You are reading

Two Astoria women join newly formed Jersey Shore Wave women’s American football team

Megan Stier (left) and Dannielle Ayala (right). Photo: Three B Management

Megan Stier (left) and Dannielle Ayala (right). Photo: Three B Management

Feb. 12, 2025 By Shane O’Brien 

Two Astoria women have joined newly-formed Women’s National Football Conference (WNFC) team the Jersey Shore Wave ahead of the new season of the highest level of professional women’s American football in the United States.

Veteran quarterback Danneille Ayala, an NYU student studying sports management, and rookie wide receiver Megan Stier, a performer and former beauty queen, have both signed with the Jersey Shore Wave ahead of the upcoming WNFC season, which kicks off on March 29.

Both players call Astoria home and will host a Dine and Donate event at Ditmars Boulevard establishment Queen’s Room on Sunday, March 5, to support the Jersey Shore Wave and women’s tackle football.

The team will meet members of the Astoria community between 5 and 9 p.m. at Queen’s Room, located at 36-02 Ditmars Blvd.

Queen’s Room owner Antonia Joannides and her partner Yiannis Vasilas will donate 10% of the evening’s profits to the Jersey Shore Wave to continue supporting and promoting women’s tackle football in the US.

Ayala and Stier both paid tribute to Astoria, praising the local community for their family-like support.

“Astoria feels like family. I couldn’t live anywhere else,” Stier said.

Ayala, meanwhile, said the neighborhood stood out because of its diversity, stating that both the people and establishments in Astoria add to the character of the neighborhood.

“The people are welcoming and friendly,” Ayala said. “The restaurants and bars are top tier.”

Upon signing for the newly-formed Jersey Shore Wave last year, Ayala said she was excited to compete at a high level against top talent in the WNFC. Ayala, a two-time champion of D2 in the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) and a first-team All-American during her stint in the WFA, praised the Wave for already contributing to the long-standing football tradition in the Tri-State Area.

The Jersey Shore Wave will kick off their WNFC journey with a match-up against the Chicago Winds during week one of the upcoming season.

Now boasting 17 teams across the United States, the WNFC represents the top tier of women’s professional American football and strives to accelerate equity for women and girls in sports through the power of football.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Repeat hate crime offender charged in anti-Muslim subway attack in Forest Hills: DA

A Southeast Queens man is being held without bail after he was criminally charged with assault in the first degree as a hate crime and other charges for allegedly punching and kicking a Muslim woman on an E train in Forest Hills during the early morning hours of Wednesday, June 18.

Naved Durrni, 34, of 106th Avenue in Jamaica, was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Thursday and additionally charged with aggravated harassment in the first and second degrees.

Hate Crimes Task Force investigating bomb threats against Mamdani: NYPD

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force launched a probe into multiple death threats made against Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani after his district office at 24-08 32nd St. in Astoria received four expletive-filled phone voicemails, on various dates, making threatening anti-Muslim statements by an unknown individual, including a threat to blow up his car.

The calls were made from an untraceable number and labeled the mayoral candidate a “terrorist who is not welcome in New York or America” in a message phoned in on Wednesday morning.

Seven teens indicted for attempted murder in brutal Kissena Park gang attack on two girls: DA

A Queens grand jury indicted seven teenagers for attempted murder, gang assault, robbery, and other crimes for an attack on two girls inside Kissena Park in Flushing in early May.

The defendants, who are all 17 years old, were variously arraigned in Queens Supreme Court between June 4 and Wednesday in two separate 25-count indictments with two counts of attempted murder in the second degree. If convicted, they face up to 25 years in prison.