Madison Hammond
Madison Hammond (foreground) training with Angel City FC in 2022
Personal information
Full name Madison Guadalupe Hammond[1]
Date of birth (1997-11-15) November 15, 1997 (age 26)[2]
Place of birth Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.[3]
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2]
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Angel City FC
Number 99
Youth career
2006–2012 Prince William Soccer
2013–2016 McLean Youth Soccer
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2019 Wake Forest Demon Deacons 75 (4)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2021 OL Reign 13 (0)
2022– Angel City FC 29 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 20, 2023

Madison Guadalupe Hammond (born November 15, 1997), named Shrewaka in the Keres language,[4][5] is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

Early life

Hammond was born in Phoenix, Arizona, but raised in the San Felipe Pueblo north of Albuquerque, New Mexico.[6] Hammond's single mother Carol Lincoln is Navajo and San Felipe Pueblo, and raised Hammond. Her father is Black.[3] She first played soccer in Albuquerque as the only girl on a boys' team at age 5.[7][4][8][6] She spent time during her childhood on the San Felipe Pueblo reservation, where she is a member of the tribe's fox clan.[9]

Hammond's mother was in the military and moved with her when Lincoln was reassigned to Washington, D.C. when Hammond was 9 years old.[6][3] She joined girls' soccer club Prince William Soccer near her mother's base when they moved to Virginia;[7][3] attended Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria, Virginia, where she played varsity volleyball;[2] and joined youth club McLean Youth Soccer of the Elite Clubs National League during her sophomore year.[7] Prior to college, Hammond played as an attacking midfielder before transitioning to defense.[10]

Collegiate career

Hammond was a four-year starter at Wake Forest University, and team captain for two years.[3] During her senior year, she was named second-team All-ACC and was All-ACC academic all four years. She was also a member of the National Honor Society and honor societies in Spanish, science, and history.[11] Hammond plays the violin and was a member of the Wake Forest orchestra.[11][4][12] She completed her coursework a semester early to prepare for the 2020 NWSL College Draft.[4]

Club career

Hammond registered for the 2020 NWSL College Draft but was not selected. She attended tryouts for clubs in Seville and Madrid, Spain, during the draft.[7][4]

OL Reign

After the 2020 Draft, OL Reign of the NWSL acquired Hammond's playing rights and invited her to preseason camp. However, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports, training was suspended in March 2020 and Hammond was sent home.[4] She re-joined the Reign at a new camp in Missoula, Montana, as a non-roster invitee ahead of the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, and signed a professional contract with the team three weeks later.[3][4] She made her NWSL debut on September 26, 2020.[13][14]

Hammond's appearance made her the first Native American player to play in the NWSL, being Navajo and Pueblo.[15] When she was informed of the milestone during a post-match interview with the Men in Blazers podcast, Hammond was in disbelief and asked for confirmation.[4][3]

Angel City FC

On March 11, 2022, OL Reign traded Hammond to Angel City FC in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft and $45,000 in allocation money.[16] She played 319 minutes across nine games, earning three starts.[17] On August 27, 2023, Hammond scored her first NWSL goal, a match winner against her former club, OL Reign.[18]

Style of play

Hammond is a flexible defender with experience at all backline positions as well as defensive midfield.[10][19] Teammates, coaches,[3][6] and analysts[19] have praised her calmness and composure in defense.

During a May 7, 2023, match against Kansas City Current, Hammond filled in for Julie Ertz at defensive midfield against 2022 NWSL Best XI attackers Debinha and Lo'eau LaBonta, and in addition to effectively marking both players, Hammond was credited with the assist on Angel City's match-winning goal.[19]

Hammond is also an ambidextrous passer.[6]

Work outside of soccer

Hammond designed the Kyrie Low 4 sneaker for Nike Inc. The shoe's namesake, Kyrie Irving, is of Standing Rock Sioux heritage.[5]

Hammond walked the red carpet at the 2022 ESPY Awards, where she was the first Afro-Indigenous athlete to attend.[6]

