Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press

When Matthew Stafford does something big on the football field this year, some of the cheerleaders rooting him on will be hand-picked by his wife.

Kelly Stafford, a former cheerleader at Georgia, announced on Instagram today that she will help judge Detroit Lions cheerleader tryouts this weekend.

"So excited that I get the chance to help create the first @detroitlionsnfl cheerleading team!" Stafford wrote. "I will be judging a portion of the tryouts."

Lions spokesperson Ben Manges said Stafford will be one of six judges for the first round of tryouts that begin at 8 a.m. Saturday at Ford Field.

The panel will judge the performance part of the audition and help determine who gets called back for the semifinal round of tryouts on Sunday.

A final round of tryouts and interviews is scheduled for Monday, and Manges said the team expects to have a different panel of judges each day.

It's believed that the Lions asked Stafford to be one of judges.

Lions president Rod Wood said last week that "strong fan sentiment" led the organization to add a cheerleading squad for the 2016 season.

The Lions, who had been one of six teams in the NFL without cheerleaders, previously announced that they will hold a training camp for their new cheerleading squad some time in July.

"One of the things clearly that we have to do is create a great in-game environment, and having cheerleaders added to that," Wood said.

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

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