WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.434 --> 00:00:02.635 - [Joy] This week on "Like A Girl." 2 00:00:03.003 --> 00:00:05.105 LA's Angel City Football Club generated the highest revenue 3 00:00:05.171 --> 00:00:08.174 of any women's team in the world for 2023. 4 00:00:08.341 --> 00:00:10.377 What's next in their game plan? 5 00:00:10.543 --> 00:00:12.612 Real champions go beyond just the game. 6 00:00:12.612 --> 00:00:15.648 It takes sweat, spirit and passion to break barriers. 7 00:00:15.715 --> 00:00:17.917 So many women in sports are shattering records 8 00:00:18.084 --> 00:00:19.386 and crashing through ceilings, 9 00:00:19.386 --> 00:00:21.021 and we're here to celebrate them. 10 00:00:21.021 --> 00:00:22.222 I'm Joy Taylor. 11 00:00:22.288 --> 00:00:24.290 - I'm MJ Acosta-Ruiz, and this is... 12 00:00:24.457 --> 00:00:25.625 - [Joy] "Like A Girl". 13 00:00:26.860 --> 00:00:30.196 ♪ Keep up the fight, come in new heights ♪ 14 00:00:30.196 --> 00:00:32.332 ♪ Never looking down 15 00:00:32.332 --> 00:00:35.335 ♪ Rise up, rise up 16 00:00:35.335 --> 00:00:37.871 - [Announcer] And now, to lead tonight's three clap, 17 00:00:37.871 --> 00:00:41.374 please welcome famed, honored sports analyst 18 00:00:41.441 --> 00:00:44.778 and the host of "Like A Girl on Fuse TV, 19 00:00:44.844 --> 00:00:46.679 MJ Acosta and Joy Taylor. 20 00:00:48.181 --> 00:00:51.818 (fans clamoring) 21 00:00:51.818 --> 00:00:54.020 - All right, are you ready? 22 00:00:54.020 --> 00:00:56.389 - Let's get this three-clap going. 23 00:00:56.389 --> 00:00:58.525 (fans clamoring) Ready. 24 00:00:58.525 --> 00:01:02.228 - [All] AC (claps). FC (claps). 25 00:01:02.228 --> 00:01:06.232 AC (claps). FC (claps). 26 00:01:06.232 --> 00:01:10.003 AC (claps). FC (claps). 27 00:01:10.170 --> 00:01:11.171 Whoa. 28 00:01:14.808 --> 00:01:16.042 Volemos! Whoo! 29 00:01:20.914 --> 00:01:23.817 - [Announcer] Angel City, in their all black kits. 30 00:01:23.817 --> 00:01:26.719 And we are underway. 31 00:01:26.786 --> 00:01:28.721 - More and more women have risen to positions 32 00:01:28.721 --> 00:01:30.123 of power in sports. 33 00:01:30.290 --> 00:01:32.091 On the field and in the office, 34 00:01:32.091 --> 00:01:35.395 it's women who are shaping the game more than ever before. 35 00:01:35.562 --> 00:01:38.465 - This team has mastered the concept, changing the future 36 00:01:38.631 --> 00:01:41.234 and impact of their sport well beyond the pitch. 37 00:01:41.301 --> 00:01:43.002 We scored an all-access pass 38 00:01:43.069 --> 00:01:44.704 to learn more about their goals. 39 00:01:45.905 --> 00:01:47.907 Angel City Football Club is an LA based 40 00:01:48.074 --> 00:01:49.843 National Women's Soccer League team 41 00:01:49.843 --> 00:01:53.446 that is determined to meet their goals and score some too. 42 00:01:53.513 --> 00:01:56.049 The team is run almost entirely by women 43 00:01:56.049 --> 00:01:57.450 and centers around empowerment 44 00:01:57.450 --> 00:01:58.918 and representation through sport, 45 00:01:58.918 --> 00:02:01.221 while also paying back their community. 46 00:02:02.288 --> 00:02:04.390 (fireworks cracking) 47 00:02:04.390 --> 00:02:06.626 What does it mean to be Angel City? 48 00:02:06.793 --> 00:02:09.596 - It means to change the rules of the game. 49 00:02:09.596 --> 00:02:12.198 We built Angel City in a way that's never been built before. 50 00:02:12.265 --> 00:02:15.201 We have three female founders, a majority female team. 51 00:02:15.201 --> 00:02:16.436 We built it with a larger mission 52 00:02:16.603 --> 00:02:17.837 than being a team in a city, 53 00:02:17.837 --> 00:02:20.773 but really using sport to drive towards equity, 54 00:02:20.773 --> 00:02:23.877 gender equity, pay equity, visibility. 55 00:02:23.877 --> 00:02:26.412 We built it from the beginning to be a global brand. 56 00:02:26.412 --> 00:02:29.883 So to me, Angel City means changing the game 57 00:02:29.949 --> 00:02:30.950 by breaking the rules. 58 00:02:30.950 --> 00:02:33.419 - I would say to impact the game 59 00:02:33.486 --> 00:02:35.021 by doing things differently. 60 00:02:35.021 --> 00:02:38.591 We at Angel City have been given the green light to be bold. 61 00:02:38.591 --> 00:02:41.561 - Did you receive any initial pushback on that? 62 00:02:41.628 --> 00:02:43.663 Because that is a philosophy in the corporate space. 63 00:02:43.830 --> 00:02:45.598 It's like, "Listen, now, this sounds good, 64 00:02:45.598 --> 00:02:47.901 but the bottom line is really what we wanna hear about." 65 00:02:47.901 --> 00:02:50.303 - When we originally started raising money for Angel City, 66 00:02:50.370 --> 00:02:52.739 we got a hundred pushbacks. 67 00:02:52.739 --> 00:02:55.241 I mean, it was because we were three female founders 68 00:02:55.241 --> 00:02:56.876 that had no sports experience. 69 00:02:56.876 --> 00:02:59.112 Natalie Portman, who's an actress and activist, 70 00:02:59.179 --> 00:03:00.246 Kara Nortman, a venture capitalist 71 00:03:00.246 --> 00:03:01.447 and myself an entrepreneur. 