Hitting the $500,000 milestone is huge. That’s half of what we raised when we did our initial capital campaign. It also represents the growth from where we were three years ago. We have a few months to go on this campaign. And this is our chance to keep building women’s soccer in Minnesota. If you haven’t joined as a community owner, now is the time. If you’re already a community owner, thank you, and don’t forget to tell your friends, your aunts, and even your mail carrier.

One of the unique aspects of Minnesota Aurora is that our soccer season is pretty short, a regular season of 12 matches—something fans, players, and staff all wish was different. We only get to watch these talented athletes  play for just a few months every summer. During the season, it’s much easier to make Aurora part of our lives. But building Aurora as a club, a business, and also a presence in the community means we have to think about Aurora as bigger than just those few months.

We say it all the time, but three years ago, our investment campaign raising $1M took us all by surprise. We wanted to dream big, but we also wanted to be realistic.

That initial capital raise meant that we were able to build an organization that could be bigger and more imaginative than what would have otherwise been possible. We were able to build a runway for the organization, operating from a growth mentality and building nothing into something. And we could operate like a professional sports team even with such a short season.

Here’s what that looks like in our club: Aurora pays for the registration fees for all of our players. Aurora pays for the housing for all of our out of state players (28 players in 2024). And Aurora has been able to waive tryout  and camp registration fees for players who are not able to pay. Creating an accessible club all for the love of the game.

In 2024, we also launched summer camps for girls. Part of expanding beyond our season means being able to bring the Aurora intensity to girls,training the next generation of athletes. We were able to provide scholarships for 15 girls over the summer. These camps also provide a chance for our players to not only interact and build relationships with the community, but earn money throughout their summer in Minnesota.

As we look to the future, we’re evaluating what has worked and what hasn’t, but we’re also evaluating how we can build women’s soccer in Minnesota outside of our brief season. That includes clinics for not just young women, but for adults too. It also includes a mentorship program that teaches young people about sports journalism, stadium announcing, and the business of sports.