Vikings Host New Zealand Flag and Tackle Football Leader Shernice Henry for Global Sports Mentoring Program

The Minnesota Vikings welcomed New Zealand native Shernice Henry to the organization as part of the 2026 Global Sports Mentoring Program, a leadership exchange that uses sport to build international relationships and support community change.

Henry, who grew up around American football in Papatoetoe, New Zealand, traces her connection to the sport to her family’s involvement in founding the Papatoetoe Wildcats American Football Club in 1986, with her mother serving as the club’s president and her father playing.

The Vikings say Henry did not play an American football game until age 26, after opportunities opened for women’s competition. She later returned to the field shortly after the birth of her son in 2017, joining the Wildcats women’s program for preseason games four weeks later.

In Minnesota, Henry spent 10 days with the Vikings organization last month, meeting with more than 40 staff members across about 20 departments, ranging from associates through executive leadership, according to the team.

The Global Sports Mentoring Program began in 2012 as a partnership between the U.S. Department of State and espnW, and the Vikings’ release describes the program’s focus as equipping international delegates with tools and networks to pursue reforms such as Title IX and the ADA in their home countries.

Before arriving in Minnesota, Henry began the program at the University of Tennessee’s Center for Sport, Peace and Society, where she connected with other women in her cohort, and then spent several days in California preparing for the U.S. portion of the exchange.

Henry’s week in the Twin Cities included attending University of Minnesota football against Iowa and also taking in the Vikings’ Week 7 home game against the Indianapolis Colts, the team said.