72 00:03:01.447 --> 00:03:03.516 None of us had played a role in sports 73 00:03:03.516 --> 00:03:04.717 prior to starting Angel City. 74 00:03:04.717 --> 00:03:06.653 And when we pitched them this concept 75 00:03:06.653 --> 00:03:08.488 that we wanted to build an organization where mission 76 00:03:08.488 --> 00:03:11.257 and capital could coexist, where we could do good 77 00:03:11.257 --> 00:03:12.725 and drive revenue and therefore, 78 00:03:12.725 --> 00:03:14.794 change the narrative so others can follow, 79 00:03:14.794 --> 00:03:17.664 we literally got the question, "Well, are you a charity 80 00:03:17.830 --> 00:03:19.399 or are you a for-profit business? 81 00:03:19.566 --> 00:03:22.268 And we were getting pretty discouraged 82 00:03:22.335 --> 00:03:23.836 that we weren't gonna be able to fund 83 00:03:23.836 --> 00:03:26.072 because it's not cheap to own a professional sports team. 84 00:03:26.239 --> 00:03:28.441 And it's not cheap to run Angel City the way we wanted to, 85 00:03:28.608 --> 00:03:30.076 which is at the level of a men's team. 86 00:03:30.076 --> 00:03:32.178 We had this incredible meeting with Eva Longoria 87 00:03:32.178 --> 00:03:33.713 who Natalie introduced us to, 88 00:03:33.713 --> 00:03:37.083 who when I was done with the pitch said, "Yes, I'm in." 89 00:03:37.083 --> 00:03:40.687 And instead of saying thank you, I said, "Why?" 90 00:03:40.753 --> 00:03:41.588 (all laughing) 91 00:03:41.754 --> 00:03:43.957 'Cause I've got like hundred nos. 92 00:03:43.957 --> 00:03:45.325 - So what did we do in this pitch that was different? 93 00:03:45.391 --> 00:03:46.859 - [Julie] What did I do differently? 94 00:03:47.026 --> 00:03:48.361 Like what happened? 95 00:03:48.361 --> 00:03:50.096 And she said, "You're a platform." 96 00:03:50.096 --> 00:03:52.832 But she understood that we were building a platform 97 00:03:52.832 --> 00:03:55.802 that could be used to not only promote equity, 98 00:03:55.969 --> 00:03:57.937 but also drive women's sports forward in the same way 99 00:03:58.104 --> 00:04:00.240 that she's a platform where she can drive forward 100 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:03.242 her social cause or her movie or television show 101 00:04:03.242 --> 00:04:05.645 or direct tutorial debut or whatever's important to her. 102 00:04:05.645 --> 00:04:08.381 So to her, it totally makes sense 103 00:04:08.381 --> 00:04:10.216 and one not only supports the other, 104 00:04:10.216 --> 00:04:11.551 but actually can drive it. 105 00:04:11.551 --> 00:04:13.820 And so, we knew we were onto something right 106 00:04:13.820 --> 00:04:15.989 if we were just talking to the wrong people. 107 00:04:15.989 --> 00:04:17.624 So we flipped the model and said, "You know what? 108 00:04:17.790 --> 00:04:18.958 We're gonna do this like a startup. 109 00:04:18.958 --> 00:04:20.960 Kara, Natalie and I are gonna own this team 110 00:04:20.960 --> 00:04:23.096 and we're gonna invite you to join us 111 00:04:23.096 --> 00:04:24.631 and you're gonna invest in it." 112 00:04:24.631 --> 00:04:26.366 And then the result is we have a hundred investors, 113 00:04:26.432 --> 00:04:28.635 you know, a large number of celebrities 114 00:04:28.701 --> 00:04:30.770 and athletes who believe in Angel City. 115 00:04:30.770 --> 00:04:33.139 Angela's one of 14 former US women's national team players 116 00:04:33.139 --> 00:04:35.241 that are investors like Abby Wambach and Mia Hamm 117 00:04:35.408 --> 00:04:38.044 and Julie Foudy, Billie Jean King and Lindsey Vaughn 118 00:04:38.044 --> 00:04:40.780 and Candace Parker and Eva Longoria, Jessica Chastain, 119 00:04:40.780 --> 00:04:42.582 Jennifer Garner, Glennon Doyle. 120 00:04:42.749 --> 00:04:44.283 Because they understood that we were building this 121 00:04:44.283 --> 00:04:47.186 differently and they wanted to be a part of it. 122 00:04:47.186 --> 00:04:49.922 (fans clamoring) 123 00:04:56.796 --> 00:05:01.668 (fans cheering) 124 00:05:03.970 --> 00:05:05.705 - I fight like a girl. 125 00:05:07.106 --> 00:05:09.642 - I can't help but think back at the career 126 00:05:09.642 --> 00:05:11.177 you've already had. 127 00:05:11.344 --> 00:05:13.246 I mean, we're talking World Cup, we're talking Olympics 128 00:05:13.246 --> 00:05:15.181 and now, of course, NWSL. 129 00:05:15.181 --> 00:05:17.750 When you look at now your time here on Angel City, 130 00:05:17.750 --> 00:05:20.987 knowing that this team is run by women, 131 00:05:20.987 --> 00:05:22.221 how much of a difference does that make 132 00:05:22.388 --> 00:05:23.956 for a player like you? 133 00:05:23.956 --> 00:05:27.060 - I think it's amazing. I think we haven't seen that before. 