‘This is no lingerie football’: What it’s like to play for SC women’s football team
Though Gamecock football is king in Columbia, a new league is growing in its shadow.
A small group of South Carolina women formed a tackle football team in 2016 with the goal of putting South Carolina on the map for women’s football.
S.C. Smash is part of the Women’s Football Alliance, a national league of more than 50 women’s tackle football teams. Since its founding in 2009, the WFA has steadily grown, but some players say many people are unfamiliar with the league.
“They always think of lingerie (football), but this is no lingerie football. This is full-contact tackle football,” said Tatiana Swittenburg, S.C. Smash defensive line player.
Though most of the team had to learn the basics of the game when they joined, Swittenburg played on the football team at Newberry High School and other rec teams in middle school.
Head coach Lamar Ray says Swittenburg and other “veterans” of the game are crucial to growing the team for future seasons.
Two photojournalists from The State followed S.C. Smash through the end of their second season, documenting their fight to get into the WFA playoffs. Their next season starts in spring 2019.