Angel City FC made its official NWSL debut on April 29, securing its first home win against 2022 Challenge Cup champions North Carolina Courage. Playing in front of a sold-out crowd of 22,000, the team, then led by two-time world champion Christen Press, took the energy from the stands and transformed it into three valuable points. It was a historic game, and introduced NWSL to Angel City FC’s honorary 12th player — a raucous home crowd.
If you haven’t yet spent time at the North End of the Banc yet, here’s an inside look at the six Angel City FC supporter groups, building community inside and outside of the stadium.
Angel City Valkyries
Angel City Valkyries is an independent supporters’ group founded on July 27, 2020. After attending the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France and meeting other passionate fans, the current President and Vice President, Stephanie Badum and Heather Borjon, decided to join forces and start their own Angel City FC supporter group. Banding behind the slogan, “Fight like a Valkyrie,” this group says Borjon, “brings a lot of passion and a lot of fun” to the stands.
What Angel City FC player from the current roster represents your group and why?
“Sydney Leroux," Borjon declares, "because she is an example of a female warrior. She advocates a lot for reproductive health and women’s rights. She has two beautiful children and produces great social media content for the fans.”
Mosaic 1781
Mosaic 1781 started as a group of 18 passionate women who bonded over the idea of empowering women and breaking barriers through soccer culture. Soon after hearing about the NWSL expansion teams, they founded Mosaic 1781.
As her President Alondra Espinosa shares, “We wanted to represent Los Angeles and the diversity of the city; Los Angeles was founded in 1781 and to us, Los Angeles is also a mosaic of people from different backgrounds.” Since then, this woman-led supporter group strives to be inclusive and inviting to anyone who wants to contribute to making soccer more accessible. Representing the diversity of Los Angeles, the SG seeks fans from all backgrounds, no matter their gender, religion, or ethnicity.
What Angel City FC player from the current roster represents your group and why?
Espinosa was quick to answer, “Not long ago I read an article about Didi Haricic that made me connect a lot of her background story to the stories of our group. Like a lot of us, she had to overcome many obstacles but that never deterred her. She represents our group because we are as resilient as she is and all of us have worked very hard to be recognized as individuals. As a player, her work ethic speaks volumes as to who she is to her teammates and as a person.”
Pandemonium
If you look at the North End, look for one of the white, black, and pink Panda-themed scarves to find this fun-loving independent supporter group that celebrates chaos. One member describes Pandas as “a bunch of hooligans that like to have fun.” Like the famous creature they adopted, these Pandas have diverse personality traits and come from all ethnic and racial backgrounds. You might see them rolling around the grass in laughter during Fan Fests or screaming their lungs out in the stands. If you are wild and free, you might be a good fit to join this chaotic band.
What Angel City FC player from the current roster represents your group and why?
Three different Pandas landed on Ali Riley for different reasons:
“It's the way she shows up: brings the energy and puts her whole heart into it”
“Because she is chaotic, sexy, BIPOC. Brings a lot of heart to the club.”
“Passion on the field, chaos off the field.”
PodeRosas
Created in the fall of 2021, this community is all about creating a safe space for future generations. They seek to lead by example by showing up to every game and cheering for a team that represents them. To one of their founders, Daisy Chávez (she/her/ella), “Our name is a play on both the words, Power and Roses, and we were intentional in choosing it to be in Spanish using a feminine adjective. Of course, we play on both these words to express our strength as well as demanding our flowers while we are alive, thus we capitalize both the P and R in it.” These supporters also describe themselves as the best of LA, building community while fighting for social justice.
What Angel City FC player from the current roster represents your group and why?
“We love to see our players of color," Chávez observed, "because we understand the challenges they face just to make it to such a major stage due to inequities and racism. Endo, Charlie, and Spencer are some of our favorites. Nevertheless, it's hard to contain our excitement for Stefany Ferrer. A group of PodeRosas had the opportunity to speak with her at a training event in June and it was evident how important representation is. Stefany came over to our group and began speaking in Spanish to us which felt special. Within a couple of minutes, it was as though we were longtime friends catching up. We can't wait until ACFC faces off with Tigres Femenil, the team Stefany comes from, in August!”
Rebellion 99, Inc.
What started as the movement “Bring NWSL to LA'' in the summer of 2019 became a reality for these supporters who never stopped believing in having a women’s soccer team. After establishing their social media accounts, a petition was released to fans with what Vice President Tory Lathrop describes as “the hope of someone picking it up and turning it into something.”
Fast forward to July 2020, as President and Co-Founder Julie Urhman made the announcement of Angel City joining the NWSL and listening to fans’ pleas, “Bring NWSL to LA” was building its official supporter group. Drawing from the USWNT’s epic 1999 World Cup victory that put women’s soccer in the spotlight, and their members' rebellious spirit, Rebellion 99 was born.
What Angel City FC player from the current roster represents your group and why?
Lathrop picked Jun Endo, noting, “When she is playing, she plays with a rebellious spirit, she plays to make the team successful. She is a selfless player, her passion and understanding of the game is like no other. She is a good team member, constantly leading by example.”
Relentless Ladies
Since 2021, this group of fans has sought to make a positive impact in their community while also supporting Angel City FC. As President Imelda Coronado-Skolnick explains, “Relentless Ladies describes the core of our values. Being Relentless in support not only in the stands but in our communities as well. We also believe that teaching our kids to be Relentless in every aspect of life can only breed success. Angel City FC epitomizes what being Relentless is and we love that!”
Relentless Ladies welcomes any Angel City FC supporters who are interested in a family-friendly environment while encouraging the next generation of young Relentless Tamariki supporters.
What Angel City FC player from the current roster represents your group and why?
According to Coronado-Skolnik, “Didi Haracic has quickly become not only a fan favorite but a favorite of Relentless Ladies. From the very first whistle in Fullerton at Challenge Cup to now, Didi has shown a Relentless nature to get better and better. Our GK has been a driving force in the team’s success by not only encouraging the backline and the rest of the squad, but pushing herself when it matters the most. If we were to describe Didi’s play on the pitch, we could sum it up in one word … Relentless!”
More than soccer
Aside from being the driving force of the team during game days, these supporters are all about giving back to the community and raising voices off the field. Following the Three Impact Pillars of Angel City FC (essentials, equity, education), these groups act on the issues that matter the most to them and their communities.
For instance, during Black History Month, Rebellion 99 partnered with team player Simone Charley on a fundraising campaign to benefit The California Black Women’s Health Project. Pride month was also a chance to empower and support the LGBTQIA+ community. Valkyries, Mosaic 1781, Pandemonium, Relentless Ladies, and PodeRosas unified to raise funds in support of the TransLatin@ Coalition and their mission to advocate for the Trans Latin@ community. For every goal that Angel City FC scored, $482.50 was pledged to the mission, reaching a total of $1,930.
Similarly, Rebellion 99 sold a special collection of merchandise donating 100% of its proceeds to ProjectQ, a nonprofit aimed at using self-empowerment as a form of social justice. In essence, what is important according to supporter group leaders like Lathrop and Borjon is to “make direct impact by uplifting and creating opportunities,” but also “having fun while doing it.”
Your next chance to interact with these amazing Angel City FC supporter groups will be this coming Saturday at the Banc of California in the match against the OL Reign. For additional information about upcoming events, please follow their individual social media platforms or find them holding their scarves up while chanting to one of my favorite hits: We are LA, forever we are loud and bold.