For decades, Amanda Gunville didn’t just work in football, she experienced the game from inside many of its most intense environments. Throughout different chapters of her career, she worked alongside legendary agent Leigh Steinberg, moving through a world of high stakes negotiations, iconic athletes, and Hall of Fame legacies while also building her own career across athlete representation, sports events, broadcasting, and business development. For years, the game shaped much of her professional world and the way she understood competition, relationships, and human connection.
Then, a two-and-a-half-year battle with cancer forced a total pause. When Amanda finally returned to watch a game after years of intensive chemotherapy, she experienced something she never expected: she felt lost. The pace felt faster, the language had shifted, and suddenly, the sport she knew so well felt inaccessible. In that moment of disconnect, she recognized a massive opportunity the industry had been missing all along.
The Realization That Changed Everything
“If someone with my background and experience around football could feel lost after stepping away from the game for a few years, how must millions of women feel who were never really invited into the conversation in the first place?” Amanda asks.
The statistics are staggering. Over 180 million Americans watch football, and nearly half of them are women. Yet many were never taught the strategy, language, or psychology behind the game in a way that builds confidence. The industry has built a massive cultural phenomenon around a fan base that has often been expected to simply figure it out on their own.
The Problem Hiding in Plain Sight
Amanda’s conversations with successful women revealed a striking pattern. She recalls a close friend—a brilliant entrepreneur who built a multi-million dollar athletic apparel company. “She’s incredibly savvy and athletic, yet she admitted she watched her son play every weekend without actually knowing what was happening on the field,” Amanda shares. “She felt like she was missing the story.”
She heard similar stories from “immigrant mothers” who attended every high school game but simply “stood when everyone else stood.” These aren’t women who lack intelligence; they are women who have been overlooked by an industry that talks at them rather than to them.
That realization became the foundation for Champera and the Football Fluency Method. “This isn’t just about football,” Amanda explains. “It’s about belonging. It’s about helping women feel like they belong in rooms they once felt excluded from.”
The “Couch Friend” Philosophy
Amanda’s approach to sports education is fundamentally different. She isn’t a talking head or a corporate analyst; she’s your smartest, funniest friend sitting next to you on the couch, explaining the game in real-time.
Her method focuses on momentum, pressure, and psychology rather than just dry rules. The program is structured to move women from spectators to insiders through modules like “Read the Strategy, Not Just the Score.” By making the first module completely free, Amanda is stripping away the gatekeeping that often keeps women on the sidelines.
Empathy as a Strategy
This unique teaching style is an extension of her own journey. During her recovery, Amanda authored Finding Hope & Joy in Cancer and launched a nonprofit to support others in the same fight.
“Whether I’m helping someone navigate a scary diagnosis or a complex blitz package, my philosophy is the same: use humor, empathy, and relatable stories to make intimidating experiences feel manageable,” she says. This emotional throughline is what makes Champera a category-defining platform rather than just a sports education company.
Depth Beyond the Sidelines
While her time with Leigh Steinberg provided a masterclass in the NFL’s inner workings, Amanda’s sports roots go much deeper. Her career started in college with a bold question to a FOX Sports cameraman: “Who hires you?” Before she was an industry staple, she co-founded her own agency, managed hospitality for the Super Bowl and Formula 1, and worked as a stage manager for FOX Sports and ESPN. She knows the game because she’s been on the floor of the stadium when the lights are brightest.
A New Category of Connection
Amanda isn’t just teaching football; she’s building a confidence-driven platform that treats sports fluency as cultural currency. As she scales Champera, she envisions a future of aspirational growth—building partnerships and media expansion that redefine how women engage with sports.
Her message to the millions of women already watching on Sundays? “You are not behind. You were just never taught this way before.” Through Champera, Amanda is finally opening the door and making sure the most exciting conversations in sports have room for everyone at the table.
This article was published on Faith Family Amercia