134 00:05:27.226 --> 00:05:28.428 - [MJ] Mm-hmm. 135 00:05:28.494 --> 00:05:30.263 - We've started to see the investment- 136 00:05:30.263 --> 00:05:31.631 - Sure. - In women, 137 00:05:31.631 --> 00:05:34.367 but we haven't seen women invest in women 138 00:05:34.534 --> 00:05:35.902 and be able to do that. 139 00:05:36.002 --> 00:05:39.072 And I think it's such an amazing like space to be in 140 00:05:39.072 --> 00:05:42.008 and like playing in front of like 22,000 people 141 00:05:42.008 --> 00:05:42.975 like every home game. 142 00:05:42.975 --> 00:05:44.477 I would've never imagined this now. 143 00:05:44.477 --> 00:05:47.246 - Right, I think now of the next generation of players 144 00:05:47.313 --> 00:05:48.314 like Kennedy on your team 145 00:05:48.481 --> 00:05:49.115 - Mm-hmm. Who's only 17 years old. 146 00:05:49.115 --> 00:05:50.650 - [MJ] Yes. 147 00:05:50.650 --> 00:05:51.684 - [Announcer] Entering the match for Angel City, 148 00:05:51.684 --> 00:05:53.886 number 17, Kennedy Fuller. 149 00:05:55.121 --> 00:05:56.689 - [Fan] Whoo. 150 00:05:56.689 --> 00:05:58.191 - For her, this is the norm. - This is all she knows. 151 00:05:58.191 --> 00:05:59.258 Yeah, yes. - Which is what 152 00:05:59.258 --> 00:06:00.660 us who have been covering women's sports 153 00:06:00.727 --> 00:06:01.961 and have been playing in it have wanted- 154 00:06:01.961 --> 00:06:03.196 - Forever. Yeah. - For decades. Yeah. 155 00:06:03.262 --> 00:06:05.131 - It's amazing, and that's what we want. 156 00:06:05.198 --> 00:06:08.201 We want like the next generation to only know this. 157 00:06:08.201 --> 00:06:09.235 - Right. 158 00:06:09.302 --> 00:06:10.737 - And to keep fighting for more. 159 00:06:10.737 --> 00:06:13.239 That's like what we always wanna do. We always want more. 160 00:06:13.239 --> 00:06:14.207 We always wanna push. 161 00:06:14.207 --> 00:06:16.008 - I love coming to Angel City games 162 00:06:16.008 --> 00:06:17.844 and you see your kids right on the pitch. 163 00:06:17.844 --> 00:06:18.945 - Yeah. - Which is so cool. 164 00:06:19.112 --> 00:06:21.114 - Yeah, I've done pretty cool things 165 00:06:21.114 --> 00:06:23.015 and I've done like what I set out to do 166 00:06:23.015 --> 00:06:25.351 when I like look at my career as a whole. 167 00:06:25.351 --> 00:06:28.888 But I think the best thing that I ever did was have kids 168 00:06:28.888 --> 00:06:32.024 and be able to come back and show them like 169 00:06:32.191 --> 00:06:35.228 that I work hard and you know, I go after what I want 170 00:06:35.228 --> 00:06:36.863 and they get to watch me do that. 171 00:06:36.863 --> 00:06:38.698 - It's the legacy. - It's really cool. 172 00:06:38.765 --> 00:06:41.033 - Tell us a little bit about how you got to Angel City. 173 00:06:41.200 --> 00:06:42.034 - Hmm. 174 00:06:42.034 --> 00:06:43.403 - I know it's been a long road. 175 00:06:43.403 --> 00:06:44.837 - How about how far back... (group chuckling) 176 00:06:44.837 --> 00:06:46.439 - The long road? 177 00:06:46.439 --> 00:06:48.608 - You know, I think the thing that I feel is most special 178 00:06:48.674 --> 00:06:50.977 about being a part of Angel City 179 00:06:50.977 --> 00:06:53.346 and also working for the organization at club is 180 00:06:54.680 --> 00:06:55.648 not just doing things differently, 181 00:06:55.815 --> 00:06:59.018 but the opportunities that we provide 182 00:06:59.085 --> 00:07:01.187 that have not existed before. 183 00:07:01.254 --> 00:07:03.456 Coming from a background of playing soccer, 184 00:07:03.523 --> 00:07:06.325 playing professionally for over 10 years, 185 00:07:06.325 --> 00:07:09.028 playing with the US national team, having that experience. 186 00:07:09.028 --> 00:07:11.464 When I retired, you know, I wanted nothing to do 187 00:07:11.464 --> 00:07:12.365 with the sport. 188 00:07:12.365 --> 00:07:14.000 I needed a break. 189 00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:16.536 And so, tried a bunch of different things 190 00:07:16.602 --> 00:07:19.806 and going into the business world, being a non-profit 191 00:07:19.872 --> 00:07:23.810 and advocacy, landing with Angel City was values aligned, 192 00:07:23.876 --> 00:07:28.581 it was passions aligned, it was my sport 193 00:07:28.581 --> 00:07:33.419 and it really blended all of my previous experiences 194 00:07:33.586 --> 00:07:36.389 to set me up for success in a role of general manager. 195 00:07:36.556 --> 00:07:38.925 When you are wearing so many different hats, 196 00:07:38.925 --> 00:07:42.595 it was just a beautiful blend and merge of the right timing 197 00:07:42.595 --> 00:07:45.832 with the right club too and the right values. 198 00:07:48.601 --> 00:07:50.903 - [Commentator 1] Savannah MaCaskill gets the ball back, 199 00:07:50.903 --> 00:07:53.239 MaCaskill fires off a shot, blocked 200 00:07:53.239 --> 00:07:54.540 and that went out for a corner, 201 00:07:54.707 --> 00:07:56.809 Savannah MaCaskill trying to get things going 202 00:07:56.876 --> 00:07:58.177 against her former team tonight. 203 00:07:58.344 --> 00:08:00.279 - [Commentator 2] But Didi Haracic slaps it away. 204 00:08:03.549 --> 00:08:06.552 - There's a lot of attention on women's sports. 205 00:08:06.619 --> 00:08:09.989 We know opportunities spark and it is an international 206 00:08:09.989 --> 00:08:11.324 conversation at the highest level. 207 00:08:11.324 --> 00:08:14.994 So how do you capitalize on this particular energy 208 00:08:15.061 --> 00:08:17.196 and the momentum that is happening right now? 209 00:08:17.196 --> 00:08:19.999 - I mean, I think it's simple. You lean in, right? 