Finding Love in DC Fray Leagues

DC Fray is a space for people to stay active, make new friends and play a sport they love. Inevitably, the high-energy environment full of people with similar interests leads to romance between teammates and competitors alike. Read on for three DC Fray love stories and their advice to other Fray players looking for love.

Austen Brower + Christina Swope

Christina Swope, Austin Brower and their dog Sully. Photo courtesy of Swope.

Austen Brower and Christina Swope met while playing in a soccer league together. They have been together since November 2019.

The Meet Cute

Austen Brower: We had a really nice conversation after beers one night. After a Fray game, we were out in Adams Morgan with the team, and her and I spent most of the time talking to each other. Long story short, I invited her to a coffee shop I worked at and I thought she came for me.
Christina Swope: I was going to the Zara nearby and needed a place to meet my friend, and I also needed coffee.
Brower: She got $40 of free coffee and still wondered if I liked her.

What They Noticed First

Swope: His eight-pack, and he was really kind to everyone.
Brower: What can’t you notice about Christina? The first think I noticed was that she was attractive, and our conversations were really nice. That was the real hook.

Advice to Others Looking for League Love 

Swope: Making sure you go out after the games and get a drink or food makes a difference.
Brower: Remember it’s not an Olympic match. The best games are the ones where you’re joking around with your team or the other team and are playing hard. There is much more room for relationships to develop within your own team and the other teams if everybody is there to have a good time. 

Julie Morey + Ajibade Da Silva

Julie Morey and Ajibade Da Silva. Photo courtesy of Morey.

Julie Morey and Ajibade Da Silva are two lifelong football fans who collided on the field during a summer 2019 flag football game. They have been together since November 2019. 

The Meet Cute

Ajibade Da Silva: Our teams were playing against each other and it was a pretty good game. It was fourth down and all closed down, so it was a situation where a pass has to be attempted. I got in her face to kind of check her and she ran a route, shook me and got open on the out route. I reached across her body but she still caught the ball and I was like, “Oh crap,” because my other hand was behind her and my momentum kind of made me tackle her – in the most gentle way possible.
Julie Morey: After he tackled me, the rest of the game I was upset. I was mad about it, plus we lost so that added to it all. After the game, he came up and apologized. We didn’t talk for a few months after that. At the end of fall league, my team had lost before the championship, and we stayed and watched. It was his team versus another team. He got a knee injury and was dealing with that on the sideline, so I went up and talked to him. We exchanged numbers to talk about playing in a league together, but he might have had some ulterior motives. We talked a week or two later, went out to talk about football, and have been together ever since.

What They Noticed First

Morey: My first instincts were that I didn’t really like him right away. After seeing him again in the next league, that’s when I started thinking about him. I was intrigued by him, I thought he was mysterious and I liked the way he carried himself. He carries himself with confidence.
Da Silva: For me, it’s pretty much the same thing. I admired the way she went about her business on the football field. 

Advice to Others Looking for League Love

Morey: Just be patient, don’t force anything and if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.
Da Sliva: I don’t think either of us was looking to have anything with anyone. When a pass came my way, I caught it. Things will present themselves and don’t think about it too much. All the chemistry and energy was just natural.

Jennifer Campbell + Sarah Bobman

Jennifer Campbell and Sarah Bobman. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Campbell.

Jennifer Campbell and Sarah Bobman met after playing each other in a fall league kickball game. They have been dating since March 2020. 

The Meet Cute

Sarah Bobman: We played on two different teams, and they have different sponsor bars after games. One night, we just started talking at the bar.
Jennifer Campbell: Shout-out to A League of Her Own [in Adams Morgan]. That was the bar.

What They Noticed First

Bobman: It was Halloween. I liked Jen’s costume. It was an Arthur costume, so I went over and started talking to her about that. From there, we started hanging out more.
Campbell: We realized we were in the same friend group, but we never hung out separately. We started hanging out and one day Sarah was sick, so I brought her some Hot Toddies. I think that’s when we started being more than friends.

Advice to Others Looking for League Love

Bobman: Make the most out of your time in the sports leagues, whether that’s talking to somebody on your team while playing the game or going up to people you don’t know at the bar.
Campbell: Go into it looking to have fun and meet people, even as just friends, and see where it goes from there. Sarah and I just started hanging out as friends and it developed into something more. I don’t think either of us had any expectation that this would happen.

Ready to play and connect with others in DC Fray leagues? Registration is open for spring leagues through March 23. Sign up here. For more on DC Fray’s commitment to playing safe this season, click here. Visit www.dcfray.com and follow @dcfray on Instagram for the latest.

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