It's PVDGFFL Playoff Time!

Volume 5, Issue 8

Week 6 - Playoffs & Rhody Cup

After a great regular season, it's playoff time! Read this week's Rhody Huddle for important details about a busy week of events, including our Wig Out Party @ The Dark Lady on Saturday night and our Open Division End of Season Party @ G Pub from 12-3pm on Sunday.

Spring 2023 Open Division Regular Season Standings

Who's That Daddy finished off the regular season in the top spot with an undefeated 8-0 record - congrats! But now that the playoffs are here, records go out the window and it's anyone's game! Who will take home the Rhody Cup this weekend?

Remember, all teams make the playoffs - your regular season record only helps determine playoff seeding. See below for more information about the Rhody Cup bracket.

Playoffs & Rhody Cup Bracket

The fight for the Rhody Cup is a single-elimination tournament, with a consolation game that ensures each team plays at least two games. We encourage you to stay for the entire day and cheer on your football family as the tournament field is narrowed down. The Championship Game begins at 2:30pm with our final remaining teams fighting it out for the Rhody Cup. We encourage you to bring snacks and drinks as the games will go from 8:00am-3:30pm.

Substance Free Reminder

Please remember that, in accordance with our Code of Conduct, no one may play if they're under the influence of alcohol or any other substance. If you choose to 'partake' after your team has been eliminated from the playoffs, please do so discretely (no cans or bottles) and be sure to clean up before you leave the fields.

See below for our league policies:

Parking at the Fields

As you all know, parking at our fields is limited. If you park behind someone else's car, please leave a note on your windshield with your name and/or phone number so we can locate you in the event we need you to move your vehicle.

End of Season Party - Sunday At G Pub

Join us this Sunday, May 7 at G Pub from 12-3pm for our End of Season Party! Come celebrate another great season as we crown our champions, hand out our end-of-season awards, and enjoy delicious food and fun games.

Please note that this event is only for registered players and supporters. We, unfortunately, cannot accommodate guests or significant others. This event is downstairs at G Pub (not on the rooftop).

Picture Day!

From our first season in 2019 to today, our league continues to grow in amazing ways. Thank you to each and every player and supporter for making PVDGFFL the special family that it is today!

A very special thank you to our league photographer, Paul Martin for capturing the people, moments, and experiences of our league! Please check out Paul's Flickr page for photos from this season.

2023 PVD Lobsters Non-Player Supporter Jersey

Click Here for Purchase

You can help us raise money for our tournament teams by purchasing these awesome supporter jerseys, which include panels from all four of our Pride Bowl team jerseys, our PVDGFFL and PVD Lobsters logos on the front, and sponsors on the back. Thank you, Red, for this incredible design, which not only looks amazing, but also captures the heart, spirit, and unity of our league.

The deadline to order a jersey is Monday, May 29.

Jersey cost is $45 (+ processing fees).

Jerseys will be available for pick-up during our Pride Bowl Send-Off Party on Monday, June 19 @ Alley Cat.

Women's+ 2023 Season

As our Open Division Season is winding down, our Women's+ Season is ramping up! We're excited to welcome nearly 80 players this season!

Mark your calendars for these important Women's+ Season events:

Saturday, May 13 -- New Player Orientation & QB Clinic @ 10am at our fields in Warwick

Saturday, May 13 -- Player Draft @ 6pm at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Greenville

Tuesday, May 16 -- Meet Your Team Party at Revival Brewing @ 7pm

Saturday, May 20 -- First Week of Games at our fields in Warwick

See below for next weekend's New Player Orientation / QB Clinic Schedule, and congratulations to our 2023 Women's+ Team Captains!

Health & Safety Weekly Update

We hope you've all taken time this week to rest and recover in preparation for the playoffs! Please be sure to stretch and hydrate this weekend - some teams could play as many as four games!

This weekend we're pleased to welcome Prevent Overdose RI to our fields, where they'll have a table set up for NARCAN and fentanyl drug test strip education and distribution. Stop by their table after 9:30am.

This brings us to our...

Weekly Health Highlight: NARCAN (naloxone) and fentanyl drug testing strips

This week’s health highlight focuses on NARCAN education, how to respond to a potential drug overdose, and ways to reduce the potential of an overdose.

Read the full Weekly Health Highlight here.

Take care and stay safe out there! Check out our Health & Safety section of our website for more helpful information.

Wig Out @ The Dark Lady

After a hard-fought season, it's time to let our hair down.... or, in this case, put it on! Join the Providence Gay Flag Football League for one of our craziest league social events: WIG-OUT on Saturday, May 6th!

Grab a fun wig and get ready to dance the night away at The Dark Lady/Alleycat with your football family. Come celebrate our 2023 Spring Season this Saturday night!

RSVP on Facebook

Helmets & Heels

Live your best drag queen/king fantasy at our 2023 Helmets & Heels Show.

Helmets & Heels is our biggest fundraiser of the year, with proceeds going to our Gay Bowl tournament teams. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, September 16th at The Dark Lady in Providence.

We're looking for league members who want to strut their stuff as Drag Kings or Drag Queens. Never done drag before? Not to worry! You'll be teamed up with a Drag Parent - a local Providence drag icon who will mold you into a fierce performer.

Your Drag Parent will help with your makeup and outfit, and work with you to select a fun drag name and lip sync number. You'll “werk” the main stage at Dark Lady with adoring fans screaming your name and showering you with cash.

If drag isn't your thing, there are other ways to participate! We'll need several volunteers to help work the door, sell raffle tickets, serve as a "stage runner," and more.

If you're interested in signing up, volunteering, or learning more, please reach out to Anthony DeRose via email at anthony@pvdgffl.org.

Sponsor Spotlight

This week we focus our spotlight on one of our favorite spots along the "Fruit Loop," The Dark Lady and Alleycat.

The Dark Lady and Alleycat have been great partners, sponsors, and supporters of our league over the years. They've sponsored our regular seasons and tournament teams, and hosted our annual Helmets & Heels fundraiser and several other league social events.

As Providence's premier show bar, The Dark Lady features various shows throughout the week, including, Fly Fridays, Dark Lady Lipsync Assassins (Sundays), World Clique Open Stage (Wednesdays) and their BIG Saturday night show. Step next door to their sister bar, The Alleycat and enjoy an espresso martini while listening to live vocals at the KitKat Club or cheering your favorite Ru girl during their weekly RuPaul's Drag Race Viewing Party.

Many thanks go to Rande, Buck, Rob and the entire Dark Lady and Alleycat family for always opening their doors to the Providence Gay Flag Football League. We're grateful for your support and friendship.

Upcoming Events & Important Dates