Professional women’s soccer team arrives in Buffalo, New York

Well done, beers, tears and broken tables. Buffalo is undoubtedly a sports town. From professional football and lacrosse and hockey to a minor league baseball team and a new United Soccer League team, there are plenty of teams to give your heart to in Queen’s City.

However, there is still no professional women’s team.

At least, not since the Buffalo All-Stars became the first professional women’s soccer team in New York in 1970.

Julius and Tahzsa Davis, a married couple who have spent most of their lives on the East Side, along with Julius’ brother Jeronica, are poised to change that by bringing the Buffalo Yetis to the community – a team of professional football for women.

“It (football) allowed me to express myself, it allowed me to be myself. It allowed me to be great at something, because I had that opportunity,” said Julius Davis, one of the founders of the football club.

Davis wants to provide this opportunity to women and believes everyone should be able to play football.

They think Buffalo is a great place to start given the family-friendly nature of the city.

Your age shouldn’t discourage you either. As long as you are at least 18 years old, you can improve and experiment.

“It’s never too late. I think we have a 45-year-old on the team,” Davis said.

Starting in 2025, the Yetis, so named for the snow that inevitably falls in Buffalo, plan to join 60 other teams in the Women’s Football Alliance.

The Davis family hopes the Yetis can help unite the community and plans to give back as much as they can to the people of Buffalo.

“It’s not about the money, you know what I mean?” Davis said with a smirk. “It’s about the community.”

Ideally, the club would be able to help sponsor events to help revive the inner city and help the younger community by partnering with little league football teams. They also aspire to host a training camp for girls who play flag football.

The WFA only allows 53 women on its roster, but Davis said he would keep 100 if he could, and is looking into whether there is a way to keep more than 53 athletes.

For those not interested in the gridiron, there will also be a unisex cheerleading squad.

Although there is still about a year to go before the Yetis officially kick off, they are currently holding tryouts to prepare their players for future match days.

“We do all this now because we want to teach, we want to show techniques. We want to show security. We want to teach them the meaning of the game,” Davis said

Tahzsa and Julius Davis believe this will help athletes feel more comfortable and confident when they get to play their first snap.

While the first round of testing has already passed, another test will take place on July 13 at Mulroy Park in South Buffalo.

The Yetis are always looking for sponsors. For more information, visit their website at buffaloyetis.com or follow them on their social media platforms @buffaloyetis.