Washington Spirit Names Leicy Santos Club’s Nominee for Lauren Holiday Impact Award

Star midfielder will continue her work through Fundación Leicy Santos to provide access to soccer and education for children in her Colombian hometown

Washington, D.C. (04/28/2026) – Washington Spirit star midfielder Leicy Santos has been named the club’s nominee for the NWSL’s prestigious Lauren Holiday Impact Award, presented by Nationwide, the club announced today. This award recognizes NWSL players for outstanding service and character off the pitch, spotlighting those who exemplify dedication and commitment to giving back to their local communities.

“It’s an honor to be the Spirit’s representative for such an important award in our sport,” said Santos. “Using our platforms as professional athletes to support our communities is a privilege and I look forward to expanding our work at Fundación Leicy Santos this year as we strive to reach more and more kids.”

Santos is being recognized by the Spirit for her impactful and important work with her own organization Fundación Leicy Santos as she works to expand accessibility to both soccer and education for children in her hometown of Lorica in Colombia. Growing up in Santa Cruz de Lorica in northern Colombia, Santos was an avid soccer player from a young age and played on dirt fields in her hometown with a lack of access to important sporting equipment. The Colombian left home at just 12 years old in order to pursue soccer in the nation’s capital of Bogotá, with the support of her parents to seek out the best environments and training practices as she developed into a future national star.

Now ten years since first venturing internationally, Santos has dedicated much of her time outside soccer to giving back to her hometown. Santos established her foundation in order to provide support for the place that made her and a key pillar of that foundation is teaching youth about the game of soccer and its applications into all aspects of your life. In addition to coaching young girls and boys to develop beneficial life skills, Santos’ foundation also provides nutritional counseling and food donations for those in need.

Santos has ingrained herself in DC’s diverse and vibrant Hispanic and Latinx community since transferring to the NWSL two years ago. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month last fall, the star midfielder collaborated with teens from the Latin American Youth Center on the Spirit’s ‘El Sonido de DC’ campaign. As part of the partnership, the Spirit donated $5,000 to LAYC’s Breakfast for Heroes program as well as ten percent of all proceeds from ‘El Sonido de DC’ merchandise to the organization’s Bridge the Gap initiative to ensure continued access to case management, housing, school-based therapy, job training and mental health services for Latin American youth in DC.

The winner of the 2026 Lauren Holiday Impact Award, presented by Nationwide, will be announced as part of the 2026 NWSL Awards, presented by AT&T during Championship week in November. As part of the honor, Nationwide will donate $50,000 to the winner’s charitable organization in support of their cause.

The Spirit will take the pitch at Audi Field next on Wednesday, April 29 when the side hosts Racing Louisville FC. Kicking off at 7 p.m. EDT, ticketing information is available HERE. The match will air on Victory+ for fans unable to attend in person.

 

About The Washington Spirit 

The Washington Spirit is the premier professional women’s soccer team based in Washington, D.C. and plays at Audi Field in Buzzard Point. The Spirit was founded on November 21, 2012, and is an inaugural member of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the fastest growing sports league in the U.S. The club is home to some of the best players in the world who have won championships for both club and country. For more information about the club, visit WashingtonSpirit.com and follow the club on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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