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Last month, the NWSL’s Angel City FC launched ‘Angel City Impact,’ a non-profit initiative to address the pay-to-play barriers affecting Los Angeles youth. The project unveiled alongside a founding collective that includes nearly 40 individual donors such as former soccer stars Kaiya McCullough and Sinead Farrelly and activists and actors America Ferrera, Uzo Aduba and Abbi Jacobson.
In 2020, Angel City FC made waves in the professional sports world by establishing a model of collective investment in women’s sports. The approach brought together a diverse group of individuals committed to driving positive change and promoting equity for women in sports. With Angel City Impact, the club is now taking that same model and applying it to youth soccer in Los Angeles, working with a community-led group of investors to deliver lasting impact.
The initiative’s first goal will focus on expanding access to soccer, particularly for girls and gender-expansive youth who are traditionally underserved in the sports landscape. The non-profit will accept donations only from individuals, ensuring a community-driven approach to funding. Its initial goal is to expand the club’s partnership with the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks (LADRP). This collaboration seeks to tackle some of the biggest challenges youth face in the region by providing more than 14,000 young people with access to soccer programming at no or low cost, leadership training and coaching opportunities.
The first two years of the project will focus on delivering expansive programs to 5-17 year-olds across more than 100 LADRP. This includes seasonal activities, camps and clinics designed to introduce children to the sport and provide opportunities for growth and development. The initiative will also work to expand the club’s Coach Network, with the goal of recruiting, training and hiring a minimum of 150 coaches who reflect the communities in which they work.
In line with its commitment to the community, Angel City FC’s innovative sponsorship model allocates 10% of all sponsorship revenue to local initiatives. This has contributed more than $3.5 million directly to the Los Angeles community, demonstrating the club’s dedication to driving positive change in the region.
Angel City Impact’s ambition is to ensure access to soccer for every young Angeleno who wants to play so that they can build a lifelong relationship with sport. It will only accept donations from individuals, and none from corporations.
“When I first joined Angel City FC, it was because they dared to defy the norms of women’s sports. For me, it was never just an investment in a sports team – but the opportunity to join a passionate founding investor group who all had a common mission to drive change on and off the field,” said Ferrera. “Through Angel City Impact, we’re creating a powerful, community-driven movement that invests in social impact the way we invest in businesses.”
Photos: Angel City FC
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