Richmond Black Widows quarterback Alyssa Pochop prepares to pass the ball to running back Moná Coley as fullback Keisha Pleasants blocks for a run play during an April 27 home game against the NY Knockout, which the Black Widows won 18-14. (Photo by Marlene Davis)
Since Rutgers and Princeton universities played the first organized football game in 1869, it has been a man’s game. Men’s football has blossomed into a vast array of high school, college and professional teams and has become a multibillion-dollar industry. However, beneath the surface of this popularity and quietly growing during the last four decades has been the rise of women’s tackle football — in particular the Women’s Football Alliance, or WFA, a professional tackle football league organized into three divisions and 62 teams scattered across the United States, including Richmond’s Black Widows team.
The WFA bills itself as “The World’s Top Professional League” on its website. Lisa King, WFA commissioner, is upbeat about the league’s rising popularity across the country.
“We continue to grow every year and are at a really good point right now, developing teams, making progress,” she says. “The competition gets better every year.”
The Richmond Black Widows entered the WFA in 2015, and the team is managed and coached by Marlene Davis, called “Coach Dirty” by her players. Davis recruits mainly through Facebook and Instagram, and by word of mouth. Though the team recruits a few women who have played organized football, almost all who arrive at tryouts have never played a game.
“These women often find out they can be really good at football,” Davis says. Desiree Edmondson and Jessica Harris, for example, played football for the first time when they suited up for the Black Widows. “Neither of these women were athletes,” Davis adds, “but they are both assets to the offensive line … they are naturals.”
Harris, also an assistant general manager, plays offensive guard and defensive tackle for the team. Her playing career began five years ago when a friend from high school, who was involved in the initial stages of organizing the Black Widows, asked her to come for a tryout. Harris had never played any form of organized sport in her life.
“I thought, why not,” she says. “I could use the extra push to get in shape. I also knew football would teach me many lessons about myself and what I was capable of.” Harris almost gave up after her very first, very physical tryout. “I got back in my car and almost drove away,” she says, “but I am so glad I decided to stay.”
NY Knockout defenders attempt to stop a handoff from Richmond Black Widows quarterback Alyssa Pochop to running back Moná Coley during an April 27 game. Tight end Ashley Roye is in the background. (Photo by Marlene Davis)
Because there are very few football programs in high schools and colleges for women, players who have gained experience before joining the WFA usually played on men’s teams. Amanda McKee, who plays both on the offensive and defensive lines for the Black Widows, grew up playing backyard football and then joined the team at Jamestown High School in Williamsburg. As the only girl inhabiting a boys’ sport, she struggled to get field time, and the coach discouraged her from playing. This didn’t stop McKee.
“I’m going to break the mold and play,” she says, and she has become an integral part of the Black Widows’ success. She is preparing to break molds at another level, as her daughter, who is about to graduate from high school, plans to join the Black Widows in 2020. Then, Amanda and Elizabeth McKee will become mother-daughter teammates.
“She was 4 years old and watched me play,” Amanda McKee says of her daughter. Like many teenagers, Elizabeth is seeking direction in life and wants to play football like her mother to help deal with that. “We need our outlets, too,” Amanda says.
Sadly, there is no money to be made for players in the WFA, so all of them work jobs and/or raise families while playing their games. The team pays for everything, including a fee to be a part of the league, equipment, travel expenses, and pay for officials and medical staff.
“We pay for the time we use the fields as well,” Davis notes. This expense is why the team's home field has shifted since its inception, including Virginia Union University’s Hovey Field, the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center and now the pristine new field at Hermitage High School. Despite the costs, however, Davis is grateful.
“Henrico County has been very good to us. … We are really proud to play on their fields, and we love our current home at Hermitage High School,” she says.
Harris adds, “With the lack of resources, [Davis and I have] become creative problem solvers.”
The money they do make to offset these costs comes from ticket sales. While some games are well-attended, others, such as their regular season game against the South Carolina Smash on May 4, attract sparse crowds, mainly because much of the Richmond community is still unaware of their existence. Though team members are often guests on local news and radio shows, Davis laments, “It’s still not enough, even in our hometown.”
What the Black Widows really need are the games, especially their playoff games, to be televised or live-streamed. WFA Commissioner Lisa King contends, “Multiple games in the WFA are live-streamed and gain enough revenue to make money.” More news coverage would help, too. Last season, the team won two playoff games before losing in the final round, yet their games received little or no media exposure. This year, the Black Widows appear likely to make it to the playoffs again, Davis says. As of Memorial Day weekend, the team was ranked second in Division III of the WFA's National Conference-Northeast Region.
Perhaps the biggest rewards these women obtain playing football together are the enduring bonds they develop.
“What I enjoy most about playing for this team and being involved in women's football,” Harris says with a smile, “are the lifelong relationships that are formed. You gain family that you didn’t even know you needed. Years from now, we will all have this uncommon bond and a multitude of memories that will forever keep us tied together.”
The Richmond Black Widows play their final regular season game on Saturday, June 1, taking on former Division 1 champions the D.C. Divas at 6 p.m. at Hermitage High School, 8301 Hungary Spring Road. Tickets are $15 for ages 12 and older, $5 for ages 5 to 11, free for children younger than 5. For more information on the team, the schedule and tryouts, visit richmondblackwidows.com or look for them on Facebook.