210 00:08:20.066 --> 00:08:21.834 You lean in from an investment perspective. 211 00:08:21.834 --> 00:08:23.169 How do I take this opportunity 212 00:08:23.336 --> 00:08:26.839 and build something special that will attract fans 213 00:08:26.839 --> 00:08:28.341 and then keep them coming back? 214 00:08:28.341 --> 00:08:30.343 So if you don't put on a great game day experience, 215 00:08:30.343 --> 00:08:31.711 if you don't highlight who your players are, 216 00:08:31.711 --> 00:08:33.112 if you don't tell their stories, 217 00:08:33.112 --> 00:08:34.647 if you don't build a connection with the audience, 218 00:08:34.647 --> 00:08:36.249 if they don't even know that you have a team in your city, 219 00:08:36.415 --> 00:08:37.717 of course, no one's gonna show up. 220 00:08:37.783 --> 00:08:40.519 - And I think essentially, it's setting the stage 221 00:08:40.686 --> 00:08:43.055 and the standard that we want to bring 222 00:08:43.222 --> 00:08:44.690 everybody up together. 223 00:08:44.757 --> 00:08:47.593 I think it benefits the league entirely, right? 224 00:08:47.593 --> 00:08:50.062 We want to be the best league in the world, 225 00:08:50.062 --> 00:08:52.732 - Right, we have 14 teams in this league. 226 00:08:52.732 --> 00:08:54.433 We have generational players. 227 00:08:54.500 --> 00:08:57.203 So Angel City said, "We're gonna build a spectacle. 228 00:08:57.203 --> 00:08:59.005 Every game is gonna be somebody's first game 229 00:08:59.005 --> 00:09:00.473 and we're gonna make it special 230 00:09:00.473 --> 00:09:03.910 and unique every single time for somebody new." 231 00:09:03.910 --> 00:09:06.345 We've created what we believe is the most diverse, 232 00:09:06.345 --> 00:09:09.148 inclusive, fun, safe environment for sports 233 00:09:09.148 --> 00:09:10.783 where everybody is welcome. 234 00:09:10.850 --> 00:09:14.353 And then the result is we sell out our 22,000-seat stadium. 235 00:09:14.353 --> 00:09:16.188 - [Commentator 1] She's been back in training, 236 00:09:17.390 --> 00:09:20.760 Cross into the box, headed away, back post, 237 00:09:20.760 --> 00:09:24.964 Sanchez is there, Sanchez denied by Haracic. 238 00:09:24.964 --> 00:09:28.167 (chill upbeat music) 239 00:09:32.238 --> 00:09:34.974 - It's very clear in everything that you do here 240 00:09:34.974 --> 00:09:37.476 at Angel City, the way they're operating, the players, 241 00:09:37.543 --> 00:09:40.179 how the fans come in and show up for you all. 242 00:09:40.346 --> 00:09:41.747 How important has it been to have 243 00:09:41.914 --> 00:09:43.182 that equality and inclusion? 244 00:09:43.182 --> 00:09:44.483 - We wanted to build a team 245 00:09:44.483 --> 00:09:46.152 that was reflective of our community. 246 00:09:46.152 --> 00:09:47.753 So it wasn't a choice. 247 00:09:47.753 --> 00:09:49.322 - Yeah. - Right? 248 00:09:49.322 --> 00:09:51.357 Our community is young, it's old, it's white, it's Black, 249 00:09:51.424 --> 00:09:53.726 it's brown, it's part of the LGBTQ community. 250 00:09:53.726 --> 00:09:54.994 It's non-binary. 251 00:09:54.994 --> 00:09:57.663 So we wanted to build a club, a team, 252 00:09:57.663 --> 00:09:59.332 players that were reflective of the community 253 00:09:59.498 --> 00:10:01.467 because sports at the end of the day 254 00:10:01.467 --> 00:10:02.802 creates a sense of belonging. 255 00:10:02.802 --> 00:10:05.738 It's something that you can come together for. 256 00:10:05.738 --> 00:10:09.709 And with 15 million people in LA and 11 sports teams, 257 00:10:09.709 --> 00:10:11.410 we needed something that was authentically ours. 258 00:10:11.410 --> 00:10:14.380 And for us, it was being reflective of you. 259 00:10:14.380 --> 00:10:15.848 - And there's something for everyone. 260 00:10:15.915 --> 00:10:18.017 I think that's like, it doesn't matter who you are, a child, 261 00:10:18.084 --> 00:10:19.819 a parent, you know, race. 262 00:10:19.885 --> 00:10:22.154 You see someone who looks like you, like you know, 263 00:10:22.154 --> 00:10:23.889 I grew up playing with all boys, right? 264 00:10:23.889 --> 00:10:26.459 And the environment just feels like everyone belongs, so- 265 00:10:26.625 --> 00:10:27.960 - Yeah. - Yeah. 266 00:10:27.960 --> 00:10:30.429 - It's incredible. What has been the fan response? 267 00:10:30.496 --> 00:10:32.264 - Well, I would say the fan response is 268 00:10:32.264 --> 00:10:33.866 consistently thank you. 269 00:10:33.866 --> 00:10:36.135 Like thank you for treating women's sports 270 00:10:36.202 --> 00:10:37.570 the way it should be treated. 271 00:10:37.570 --> 00:10:40.940 (fans clamoring) 272 00:10:41.007 --> 00:10:44.243 (drums rumbling) 273 00:10:44.310 --> 00:10:46.212 - [Fans] Go Angel City. 274 00:10:47.747 --> 00:10:50.383 - I lead like a girl. 275 00:10:50.383 --> 00:10:53.152 - The camaraderie in this team is pretty evident. 276 00:10:53.319 --> 00:10:54.487 What has that been like for you, 277 00:10:54.487 --> 00:10:56.222 especially as a captain of this squad? 