Minnesota Aurora FC: 5,000 owners worldwide and an expanded community vision for women's football
A new investment drive for the trailblazing American club will end on 31 January.
For many football fans, it’s a lifelong dream to be able to own a club.
This year, the American club Minnesota Aurora FC in the USL-W League has been expanding its already historic ownership model, and the window to becoming a community owner will close on 31 January.
Founded in 2021, Aurora broke the mould when it raised $1 million from 3,080 community owners from 48 US states and seven countries. After that initial investment target was reached, it paused increasing ownership shares despite unrelenting interest.
“When we raised the first set of money, our goal was really to have three years’ worth of operating expenses, and we're through our three years,” Aurora co-founder and board member Andrea Yoch said.
“None of the founders are rich, and so you have to continually figure out how to bring in revenue.”
2025 and beyond
Now, heading into its fourth season in the pre-professional USL-W league, the club has surpassed 5,000 owners in all 50 US states and has increased its worldwide reach to 17 countries. Aurora’s new WeFunder is up to $776,000.
It is already the largest community-owned independent women’s club in the country, and is definitely an outlier in all of world football when it comes to the size of its alternative ownership models.
Yoch says things are different now than in 2021. The club has a proven concept, as well as established alternative revenue streams through ticketing, merchandise, and sponsorships. So, the pressure to hit the same figure isn’t there.
However, running a football club and trying to create the best and most accessible environment for players isn’t cheap. Costs mount.
“We have to keep paying for player registry, US Soccer registration, to pay for their housing, to make sure these players have a first-class experience with the club,” said Yoch.
“By doing this other round of ownership, it's now going to give us our next few years worth of foundation, and it will allow us to continue to provide scholarships if somebody can't afford to come to our tryouts, we will cover their fees. And the mission of the team, from the beginning, was to remove the financial barriers for women to be able to play soccer.”
“We are absolutely crushing”
Playing their home matches at TCO Stadium in Eagan, Minnesota, Aurora boasts extraordinary home support. For the past three years, the club’s average attendance has stayed at 5,535. In 2023, they broke the USL-W record for single-match attendance with 6,904.
“When I look around at what we set out to do, which was to give people more experience on and off the field to get to the next step of their career. We are absolutely crushing,” said Yoch.
To put that in perspective, in the NWSL, the Houston Dash, Racing Louisville, and North Carolina Courage only average around 6,000 fans per match.
When compared to the WSL, Aurora’s average attendance ranks above the likes of Manchester United, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Leicester City and West Ham.
“There are things we can do to the sides of the main team, but really, to keep growing, the main team, that means more games and better competition,” Yoch explained.
The USL-W remains a pre-professional women’s football league, which means players do not receive a salary. The league is mostly made up of developing stars either still studying in higher education, or those on the verge of turning pro.
Unfortunately, there are only six home matches a year in the USL-W, and not much in the way of a robust broadcast or streaming package. This has limited the amount of commercial opportunity.
Not all USL-W teams are equal, either. Aurora, in many ways, is the exception, not the rule, in an underfunded league.
While 2025 will see Aurora continue to play in the USL-W, Yoch believes the club’s future will be focused on becoming a professional club in the near future. Whether that is NWSL — where Aurora has previously bid for expansion — the USL-Super League or any other professional league.
On the pitch, Aurora has also matched their stunning brand and packed out stadium. Over three seasons, the club is yet to lose a regular season match (W: 33 D: 3 L: 0).
In their inaugural 2022 season, Aurora lost in the USL-W Championship final to Tormenta, and since have been knocked out in earlier playoff rounds.
In 2024, Aurora’s first-ever head coach, Nicole Lukic, was whisked away from the club to become the head of talent identification at US Soccer. While 15 former Aurora players have gone on to have professional careers.
“We know the model works, right? We know you just have to give people a chance. And so that, that is the piece I am most proud of is, you know, we have two players that played in Champions League games in Portugal,” Yoch beamed.
Aurora has a kinship with other community-owned clubs across the world, like Lewes FC, in England, but it is rare for a community-owned club to only have a women’s side.
There’s also guaranteed longevity that comes with buying a community ownership share. Aurora community owners can buy a share for any amount starting at $100. The average share purchase price has been $375, and each owner will maintain their share and voting privileges for life.
The world of football is always looking for innovation. And, Aurora might just offer something different.
You can become a community owner of Aurora FC here. You can find more information about the club and the model here.