her play is quite fun. You might be taller than her, but you might not be stronger than her. She will go wherever we put her. She’s going everywhere.”
The commute to and from practice is an hour each way. Silva didn’t mention any problems with gas money there and back; her approach to a long drive is to “put on some music and chill.” During her first year, Silva struggled with sobriety as a result of what she calls a tough time in her life. For her, football was a way of keeping body and soul together.
A tough break-up and a loss of friends caused a stressful situation which might have, under other circumstances, caused Silva to retreat into alcohol. However, with football, she had something else to pour her energy into.
“It was like a motivator,” Silva said. “It gave me something to do and something to focus on. It was something new to learn.”
Despite having played many positions, Silva still wants to test out more skills. She also looks forward to meeting new people, some of whom have joined the NH Rebellion this year for their first season. In addition, she makes music as a hobby.
“It’s been really pleasant,” Silva said. “I look forward to going to practice.”
Learn more about the NH Rebellion here.
