Abby Smith doesn’t get a lot of downtime. The Houston Dash goalkeeper juggles training, recovery and game days along with her role as secretary of the NWSL’s Black Women’s Player Collective (BWPC). This year, Smith has played an integral role in planning marquee programming for Juneteenth 2025, and although she is busier than ever, she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I think Juneteenth is something really important,” Smith says. “We’re at 160 years, and it’s something that a lot of people are still getting facts and history on. We can celebrate in each [NWSL] market and really embrace that, please there are Black players in this league, and representation in each market. We want to acknowledge that Juneteenth is a federal holiday and celebrate the history behind it.”
