“I think football has just always been in my blood,” Laila Thompson-Wainer ’20—the first girl to ever kick for M-A’s Varsity football team—said.
From a young age, Thompson-Wainer has been surrounded by football. She grew up with 49ers season tickets and spent weekends playing pickup games with her family.
But it wasn’t until the spring of her junior year—shortly after the Bears’ state championship win—that Thompson-Wainer wondered if she could step onto the field herself. “I proposed the idea of trying out for the team to my friends. They laughed it off, but it lit a fire in me, and I wanted to show them I could do it,” she said.
After deciding she wanted to try out her senior year, Thompson-Wainer began practicing. “My mom and I would go to Paly when it was dark with a football and a little tee, and I would just practice kicking field goals,” she said.
When fall tryouts rolled around, Thompson-Wainer met with the varsity coach and suggested the idea of trying out for the team. Although she initially anticipated hesitation, the coach was unopposed. “He said as long as I was willing to work just as hard as the guys, he didn’t see why it couldn’t work,” Thompson-Wainer explained.
After weeks of practice, tryouts, and relentless training, Thompson-Wainer made history, becoming the first girl to be on the M-A varsity football team.
Though she was worried about being accepted on the team, Thomson-Wainer and her teammates quickly developed a strong bond. “I think they knew just how hard I was working, and it earned their respect,” she said. “When they referred to me as their sister, I knew they didn’t see me as an outsider.”
Aside from being a stellar athlete, Thompson-Wainer was also a strong leader, being a part of M-A’s Leadership class for all four years of high school. During this time, she founded a nonprofit called The Playdate, which provided children in the foster care system with free art, dance, and mindfulness classes. “I had almost 20 foster siblings growing up, so it was really important to me,” she said. In 2019, Thompson-Wainer received the Cal-Hi Sports Lexus Volunteer Award, honoring her dedication to community service.
After graduating from M-A, Thompson-Wainer attended the University of Washington, majoring in Communications, Business, and Diversity. Still, her passion for athletics remained. A fellow M-A alum and friend, Semaijah Ix-Siu, introduced her to an athletics internship through UW.
Thompson-Wainer joined the Sports Marketing and Gameday Promotions team, an internship that blended her passions for football, storytelling, and fan engagement. Promoted to stage manager and in-game caller, Thompson-Wainer also got to be on the sidelines next to the team. “My favorite memory was when some fans won the raffle to run out with the team, and I got to do it with them, it was just as fun for me as it was for them,” she said.
Alongside her internship, Thompson-Wainer also joined the management team of the Seattle Kraken—Seattle’s professional ice hockey team—as an entertainment assistant. The position gave her hands-on experience in the world of sports and game-day production. “I loved working there, and it was the people I met from the Kraken that actually helped me get my job with the Seahawks,” she said.
Following college, Thompson-Wainer landed a marketing internship with the Seattle Seahawks. There, she led fan-focused campaigns and helped coordinate community events. She also served as a game entertainment intern, creating pregame, halftime, and in-game segments, and coordinating talent for live performances.
Currently, Thompson-Wainer works as a Community Operations Coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. She plays a key role in community outreach, fan engagement, and game-day operations.
However, her journey hasn’t come without challenges. “Working in a male-dominated job, sometimes my coworkers will just assume I’m the least knowledgeable about football, even though I’m the only person who’s actually played,” Thompson-Wainer said. “Public discredit is also a factor, but in reality, anyone can become an expert at the craft, just as a girl playing football.”
Looking ahead, Thompson-Wainer hopes to continue her work with the Seattle Seahawks. She’s also interested in becoming a sports agent for high school athletes navigating the recruiting process. “I would love to work with student athletes,” she said. “A lot are looking to play in the NFL and could use the guidance on what the steps are they need to get there.”
Reflecting back on her time at M-A, she doesn’t regret a thing. “I think joining the team is something I will be forever grateful for,” Thompson-Wainer said. “I’m so glad I pushed myself to do it.”
Thompson-Wainer’s advice to current M-A students: “Take risks when you are young. It’s time to do it and you never know what you could be missing if you don’t put yourself out there.”
To those interested in pursuing a career in sports management: “Put yourself in spaces where you can gain the most experience. Networking is so important.”
