Sports

Washington Prodigy takes one for the team

Local women’s football team enjoys breaking barriers

Published

11 years ago

August 14, 2014

Mariah Cooper

Washington Prodigy, gay news, Washington Blade

Official team photo of Washington Prodigy. (Photo courtesy the team)

Throwing like a girl is taken as an insult more often than not. But for members of Washington Prodigy, a local all-female football team, the phrase is a compliment.

Washington Prodigy was conceived from a small group of like-minded women on another local female football team, the D.C. Divas. Some players weren’t happy with the direction the team was going.

“The attitude on the team was changing and became less about football,” Jordyn White, general manager and defensive player, says. “It didn’t seem player focused.”

Tiffany Matthews, Washington Prodigy owner and middle linebacker, decided it didn’t have to be the end of the road for those players who wanted to leave D.C. Divas. She began to talk to other team owners and decided that she wanted to try starting a team herself.

In 2012, Washington Prodigy was formed. But it wasn’t an easy task to get the team going.

“Funding came out of my pocket,” Matthews says. “The first season was the hardest part. Players were paying for uniforms. We didn’t have sponsors because no one knew who we were.”

Matthews, who has been playing football since she was young, says women’s football has grown significantly over the years.

“When I first started there weren’t any women playing,” she says. “We get a lot of girls on the team who are younger where it’s more OK now for them. Its almost co-ed.”

More women getting involved in football is White’s favorite part of being on the team. She loves watching the new girls join the team and grow in their success.

“People come from all different athletic backgrounds and for some, it’s nothing like they’ve ever done. Seeing them cultivate all that teaching and having that ‘a-ha’ moment is exciting to watch.”

The stereotype that women can’t play football because it’s a male-dominated sport is one Washington Prodigy encounters often. Player Crystal Boyd thinks it’s totally false.

“We can do anything a man can do,” Boyd says. “We can compete just like they can if we’re given the platform to do it. We’re just as competitive as they are.”

White wants people to understand that women are able to play football just like men do because they aren’t playing against men.

“There are women stronger and more aggressive than other women just like there are men,” she says. “I see it as being equal.”

The team is a diverse mix of local women. Players range from ages 21-45 and work in various professions as well as some having families. Players are a mix of straight and LGBT with Matthews, White and Boyd all being LGBT. The team’s diversity has Washington Prodigy wanting all women to know that they can play too.

“We’re not a special, select breed or type of woman,” White says. “Any woman who has the desire to play can play. We are just a selection of women excited to do something that a few years ago wasn’t even possible.”

Still women playing football, which at one time seemed a fantasy, is still hard for people to accept.

“The biggest struggle is proving that we can play the sport,” Matthews says. “They say girls can’t play and that it’s too tough, but any sport is tough.”

The team is part of the Independent Women’s Football League and Team D.C. Their season, which runs from January through April, leads them all over the East Coast to play against other all-female football teams.

Matthews’ favorite aspect is the sense of community it brings.

“I met my two best friends playing football,” she says. “It’s like a big family because of everything we have to deal with as women. That’s my favorite part, other than trying to knock someone out.”

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Sports

‘Heated Rivalry’ stars to participate in Olympic torch relay

Games to take place next month in Italy

Published

1 week ago

January 23, 2026

Staff reports

(Photo courtesy of Crave HBO Max)

“Heated Rivalry” stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie will participate in the Olympic torch relay ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics that will take place next month in Italy.

HBO Max, which distributes “Heated Rivalry” in the U.S., made the announcement on Thursday in a press release.

The games will take place in Milan and Cortina from Feb. 6-22. The HBO Max announcement did not specifically say when Williams and Storrie will participate in the torch relay.

Sports

Capitals to host 10th annual Pride night

Pre-game block party planned at District E

Published

2 weeks ago

January 16, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

(Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

The Washington Capitals will host Pride Night on Saturday, Jan. 17, when they host the Florida Panthers at Capital One Arena. A special ticket offer featuring a Pride-themed Capitals rainbow jersey is available at washcaps.com.

Fans are invited to a pre-game Block Party at District E beginning at 5 p.m. The event will feature a performance by the band NovaKane. Specialty happy hour food and beverages will be available, as well as giveaways. There will also be a presence by several local LGBTQ+ community organizations.

Egypt

Iran, Egypt object to playing in Seattle World Cup ‘Pride Match’

Game to take place on June 26

Published

2 months ago

December 11, 2025

Michael K. Lavers

(Photo by fifg/Bigstock)

Iran and Egypt have objected to playing in a “Pride Match” that will take place in Seattle during the 2026 World Cup.

The Egyptian Football Association on Tuesday said it told FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström in a letter that “it categorically rejects holding any activities related to supporting (homosexuality) during the match between the Egyptian national team and Iran, scheduled to be held in Seattle, USA, on June 26, 2026, in the third round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.” Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran President Mehdi Taj told ISNA, a semi-official Iranian news agency that both his country and Egypt “protested this issue.”

The 2026 World Cup will take place in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The draw took place at the Kennedy Center on Dec. 5.

Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death.

The State Department’s 2023 human rights report notes that while Egyptian law “did not explicitly criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity, authorities regularly arrested and prosecuted LGBTQI+ persons on charges including ‘debauchery,’ prostitution, and ‘violating family values.’” Egyptian authorities “also reportedly prosecuted LGBTQI+ individuals for ‘misuse of social media.’”

“This resulted in de facto criminalization of same-sex conduct and identity,” notes the report.

The 2024 human rights report the State Department released earlier this year did not include LGBTQ-specific references.

Soccer has ‘unique power to unite people across borders, cultures, and beliefs’

The June 26 match between Iran and Egypt coincides with Seattle Pride. The Washington Post reported the Seattle FIFA World Cup 2026 Local Organizing Committee decided to hold the “Pride Match” before last week’s draw.

“As the Local Organizing Committee, SeattleFWC26’s role is to prepare our city to host the matches and manage the city experience outside of Seattle Stadium,” said SeattleFWC26 Vice President of Communications Hana Tadesse in a statement the committee sent to the Washington Blade on Wednesday. “SeattleFWC26 is moving forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride weekend and throughout the tournament, partnering with LGBTQ+ leaders, artists, and business owners to elevate existing Pride celebrations across Washington.”

“Football has a unique power to unite people across borders, cultures, and beliefs,” added Tadeese. “The Pacific Northwest is home to one of the nation’s largest Iranian-American communities, a thriving Egyptian diaspora, and rich communities representing all nations we’re hosting in Seattle. We’re committed to ensuring all residents and visitors experience the warmth, respect, and dignity that defines our region.”

The 2034 World Cup will take place in Saudi Arabia.

Consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death in the country. The 2022 World Cup took place in neighboring Qatar, despite concerns over the country’s anti-LGBTQ rights record.