278 00:10:56.222 --> 00:10:57.723 - I think that's why I'm still here. 279 00:10:57.790 --> 00:10:59.692 I think for me, from the very beginning, 280 00:10:59.692 --> 00:11:02.061 I wanted to play soccer because I'm an only child. 281 00:11:02.128 --> 00:11:03.562 - [MJ] Oh. 282 00:11:03.562 --> 00:11:05.498 - And I used it five years, probably five to 12 283 00:11:05.498 --> 00:11:07.667 I used soccer mostly for finding friends. 284 00:11:07.733 --> 00:11:08.801 - [MJ] Yeah. 285 00:11:08.801 --> 00:11:11.337 - But I think having that team dynamic, 286 00:11:11.404 --> 00:11:13.873 knowing that everything in our lives 287 00:11:13.939 --> 00:11:15.408 we share it with each other 288 00:11:15.408 --> 00:11:17.276 and then you know you have your friends there 289 00:11:17.276 --> 00:11:18.677 to pick you up. 290 00:11:18.677 --> 00:11:21.313 It builds this trust and just this respect 291 00:11:21.380 --> 00:11:22.815 and we're all really different. 292 00:11:22.815 --> 00:11:25.551 But that's really embraced and I think this club 293 00:11:25.551 --> 00:11:26.919 does a really good job of that as well. 294 00:11:26.919 --> 00:11:28.254 - I love that you mentioned the club too, 295 00:11:28.421 --> 00:11:30.122 'cause it's very clear that that's the culture. 296 00:11:30.289 --> 00:11:31.357 - Well, we know that women do it better. 297 00:11:31.357 --> 00:11:32.992 - Period. - Just period. 298 00:11:32.992 --> 00:11:35.861 But I think it's been so inspirational for me, 299 00:11:35.861 --> 00:11:39.932 I already took a really long time until I realized 300 00:11:39.999 --> 00:11:42.168 that women could be professional athletes. 301 00:11:42.168 --> 00:11:43.235 - Yeah. - Which I'm glad has changed. 302 00:11:43.235 --> 00:11:45.471 Now, my mind has opened so much 303 00:11:45.538 --> 00:11:48.574 to the possibilities for my life. 304 00:11:48.741 --> 00:11:53.412 And I know if I at 36, I'm having my mind opened, 305 00:11:53.412 --> 00:11:56.115 these young people who come to our games, 306 00:11:56.182 --> 00:11:58.717 it must be just changing their world. 307 00:11:58.717 --> 00:12:00.653 Really changing what their life will be. 308 00:12:00.653 --> 00:12:01.520 - No question. 309 00:12:01.520 --> 00:12:02.822 - And so now, with this club, 310 00:12:02.888 --> 00:12:04.924 it's not just that you can be a woman athlete, 311 00:12:04.990 --> 00:12:06.092 a women's soccer player, 312 00:12:06.158 --> 00:12:08.260 there's, we have a woman coach. 313 00:12:08.260 --> 00:12:09.528 - Right. - Women assistant coaches. 314 00:12:09.528 --> 00:12:10.629 - Right. - Women medical staff, 315 00:12:10.629 --> 00:12:11.831 women owners. - Owners. 316 00:12:11.831 --> 00:12:13.799 - President, GM, like- - I love it. 317 00:12:13.799 --> 00:12:15.768 - Investors all across the board. 318 00:12:15.768 --> 00:12:18.270 And what they're doing with their seat at the table 319 00:12:18.270 --> 00:12:19.805 is so important. - Yes. 320 00:12:19.805 --> 00:12:22.508 - Our sponsorship model, the way the club prioritizes, 321 00:12:22.675 --> 00:12:23.843 giving back to the community, 322 00:12:24.009 --> 00:12:25.978 it's something I'm so proud to be a part of. 323 00:12:26.145 --> 00:12:27.913 And I think it's inspiring. 324 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:31.750 I hope other organizations, other leagues, other companies 325 00:12:31.817 --> 00:12:33.786 around not only this country but around the world. 326 00:12:33.953 --> 00:12:36.589 (fans clamoring) 327 00:12:39.792 --> 00:12:41.894 - [MJ] I think part of investing in your players, 328 00:12:41.961 --> 00:12:44.396 for example, investing in your team is investing in them 329 00:12:44.463 --> 00:12:45.965 as a whole person. - Yeah. 330 00:12:45.965 --> 00:12:49.168 - How huge was that and how quickly did you guys know 331 00:12:49.235 --> 00:12:51.937 that that was gonna be part of what you presented here? 332 00:12:51.937 --> 00:12:55.474 - I think it's almost innate and just who we are. 333 00:12:55.474 --> 00:12:57.843 I think as a former player myself, 334 00:12:57.843 --> 00:13:00.913 the first conversation I had with Julie about being a part 335 00:13:00.913 --> 00:13:03.983 of Angel City was driven and inspired by that 336 00:13:03.983 --> 00:13:07.386 and a vision for how we treat our players holistically, 337 00:13:07.386 --> 00:13:10.356 how we develop them, player and person. 338 00:13:10.356 --> 00:13:12.691 Because you know, we have a range 339 00:13:12.691 --> 00:13:15.628 and variety of players on our team from teenagers 340 00:13:15.628 --> 00:13:17.196 to players who are in their mid-30s. 341 00:13:17.263 --> 00:13:20.699 So, you know, it looks different for every single person, 342 00:13:20.699 --> 00:13:22.635 no matter what stage of their career they're in, 343 00:13:22.635 --> 00:13:24.537 they have an opportunity to develop 344 00:13:24.537 --> 00:13:26.605 and grow and we wanna be a part of that. 345 00:13:30.809 --> 00:13:33.445 - [Trainer] Ready, go. Go, young Clickie. 