NATIONAL Football League (NFL) franchise the Arizona Cardinals hired the first female coach in Jen Welter yesterday.

Welter will join the Cardinals’ training camp as an intern and work with the inside linebackers.

The 37-year-old said it was an honour to work with the organisation and thanked head coach Bruce Arians for the opportunity.

She said on Twitter: “I am honored to be a part of this amazing team. Special thanks to @BruceArians & the @AZCardinals.”

Welter became the first woman to play in the men’s professional Indoor Football League with the Texas Revolution and went on to coach the side.

As well as her achievements in the sport, she holds a a master’s degree in sports psychology and a PhD in psychology.

And Arians hopes that the internship will open doors for Welter.“She came for an OTA and I met her,” he said. “I thought she was the type of person that could handle this in a very positive way for women and open that door.

“Coaching is nothing more than teaching. One thing I have learned from players is [they think], ‘How are you going to make me better? If you can make me better, I don’t care if you’re the Green Hornet, man, I’ll listen.’

“I really believe she’ll have a great opportunity with this internship through training camp to open some doors for her.

“It’s not going to be a distraction in any way. I believe very strongly in it.”

During the off-season, Arians hinted at the appointment of a female coach when discussing the hiring of Sarah Thomas, the first full-time female official in the NFL.

“Someone asked me, ‘When are we going to have female coaches?’” Arians told ESPN.com at the time. “The minute they can prove they can make a player better, they’ll be hired.”