EDEN PRAIRIE, MN — Minnesota may soon have another professional sports team in its lineup.
The Aurora girls soccer team is on a journey to make that leap forward.
Aurora co-founder and director Andrea Joch says there are many reasons why the team is poised to make the leap from amateur to professional in the National Women's Soccer League.
“In response to demand, we are expanding TCO Stadium to 7,000 fans this year. We have a long list of great sponsors, season ticket holders, a lot of merchandise, and we have TV partnerships.” said Yocci.
But getting there isn't easy. The difficult part is money. The value of women's sports teams has skyrocketed over the past few years.
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“If you have the money, are willing to make a big investment, and care deeply about women's sports, get involved now,” said Dr. Nicole M. Lavoie, director of the Tucker Women's Sports Research Center. .
Her team has been monitoring trends in women's sports for 30 years.
“The return on investment for women's professional sports facilities is just the tip of the iceberg,” Lavoie said.
A recent example is the San Diego Wave Football Club.
The team was acquired in 2021 for $2 million and most recently sold for $113 million, the largest sale ever for an NWSL team.
“In terms of investing in women's sports, I would take that bet. This is a really amazing increase in a short period of time,” Lavoie said.
Currently, Aurora players play for experience, but when they turn professional they will play as a profession. Everything is only getting bigger in the field of professional sports. Players are getting paid more, medical staff, front office staff and fans are getting bigger.
If all goes according to plan, Aurora hopes to become a professional team by the 2026 season.