346 00:13:33.445 --> 00:13:35.815 (players speaking indistinctly) 347 00:13:35.815 --> 00:13:36.715 Go. 348 00:13:39.151 --> 00:13:41.887 (ball thuds) Yeah. 349 00:13:43.455 --> 00:13:44.590 - Well, how do you hope that 350 00:13:44.757 --> 00:13:47.526 Angel City continues to grow from here? 351 00:13:47.526 --> 00:13:48.994 - Yeah, I mean, I think about the future 352 00:13:49.061 --> 00:13:50.362 in three different ways. 353 00:13:50.429 --> 00:13:51.897 I think about it from an impact perspective, 354 00:13:51.964 --> 00:13:54.533 a brand perspective and a player perspective. 355 00:13:54.533 --> 00:13:56.902 So we wanna continue to have incredible impact 356 00:13:56.902 --> 00:13:57.903 in our community. 357 00:13:57.903 --> 00:14:00.439 Today, we put $2.3 million to work 358 00:14:00.439 --> 00:14:02.274 through our Angel City sponsorship model where 10% 359 00:14:02.274 --> 00:14:05.211 of our sponsorship dollars goes back into the community. 360 00:14:06.145 --> 00:14:08.781 (kids laughing) 361 00:14:09.782 --> 00:14:10.482 (whistle whistling) 362 00:14:10.649 --> 00:14:12.084 - My role with the club is that 363 00:14:12.251 --> 00:14:14.453 I have the privilege in working our community impact team. 364 00:14:14.453 --> 00:14:17.890 So on a day-to-day I get to work with different non-profits 365 00:14:17.890 --> 00:14:20.826 and sponsors to really help pair the biggest impact 366 00:14:20.826 --> 00:14:21.827 that we can make. 367 00:14:21.994 --> 00:14:23.462 So within our community impact structure, 368 00:14:23.462 --> 00:14:25.965 we focus in a couple things within education, 369 00:14:25.965 --> 00:14:28.367 funding entrepreneurship with former 370 00:14:28.534 --> 00:14:30.469 and current soccer players, 371 00:14:30.469 --> 00:14:32.371 high school internship opportunities. 372 00:14:32.371 --> 00:14:35.407 And then we also focus in essentials. So that could be food. 373 00:14:35.474 --> 00:14:38.110 So we do a lot of food security support 374 00:14:38.110 --> 00:14:39.678 along with play equity, 375 00:14:39.678 --> 00:14:42.348 making sure that access to opportunity for soccer for girls 376 00:14:42.348 --> 00:14:45.651 and youth are available and we can help with those spares 377 00:14:45.651 --> 00:14:46.852 that exist currently. 378 00:14:48.053 --> 00:14:50.189 - With one of our partners with DoorDash alone, 379 00:14:50.189 --> 00:14:52.024 we've donated over a million meals. 380 00:14:52.024 --> 00:14:53.325 If you don't have three square meals a day, 381 00:14:53.325 --> 00:14:55.127 you can't even play soccer, right? 382 00:14:55.194 --> 00:14:57.162 So how do we take care of the whole person 383 00:14:57.329 --> 00:14:59.732 so that they can actually play the sport that they love? 384 00:14:59.732 --> 00:15:01.033 From a brand perspective, it's, yeah, 385 00:15:01.033 --> 00:15:02.801 we wanna be the first women's franchise 386 00:15:02.868 --> 00:15:04.270 that's worth a billion dollars. 387 00:15:04.270 --> 00:15:06.805 We wanna be a global brand where in every airport, 388 00:15:06.805 --> 00:15:08.908 in every store, in every street around the world, 389 00:15:08.908 --> 00:15:11.176 you see an Angel City hat and you see it 390 00:15:11.343 --> 00:15:13.312 because you care about the mission of Angel City, 391 00:15:13.379 --> 00:15:14.680 which is to set higher expectations 392 00:15:14.847 --> 00:15:16.749 to drive towards equity, right? 393 00:15:16.815 --> 00:15:18.617 To put women on an equal playing field to men. 394 00:15:18.784 --> 00:15:20.986 And then on the pitch, it's about championships. 395 00:15:21.053 --> 00:15:22.922 And you know, our new technical director 396 00:15:23.088 --> 00:15:25.324 says it all the time, we wanna be a dynasty on the pitch 397 00:15:25.324 --> 00:15:26.392 and a legacy off the pitch. 398 00:15:26.558 --> 00:15:27.760 And that's our goal. 399 00:15:27.927 --> 00:15:31.263 - [Player] Nine, nine, nine, nine, nine, nine. 400 00:15:31.263 --> 00:15:35.401 - Today, we are providing free footy Friday clinics 401 00:15:35.401 --> 00:15:37.002 in partnership with Football For Her, 402 00:15:37.002 --> 00:15:39.038 which is one of our non-profit partners that we fund 403 00:15:39.204 --> 00:15:40.839 directly through our community impact team. 404 00:15:40.839 --> 00:15:43.776 Girls and non-binary youth have the opportunity 405 00:15:43.776 --> 00:15:45.544 to learn fundamental soccer skills. 406 00:15:45.544 --> 00:15:47.446 So all the instructors today are all women 407 00:15:47.446 --> 00:15:50.749 who have played at either the professional collegiate level. 408 00:15:50.749 --> 00:15:52.618 We have Clarice and Megan, 409 00:15:52.685 --> 00:15:54.753 our superstar athletes here today. 410 00:15:54.753 --> 00:15:58.657 So they're getting top-notch lessons and experience free. 411 00:15:58.724 --> 00:16:00.259 - I love being out here with these young kids. 412 00:16:00.259 --> 00:16:02.761 In this position you get to take any opportunity 413 00:16:02.828 --> 00:16:04.496 to make an impact in your community 414 00:16:04.496 --> 00:16:06.065 and being able to come out here 415 00:16:06.131 --> 00:16:09.902 and to interact with 50 to 100 kids within a day 416 00:16:10.069 --> 00:16:12.037 is just a really special opportunity. 