Above: ESPN is promoting a film about female football players, including a woman from Southborough. (trailer from Viridiana Lieberman on Vimeo.)
A documentary airing on ESPN tonight includes a Southborough native. The documentary “Born to Play” covers the Boston Renegades, a women’s full-contact football team.
The Renegades were 2018 and 2019 National Champions. Lauren Yung (#8) has been on their roster since 2017. The Wide Receiver is from Southborough, and a 2011 graduate of Algonquin Regional. (She’s pictured on the right side of the promo photo right.)
The Yung family shared:
The documentary follows these women of all ages and economic backgrounds, balancing home and work life, in the pursuit of their football dreams.
You can view the trailer above and read more about the team and the documentary in articles by People Magazine and The Boston Globe.
The Globe writes:
Lieberman’s film takes a detailed look at the semi-professional players who pay $500 annually to play, take budget bus rides of up to 20 hours, and practice late at night while juggling full-time jobs. . .
Previously known as the Boston Militia, the Renegades have earned five championships since 2010, including an undefeated season in 2019.
People writes:
In the film, the Renegades are on a path to redemption after going undefeated but losing their championship the previous year. . .
The athletes — who range in age from 19 to 49 — all maintain full-time careers in addition to dedicating a “couple days a week, a few hours at a time, on football.”
“To step into this world and watch these women unapologetically create their own destiny in a sport that has yet to acknowledge them is crucial,” director Viridiana Lieberman tells PEOPLE in a statement. “Born to Play will resonate with all kinds of audiences, but perhaps the most important fans that I’m trying to reach are young girls and young women who need the opportunity to see what they can become in sports and in life — and to see it on television.”
The documentary will air at 9:00 pm on Wednesday, July 1st on ESPN.
Brought tears to my eyes to see this unexpected film!
I played with the LA Scandals waaaaay back in the day (maybe ’87, ’88). There were only 8 teams around the country at the time, or rumored so, as we never actually SAW them. Our team was scrapping to get organized, even just to get and keep enough players consistently, to get access to fields to practice on, to get and keep a decent coach. I KNOW how very much it takes to make it happen, and to try to get the support necessary to keep the dream alive.
But it was a GREAT time of commitment, of personal accomplishment, of comraderie, of love of the game! I loved being a part of it then and it’s a cherished chapter of my life now! And it gives me goosebumps to see this generation actually making it happen!!!
THAT’s my gurrrrrls!!!
Lynn Sexton #60