Volume 5, Issue 2

Get Ready for Spring 2023 Season and Tournament Tryouts

In this issue of Rhody Huddle, we provide details about New Player Orientation, our Spring 2023 captains and assistant captains, tournament team tryouts, and our Meet Your Team and Spring Season Kickoff Party!

Spring Season Dates

Mark your calendars, it's time to get ready for our 2023 spring season!



Additional events, including league socials and fundraisers, are being planned... more to come! Our events page is always up-to-date with the latest details.

New Player & Quarterback Orientation & Volunteer Referee Training

New Player & Quarterback Orientation is strongly encouraged for everyone who's new to our league, and for any new or returning player who's interested in playing quarterback. This is an opportunity to learn our rules, participate in skills/position clinics, and play a scrimmage game to get a sense of what you can expect when our season begins on April 1.


Volunteer Referee Program: This year, we're launching a volunteer referee program, for anyone who wants to help with one of our most important gameday positions. Training will take place immediately before New Player Orientation. After completing the brief Referee 101 training course, you'll get a chance to put your new skills to the test at our New Player Orientation Scrimmage.


  • Saturday, March 25th
  • Our fields for orientation and all our season games are located at North Country Club Field in Warwick (210 Monroe St., Warwick, RI 02888)
  • This event is for new players, all potential (new and returning) quarterbacks, all captains and assistant captains, referees, and anyone who wants to serve as a volunteer referee.
  • Quarterback arrival at 9:30 am; all other new players should arrive and be ready to start at 10:30 am.
  • Volunteer refs and captains/assistant captains should arrive for ref training by 9:30am.
  • We'll wrap up the day around 2:30 pm.
  • Please dress accordingly for weather -- everyone will need to wear pocketless shorts and non-metal spike cleats to participate.
  • Please bring plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated.

Meet Your Team and Season Kickoff Party

The Meet Your Team and Season Kickoff Party is Sunday, March 26th, 4:00 - 7:00 pm at Rooftop at the Providence G (100 Dorrance St, Providence, RI 02903). This event is for registered players and athletic supporters (sorry no guests). Come find out which team you've been drafted to, meet your new teammates and captains, and participate in our team challenge to select your team's jersey color and schedule for the season.

“O Captain, My Captain”

We're excited to announce our Spring 2023 Open Division Captains & pairings!

Spring Season begins...

Our first games of the Spring Season begin Saturday, April 1st. You'll receive your schedule and game times at the Kickoff Party (based on jersey color selections). Your Captain will let you know what time to show up at the fields for pre-game stretching and warm-ups. Please plan to let your Captain know which weeks, if any, you'll be absent for the season as it helps them plan the roster and positions each week based on attendance. There are five weeks of regular season games before the playoffs on May 6th.


All players receive a team jersey, and new players will receive a pair of pocketless shorts. Jerseys and league shorts will be distributed at the fields on April 1st, before games begin.

Tournament Team updates

If you'd like a more competitive football experience, we encourage you to consider our PVDGFFL Lobster Tournament Teams. All the fun of our regular season, with a higher level of competition, the chance to meet players from around the country, and the opportunity to represent our league on the national level!


Each year, PVDGFFL is proud to send competitive teams to two national tournaments and additional regional tournaments (e.g. Philly Special - more on that below). The national tournaments are Pride Bowl, which takes place in Chicago in late June, and Gay Bowl, which takes place in early October and, this year, will be held in Seattle. We'll be sending up to two Open Division teams and two Women's+ teams to these two tournaments.


*Tournament Eligibility: In order to be eligible for tournament teams, a player must be in good standing with the league and must have played in our most recent season or be registered for our current/upcoming season. Once selected to a roster, all tournament players will be required to attend a minimum number of practices in order to be eligible and may forfeit their roster spot if they fail to meet the minimum threshold.*


As previously shared, all potential players are asked to attend a tournament tryout on Saturday, March 4 from 7-9am at Teamworks (732 Lees River Ave, Somerset, MA 02725). We're monitoring the overnight weather forecast and right now expect to proceed with tomorrow's tryout.


If you cannot attend the tryout, or feel uncomfortable driving in the questionable weather, you'll still be eligible for consideration as long as you've submitted a tournament player interest form by 10:00am tomorrow (Saturday, March 4).


Please arrive by 6:45am - we will start promptly at 7am. Be sure to bring pocketless shorts, non-metal cleats or turf shoes, and water.


We expect to announce tournament rosters next week.


Philly Special Women's+ Tournament Try-Outs:

All potential players will be asked to attend a tournament tryout on March 18 from 8-9am at Teamworks (732 Lees River Ave, Somerset, MA 02725). Please RSVP on Facebook.

Introducing Our Tournament Captains!

NGFFL Announces New Draft-Style Tournament

If you're looking another unique tournament experience, the NGFFL has announced a new, draft-style tournament in 2023! The new "Pride Cup" in Orlando is part of One Magical Weekend and Girls in Wonderland at Walt Disney World, happening June 3-4, 2023. Similar to the Sin City Classic, this will be part of a larger sports festival, which will bring athletes from all over the country together in one place. Players may participate in an Open or Women’s + Division in a fun, but competitive environment.

 

For those players who may not have participated in travel play, or veterans who wish to mix it up and play with another team, or a developmental player who wants to gain experience with vets, this is for you! The NGFFL is also allowing players to sign up with one other player, so you end up on the same team. Check out the NGFFL site for more information.

Presenting the new PVDGFFL website powered by SportsEngine!


https://www.pvdgffl.org/


We're very excited to share our new look! Although our URL hasn't changed, you'll have an entirely new experience when you visit our website. Registration, news, shopping, league events, and much more will all be done in this single platform. We expect this platform will also replace apps like Spond for team management and communication during the season.

2023 Board of Directors

We're pleased to introduce you to our 2023 Board of Directors. This group of dedicated volunteer leaders will be working hard to ensure you have a great experience. Get to know us a bit better by checking out our Board Bios. If you have any questions or concerns at any point during the year, any of our Board members would be happy to talk with you.

Chris Almonte — Commissioner

Rolfe Hubley — Assistant Commissioner, Open Division

Red McSwiggan — Assistant Commissioner, Women’s+ Division

Greg Polzer — Treasurer

Josh Klemp — Secretary


Chloe Nelson — Director of Events

Chelsea Beaudoin — Director of Travel Teams

Michael Lucerto — Director of Captains

Marc Perkel — Director of Marketing and Communications

Sean Corcoran — Co-Director of Football Operations

John Mancone — Co-Director of Football Operations

Sean Davis — Director of Recruitment and Player Development

Anthony DeRose — Director of Fundraising and Sponsorships

Jay Potter — Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Patrick Simmonds — Director of Volunteerism

Red McSwiggan — Director of Rules and Referees

Theresa Waterbury — Director of Health and Safety

2023 League Sponsors

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