417 00:16:12.037 --> 00:16:14.640 - [Kid] What's it like being a professional soccer player? 418 00:16:14.640 --> 00:16:16.175 - I'm just me and then like, 419 00:16:16.175 --> 00:16:19.011 I get to step out onto a field in front of 19,000 people 420 00:16:19.011 --> 00:16:20.946 or more than that and it's just like, "Wow." 421 00:16:21.013 --> 00:16:23.716 All these people came to watch what we do 422 00:16:23.716 --> 00:16:25.317 and I think that's one of the coolest feelings 423 00:16:25.317 --> 00:16:26.418 in the world. 424 00:16:28.821 --> 00:16:30.723 - [Commentator 1] Shaw, plays it in, 425 00:16:30.723 --> 00:16:33.359 header one off the crossbar, still alive. 426 00:16:33.359 --> 00:16:35.060 Morgan, batted away. 427 00:16:36.462 --> 00:16:39.631 It cleared away by Angel City, all pinning for a corner. 428 00:16:39.631 --> 00:16:41.567 Their job's not done. 429 00:16:43.102 --> 00:16:44.970 - [Commentator 2] Wow. 430 00:16:47.773 --> 00:16:50.409 - [Commentator 1] And there is the final whistle, 431 00:16:50.476 --> 00:16:54.613 scoreless between Angel City and the San Diego Wave 432 00:16:54.780 --> 00:16:59.485 in the eighth meeting between these two Cali rivals. 433 00:16:59.485 --> 00:17:02.121 (fans clapping) 434 00:17:05.624 --> 00:17:07.793 - Kennedy, you're still getting used to this 435 00:17:07.960 --> 00:17:08.894 like home crowd. 436 00:17:08.961 --> 00:17:10.129 - Yes. 437 00:17:10.195 --> 00:17:11.563 - But how has it been with the energy that, 438 00:17:11.563 --> 00:17:13.132 especially on night like this with a blackout 439 00:17:13.132 --> 00:17:13.866 for you guys at home? 440 00:17:13.866 --> 00:17:15.134 - Crazy. (MJ chuckles) 441 00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:17.169 There's, again, you can't describe it. 442 00:17:17.236 --> 00:17:20.539 This team has really shaped LA women's soccer. 443 00:17:20.539 --> 00:17:23.442 After the game, the fans stay and they show support, 444 00:17:23.509 --> 00:17:25.110 win, loss, tie, they're there. 445 00:17:25.110 --> 00:17:26.979 And I think that shows how big it's growing. 446 00:17:27.146 --> 00:17:28.147 - [MJ] Yeah. 447 00:17:28.147 --> 00:17:29.014 - And I just get to be part of it. 448 00:17:29.081 --> 00:17:30.215 (group chuckling) 449 00:17:30.349 --> 00:17:31.850 - I get to be a part of it. They paved the way. 450 00:17:31.917 --> 00:17:34.620 - How special is it for you as a young woman to see 451 00:17:34.787 --> 00:17:37.523 so many of these young girls in the crowd, 452 00:17:37.589 --> 00:17:38.791 we're watching the game, 453 00:17:38.791 --> 00:17:41.360 listening to these young girls going crazy? 454 00:17:41.527 --> 00:17:42.928 - [MJ] Screaming. 455 00:17:43.095 --> 00:17:44.630 - And what's it like to be out there playing for them? 456 00:17:44.630 --> 00:17:47.066 - I think as a young player, I think one of my biggest goals 457 00:17:47.232 --> 00:17:49.868 at the start of my young career is 458 00:17:50.035 --> 00:17:52.171 I want to be able to inspire as many people as I can. 459 00:17:52.171 --> 00:17:55.174 And whether that's to play soccer or football 460 00:17:55.240 --> 00:17:58.177 and to I think follow your dream. 461 00:17:58.177 --> 00:17:59.478 - Tomorrow is graduation? - Yes. Graduation. 462 00:17:59.545 --> 00:18:01.180 - So high school graduation. 463 00:18:01.180 --> 00:18:02.414 - Yes. 464 00:18:02.414 --> 00:18:03.482 - Literally, from the pitch to the plane. 465 00:18:03.482 --> 00:18:04.750 - Yes, ma'am. 466 00:18:04.750 --> 00:18:06.452 - And wow, I love that. - So excited. 467 00:18:06.452 --> 00:18:07.920 - That's a special moment. - Congratulations. 468 00:18:07.920 --> 00:18:09.321 - Make sure that you stay present and enjoy that. 469 00:18:09.321 --> 00:18:11.223 - Yes. Yeah, definitely. - For sure. Congratulations. 470 00:18:11.390 --> 00:18:13.092 - Congratulations. - Thank you so much. 471 00:18:17.229 --> 00:18:18.664 (upbeat music) 472 00:18:18.831 --> 00:18:21.200 - What does "Like A Girl" mean to you? 473 00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:22.334 - Just being me. 474 00:18:22.401 --> 00:18:25.070 "Like A Girl" is just doing everything 475 00:18:25.070 --> 00:18:27.506 you've always wanted to do. 476 00:18:27.673 --> 00:18:29.107 - Oh my gosh, "Like A Girl." 477 00:18:29.107 --> 00:18:31.210 That means being the best, that means being powerful. 478 00:18:31.210 --> 00:18:34.680 That means showing up every day because we have power 479 00:18:34.847 --> 00:18:36.748 and people are finally seeing us. 480 00:18:36.748 --> 00:18:40.185 And so, everything I wanna do, I wanna do like a girl. 481 00:18:40.185 --> 00:18:41.587 - Yeah. 482 00:18:41.753 --> 00:18:43.522 - Because I think that this club is really proving that, 483 00:18:43.689 --> 00:18:44.990 proving a lot of people wrong 484 00:18:44.990 --> 00:18:46.725 and proving a lot of people right. 