Faith Ward was struggling with the DCC uniform. Then Kelli Finglass made one request.

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are synonymous with a very specific brand of American perfection: "Yes Ma'am" manners, high kicks and the iconic bouncy blowout.

So, when 22-year-old rookie Faith Ward joined the team in 2025 and started sporting a slicked-back ponytail in training, the internet went into a tailspin.

"Why do you get to wear your hair however you want," one commenter demanded.

Another added: "I can't! What's more iconic, you being an Aussie/NZ queen or the fact you're wearing a ponytail!"

But behind the hairspray and the global scrutiny is an Australian-New Zealander who quite literally manifested her way onto the world's most famous sideline.

Listen to Faith Ward on Mamamia's No Filter. Post continues below.

For as long as Faith can remember, the Perth local, who was born in Wellington, has lived and breathed dance.

"Go to school, go to dance, go to cheer, sleep, repeat," she told Mamamia's No Filter.

By 2024, Faith was living a professional dancer's dream working on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. It was during this time she discovered America's Sweetheart's: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

"It is screaming my name. It's perfect," Faith recalled thinking.

But never did she imagine wearing the blue and white uniform herself until a "weird feeling" stopped her from signing a contract with the Moulin Rogue in Paris.

That night, she opened her Instagram DMs to a message from a DCC recruiter.

"It was the most nonchalant message I've ever read," Faith laughed.

A simple: 'Hey, you should apply,' followed by a red heart.

"It was a sign… I've got goosebumps every time I say it."

Watch: Aussie Faith Ward celebrates making the Dallas Cowboys Cheederleaders. Post continues below.

The performance of a lifetime.

DCC tryouts are brutal, pitting rookies against seasoned veterans.

For Faith, it started with a video submission from Australia. She knew she didn't fit the typical DCC mould — so she leaned into her differences, sending a video with her hair up.

Then came round two: the iconic DCC kicks.

"I'd been trained a certain way my whole life… I looked at [that video], and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, Faith. What are you doing? You're not kicking directly in front of your face'," she said.

In DCC land, kicks are everything.

Despite the technical hurdles, Faith was invited to the finals in Dallas.

Suddenly, she was one of 80 girls fighting for 36 spots.

"I could see the dream," she said.

Round three is the "real deal" audition, Faith explained.

"Finals was probably the most crazy day of my life," she said.

Her lyrical performance made Charlotte Jones, the daughter of DCC owner Jerry Jones and executive vice president of the club, "light up".

"I remember just looking at her, 'Wow, oh my goodness, does she like me? Hopefully.' It was the most incredible feeling."

Field work was a different story.

"Your heart is literally in your chest. It was the scariest feeling of my life," Faith said.

"I don't think I've ever been so nervous."

But she gave herself the pep talk she needed.

"I was performing for my dear life," she added.

Image: Instagram/flexi_faith.

Once Faith made it into the six-week training camp, the real pressure began.

It's a "mind game" where you live in a hotel with your new friends, only to watch them get cut and sent home every night.

And then, there was the hair.

"I'm a bit of a head sweater," Faith admitted.

While the other girls looked like "Victoria's Secret bombshells" during the gruelling Thunderstruck choreography, Faith felt like "a drowned rat sweating in a pool."

During the team makeovers, DCC director Kelli Finglass noticed Faith's slicked-back headshot.

"'Oh, I do really like your headshot that you submitted with your hair up,'" Faith recalled Kelli commenting.

"I said, 'Wait, what?'. That's not a thing in DCC land. It's the iconic bouncy blowout."

And so the signature ponytail was born.

Faith's teammates were just as shocked.

"They're like, 'Faith, that's unheard of. It hasn't happened in years.' And I was just like, 'Okay, this is a big deal.' Obviously, I was very honoured, and I was very happy because I felt more myself."

Image: Instagram/flexi_faith.

The moment it all became "real" was the uniform fitting.

"I just remember falling to the ground, being like, I just made it through that experience. And I've got, I did it," Faith said.

She immediately FaceTimed her mum back in Australia.

"I pranked her. I was so mean," Faith said.

"I said, 'Mum, that's it. I didn't make the team.' And then I just saw her face, and she was just like, 'It's okay.' And then I put the uniform up."

For Faith, it wasn't just her win — it was a win for her single mum, who worked two jobs to keep her in dance lessons.

"I would not be sitting here right now if it wasn't for that woman," Faith said.

Kelli Finglass asked Faith to pull her hair back. Image: Instagram/flexi_faith.

The reality of the 400% pay rise.

Being a DCC has been more than Faith ever could've imagined. But balance is a fine line.

"My life has done a 360 for the better, of course, but… it's also kind of scary," Faith said.

"[There are] times where you go, 'Oh my goodness, this is scary.' But then there's the other times we have the incredible fans that are like, 'I drove this far to meet you', and then you see the look on their face, and they see you out on the field, and you're like, 'Oh my god, this is why I do this job' again."

Image: Instagram/flexi_faith.

While the glamour is 10/10, the pay remains a point of contention.

Last year, the DCC squad secured a reported 400 per cent pay rise. But the reality is more nuanced.

"I'm so incredibly blessed to be joining the team when that happened," Faith said.

"But it's still not realistically enough for what we do as athletes."

Like most of the team, Faith has another job — full-time content creation.

"There definitely still is room for improvement, but we'll take what we can get right now," she said.

"What goes into this job is not normal. And we're literally athletes."

As for the future? You can catch Faith's rookie season on America's Sweethearts this June.

And yes, she's already announced she'll be back to audition for a second season, ponytail and all.

Feature image: Instagram/flexi_faith.