Minnesota pre-pro women's soccer team selling community ownership shares
Minnesota's pre-pro women's soccer team is giving supporters a chance to invest in the team. (USL W League / Supplied)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Soccer fans, mark your calendars. There’s a new way to become partial owner in Minnesota’s new women’s soccer team.
Earlier this year, Minnesota became part of the launch of the USL W League, which is a group of a pre-professional women’s soccer teams that will start competing in the spring of 2022. Now, the local co-founders of the Minnesota team have announced community ownership shares will go on sale, August 31 at 8 a.m.
"Every one of our founders are people in the community, but not a single one of us can write a giant check," said president and co-founder Andrea Yoch. "In order to bring this team to life we needed to have the community join us. Either through community investment or we hope businesses will join us as sponsors, but we want to do this together so it represents all the wonderful things about Minnesota, and the game of soccer, and supporting women."
Yoch says various investment levels start at $100 for four shares. Early investors will earn input on everything from hiring the head coach to season tickets and more.
"Biggest thing it gets you is you will become a part in deciding what our name and our brand is going to look like," said Yoch. "Plus two community members will join the seven-person board. They have an equal vote with me and my other co-founders, and that is a really important part of this. We are not going to make decisions without the people who have invested in us."
At The Black Hart of St Paul, owner Wes Burdine is also a co-founder of the team. It was his idea for the crowdsourcing approach. He’s thrilled the announcement is coinciding with the Minnesota State Fair and the same week a mural of soccer great Megan Rapinoe was completed on the exterior of his bar.
"Who better for a queer soccer bar than the absolute icon of Megan Rapinoe who is a big hero of mine, and a big hero of a lot of patrons," said Burdine. "There’s no reason this can’t grow to the size the future Megan Rapinoe’s are going to be at our club."
To learn more about investing in Minnesota’s new women’s soccer team, click here. To purchase shares go to this link.