Skeeball Is Back: DC Fray Returns to Where It All Began

Some things in life are too good to stay in the archives. This winter, DC Fray is bringing back our original social sports league: Skeeball! Yep, the one that started it all.

Starting Tuesday, January 27th, 2026, we’re launching a brand-new skeeball league at GameOn Bar + Arcade on U Street, and we’re playing every Tuesday at 6:30PM! If that sentence made your heart do a tiny little victory dance, you’re already one of us.

Just don’t wait too long to join in on the fun, because registration closes Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at midnight. Consider this your friendly reminder to warm up your winter weeks with an evening of skeeball, refreshing drinks, and delicious bites at one of U Street’s newest bars.

👉 Click here to register for our winter skeeball league!

A League With Deep (and Delightfully Weird) Roots

Let’s rewind all the way back to 2009. Before DC Fray was offering 120+ leagues across the DMV area, before the tournaments, even before all of our awesome events, we were something much simpler: a group of people in DC who thought, “You know what would be fun? Regular skeeball nights… but organized… and social… and maybe mildly competitive… and also an excuse to hang out every week.”

That was the spark. Skeeball wasn’t a side quest for DC Fray…it was the origin story. The first league wasn’t planned as a business. It was a hobby that got out of hand in the best possible way.

“The first skeeball league was a trip. I rallied up 6 friends and told them they each needed to recruit a team of 10 rollers.  We ended up with 12 teams of 15 players and the league was born.“

-Robert Kinsler, DC Fray Founder & CEO

Next thing you know, you’re naming your team something ridiculous, high-fiving strangers like old friends, and developing a completely unscientific superstition about which ball “feels lucky.” Skeeball turns a random Tuesday into a tradition. And traditions turn into communities. And communities…well, communities become DC Fray.

“It didnt take long to realize the skeeball thing was a ton of fun.  One season led to the next and we had almost 4,000 players our first year.”

-Robert Kinsler, DC Fray Founder & CEO

Why Skeeball Still Hits Different

There’s a reason skeeball was the very first DC Fray league. It has a magic mix we’re still chasing 17 years later:

• Low barrier, high joy. You don’t need to “be good.” You just need to roll a ball and be willing to laugh when it goes gloriously wrong.
• Instant camaraderie. You bond fast when everyone is equally invested in a tiny wooden sphere.
• Perfect social chaos. Competitive enough to care, casual enough to unwind, and always fun enough to keep coming back.

Skeeball is the kind of sport that brings back the pure, carefree joy of the arcade and pairs it with the grown-up pleasure of a night out at the bar with friends. On cold winter evenings in the city, it’s the perfect excuse to get out of the house, stay warm indoors, and give your week a spark of fun. Whether you’re meeting new people, strengthening old friendships, or finally convincing your longtime group chat to become an actual team, skeeball turns a Tuesday nights into something to look forward to and reminds you that play still belongs in adult life. And that’s DC Fray in a nutshell.

“Anyone who is on the fence is over thinking it! Skeeball is just the front…the real thing is about meeting people, building relationships and just making more room for fun in our lives! Jump in!“

-Robert Kinsler, DC Fray Founder & CEO

The Winter 2026 Comeback

So here we are, bringing it home with DC Fray Skeeball Winter 2026!

• When: Tuesdays at 6:30PM
• Where: GameOn Bar + Arcade (U Street)
• League Start: Tuesday, January 27, 2026
• Registration Closes: Tuesday, January 20, 2026

👉 Click here to register for our winter skeeball league!