485 00:18:46.725 --> 00:18:47.993 - Yeah. 486 00:18:48.160 --> 00:18:49.528 - When I think of that, I think of powerful, 487 00:18:49.528 --> 00:18:51.497 unstoppable almost, like exactly what we're doing here. 488 00:18:51.563 --> 00:18:53.999 Like we're having to build and trailblaze 489 00:18:53.999 --> 00:18:56.902 and that is something in its own. 490 00:18:56.902 --> 00:18:58.136 - [MJ] Yeah. 491 00:18:58.136 --> 00:18:59.238 - And I think that responsibility 492 00:18:59.404 --> 00:19:00.572 of I'm one of the younger generations, 493 00:19:00.572 --> 00:19:02.641 but I want it to be better in 10 years. 494 00:19:02.641 --> 00:19:04.009 - Mm-hmm. 495 00:19:04.076 --> 00:19:05.344 - Knowing that is gonna help me in the long term 496 00:19:05.344 --> 00:19:08.113 and I think hopefully help in the long term, 497 00:19:08.113 --> 00:19:10.983 the long, long term for the younger players to come. 498 00:19:10.983 --> 00:19:13.385 - Being around so many women 499 00:19:13.452 --> 00:19:15.754 and just like figuring each other out 500 00:19:15.754 --> 00:19:17.422 and like knowing that you like all go 501 00:19:17.422 --> 00:19:18.590 through the same stuff. 502 00:19:18.590 --> 00:19:20.392 - Are you done yet? - Just speaking out. 503 00:19:20.459 --> 00:19:22.427 - My God, just talk and talk all day. 504 00:19:22.494 --> 00:19:23.762 - I really can't, I really can't, I really can't. 505 00:19:23.829 --> 00:19:24.997 - This is perfect. 506 00:19:24.997 --> 00:19:27.266 - What's happening. - Yes. 507 00:19:27.432 --> 00:19:29.368 - So this was so fun. - Oh my god. 508 00:19:29.368 --> 00:19:31.937 - On so many levels. - I'm ready to own a team. 509 00:19:31.937 --> 00:19:33.972 - Correct, with you. - Please. Done. 510 00:19:33.972 --> 00:19:35.274 - New bestie goals. 511 00:19:35.340 --> 00:19:36.174 - You're heard it here first. (chuckles) 512 00:19:36.174 --> 00:19:38.477 - It's always amazing to go down 513 00:19:38.644 --> 00:19:40.112 and to see Angel City play. 514 00:19:40.179 --> 00:19:42.714 Obviously, as we told them, we are fans of the team 515 00:19:42.714 --> 00:19:45.951 and have gone to many games before and are big supporters, 516 00:19:46.118 --> 00:19:48.854 but what they've built there is really unique. 517 00:19:48.854 --> 00:19:51.523 Having to go through what they did just to raise money 518 00:19:51.523 --> 00:19:54.192 for the team and having to shift the concept 519 00:19:54.192 --> 00:19:56.662 of how they were pitching it, it's really cool to see 520 00:19:56.662 --> 00:19:58.564 how they put it all together. 521 00:19:58.564 --> 00:20:00.499 And then obviously, going down onto the field, 522 00:20:00.666 --> 00:20:03.735 me and my little ACL scar from my soccer days. 523 00:20:03.735 --> 00:20:04.803 - [MJ] Yes. 524 00:20:04.803 --> 00:20:05.637 - We're happy to be out there 525 00:20:05.804 --> 00:20:07.673 and not with too much pressure. 526 00:20:07.673 --> 00:20:08.507 - Right. - What is it? 527 00:20:08.507 --> 00:20:09.675 - The three clap. 528 00:20:09.675 --> 00:20:12.878 First of all, we literally talk for a living 529 00:20:12.878 --> 00:20:15.213 in front of tens of thousands if not millions of people. 530 00:20:15.380 --> 00:20:17.149 - I was so nervous. - So nervous. 531 00:20:17.149 --> 00:20:18.617 I have never been more nervous in my life. 532 00:20:18.784 --> 00:20:19.952 I didn't wanna mess it up. 533 00:20:19.952 --> 00:20:21.587 - It's a lot of pressure. 534 00:20:21.653 --> 00:20:23.121 - We learned the 3 seconds- - It's very complicated clap. 535 00:20:23.288 --> 00:20:24.890 - I almost felt like the crowd was like, 536 00:20:24.890 --> 00:20:26.858 "You guys can do it. We got your back." 537 00:20:26.858 --> 00:20:28.360 - [Joy] I feel like they also know 538 00:20:28.360 --> 00:20:29.528 that it's very complicated, so- 539 00:20:29.695 --> 00:20:31.196 - I'm like, no, they're right there with us. 540 00:20:31.196 --> 00:20:32.264 - Yeah. 541 00:20:32.264 --> 00:20:33.699 - They just learned this as well. 542 00:20:33.765 --> 00:20:35.601 You know who would absolutely crush the three clap 543 00:20:35.601 --> 00:20:37.202 along with everything else that she's doing 544 00:20:37.269 --> 00:20:39.438 is little Lucia, not so little. 545 00:20:39.438 --> 00:20:42.374 Although she is tiny, she is fierce. 546 00:20:42.374 --> 00:20:43.508 - Six, seven. 547 00:20:43.575 --> 00:20:44.876 - [Person] Are you gonna score this or no? 548 00:20:44.876 --> 00:20:46.645 - Yes. - Yeah, I'm gonna score this. 549 00:20:46.812 --> 00:20:48.280 I'm gonna crush it. 550 00:20:49.681 --> 00:20:50.882 - Pass - Speed. 551 00:20:50.882 --> 00:20:52.150 - Yeah. - Control. She's brilliant. 552 00:20:52.150 --> 00:20:53.118 - I love that they asked her like, 553 00:20:53.118 --> 00:20:54.252 "Are you gonna score on this?" 554 00:20:54.419 --> 00:20:55.787 She's like, "Yeah, I'm gonna crush it." 555 00:20:55.787 --> 00:20:57.022 - Period. 556 00:20:57.022 --> 00:20:57.923 - Like it's hard. No. (Joy chuckles) 557 00:20:58.090 --> 00:20:58.156 Keep crushign it Lucia.