Personal life

Being both Native American and African American, she has been very active in social justice for both communities while at Wake Forest and as a professional.[11] She is a member of the Black Women's Players Collective, Athlete Ally, and the Nike N7 Fund initiative to support Native American communities.[20] Hammond also advocates for women's and girls' soccer players to receive similar benefits as men's and boy's athletes, including less expensive soccer academy access and higher pay for professional players.[20] She also spoke with NWSL player McCall Zerboni about the use of a phrase demeaning to Native Americans during a post-match interview.[6][21]

Hammond's sister Michaela played volleyball for New York University.[2][22] Hammond's uncle Notah Begay III, a PGA Tour golfer who played with Tiger Woods, was an athletic inspiration.[8][20][23]

Hammond returns to San Felipe Pueblo annually for its feast day on May 1.[4]

References

  1. ^ "2018–2019 ACC Academic Honor Roll: Wake Forest (226)" (PDF). Wake Forest Demon Deacons. July 16, 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Madison Hammond - Women's Soccer". Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Evans, Jayda (October 28, 2020). "OL Reign's Madison Hammond is the NWSL's first Indigenous player. She wants to make sure she's not the last". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Samuel, Ruth Etiesit (April 3, 2023). "Madison Hammond Made History In Women's Soccer. Now She's Ready For Even More". HuffPost. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Samaha, Barry (July 6, 2021). "Meet These Indigenous Athletes Honoring Their Heritage". Paper. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Yang, Steph (May 9, 2023). "Angel City's Madison Hammond on 'weird dichotomy' of external perceptions vs. personal growth". The Athletic. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d Yohn, Erika (October 9, 2020). "McLean Youth Soccer ECNL alum Madison Hammond makes NWSL history". McLean Youth Soccer (Press release). SoccerWire. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Hammond, Madison; Lincoln, Carol (April 17, 2023). "Katishtya Girl: Madison Hammond, the NWSL's First Native Player, Is Ready to "Do The Damn Thing"" (Interview). Interviewed by Kyle Bell. IllumiNative. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  9. ^ Hammond, Madison (February 5, 2022). "The First Native American in Women's Pro Soccer l Madison Hammond". YouTube (Interview). Togethxr. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Training Log: March 22 | Madison Hammond". Angel City. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  11. ^ a b c "Madison Hammond Just Had a History-Making Debut as the First Native American in the NWSL". PopSugar. September 29, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  12. ^ Lawrence, Andrew (May 17, 2023). "'We have to be more than athletes': inside the women's US soccer league". The Guardian. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  13. ^ "National Women's Soccer League Official Site | NWSL".
  14. ^ "Madison Hammond". Angel City FC. 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  15. ^ Cleveland, Parker (September 20, 2020). "Sunday Cup-o-American Soccer: News, artificial intelligence, and an important announcement". Stars and Stripes FC. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  16. ^ Rantz, Susie (March 11, 2022). "OL Reign trade Madison Hammond to Angel City". Sounder at Heart. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  17. ^ "Madison Hammond". NWSL. 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  18. ^ "Clarisse Le Bihan and Madison Hammond lead Angel City past OL Reign". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 2023-08-28. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  19. ^ a b c Sylvs, Southern (2023-05-10). "Unsung Heroes - An NWSL Series: Matchday 6". All For XI. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  20. ^ a b c Nelson, Kate (March 24, 2023). "Angel City FC's Madison Hammond is Black, Native and using her spotlight in the NWSL". Andscape. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  21. ^ Anderson, Jason (August 3, 2022). "Hammond responds after Zerboni uses 'harmful' anti-Native American phrase". Pro Soccer Wire. USA Today. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  22. ^ "Michaela Hammond - 2008 - Women's Volleyball". NYU Athletics. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  23. ^ Hamlin, Steven (October 22, 2020). "Following Her Milestone, Madison Hammond Wants to Inspire the Next Generation of Native American Athletes" (Press release). National Women's Soccer League. Retrieved December 8, 2021.

External links

Angel City FC – current squad
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