Ep. 78: MN Aurora FC. For Community, By Community.

[00:00:00] Mall of America. It's home to world-class shopping, great dining, and amazing attractions and events. And these are our stories presented by Bloomington, Minnesota Travel and Tourism.

[00:00:12] Hey Mall of America fans, welcome to So Much More. We have a very special episode for you today about women's athletics. And I'm Jill Renzel, your host for today's show, joined by Dan Jasper, my co-host.

[00:00:23] Hey Jill, how are you doing today?

[00:00:24] Doing great. Excited to have two fabulous women with us today to talk about women's athletics. First off, we have Andrea Yock. She is the co-founder and current board member for Minnesota Aurora. And also joining us is professional soccer player, Mackenzie Landock, who has played for the Aurora for two years and now plays in Europe. So welcome ladies.

[00:00:45] Thank you for having us.

[00:00:46] Love it. So we're going to jump right in. And Andrea, I'd like to start with you to just tell our viewers and listeners a little bit about your story.

[00:00:52] You have had a huge footprint here in Minnesota with a variety of different leadership positions. So I'd love to hear your story of where you got started and what brought you to Aurora.

[00:01:04] Yes, I'll give you the short version. So I have always wanted to work in sports. I started off in college wanting to be a sports journalist, but I was ahead of my time and there were not a lot of jobs for women.

[00:01:16] And so I ended up moving to Minnesota from the East Coast, got a job in Albert Lee, Minnesota as the sports editor of the little paper down there.

[00:01:25] Eventually discovered that being a young woman in sports and working for the newspaper was not really compatible with any sort of life and had the opportunity to switch over to the business side of sports in 1992 for the Super Bowl.

[00:01:39] When it came to Minnesota in 1992, conveniently also when the Mall of America opened.

[00:01:44] Great year.

[00:01:45] It was a perfect year.

[00:01:46] It was a very busy year.

[00:01:49] And from then I really just have been able to stay on the business side of sports my whole career.

[00:01:54] A lot on the media side.

[00:01:56] So working as the sports liaison for media properties.

[00:02:00] And then eventually ended up at Minnesota United when they were moving.

[00:02:05] They were a minor league team trying to get to the major leagues.

[00:02:07] And so when the idea to bring a women's team to town started, I got invited to the very first meeting.

[00:02:15] And it was COVID.

[00:02:17] My paid job is trying to gather people in large groups.

[00:02:21] And during COVID, no one was paying anybody to put large groups together.

[00:02:25] And so I was like, yeah, I'll go to a meeting.

[00:02:27] I have nothing else going on.

[00:02:28] And so we met in this park six feet apart with our masks on on a Sunday afternoon.

[00:02:34] And as we were pulling away from that meeting, my husband looked at me and he said, you're all in on this, aren't you?

[00:02:40] And I was like, I am.

[00:02:41] And he knows what that means.

[00:02:43] Lifetime commitment.

[00:02:44] Yep.

[00:02:44] Along with all of everybody else that I know.

[00:02:46] I know what all in means with Andrea, yes.

[00:02:47] Yes, exactly.

[00:02:48] So yeah, so that's kind of, that was how I got to Aurora.

[00:02:51] And it's been more than we ever possibly could have imagined.

[00:02:55] That's awesome.

[00:02:56] And yes, knowing you for many years, you have such energy and drive for the ideas that surround you.

[00:03:02] And when you are all in, you're all in.

[00:03:05] And it's been great.

[00:03:06] But it's funny when you talk about the Super Bowl from 92, you also were involved with some of the coordination of 2018 when we have all the community effort and support.

[00:03:14] And it was fun to reminisce on the efforts that happened in 92 versus what happened in 2018.

[00:03:19] So that was fun.

[00:03:20] One of the best parties I've ever been able to throw in my whole life was here at Nickelodeon Universe.

[00:03:24] Yes, yes.

[00:03:25] That was also one of the most embarrassing moments of my life, too.

[00:03:27] And why was that?

[00:03:28] Did you never hear the story about Brad Paisley?

[00:03:30] I don't think I did.

[00:03:31] So I was working on the one side of Nickelodeon Universe with all my credentials.

[00:03:36] And word came through that Brad Paisley, who I love, was over by the swings.

[00:03:41] And I had to meet Brad Paisley.

[00:03:43] And I've met a lot of celebrities.

[00:03:44] I went, it's amazing, security did not take me down.

[00:03:48] I went running across Nickelodeon Universe with my credentials flying, looking like a mad woman, to get to the swings, to get into the select comfort special party zone, to meet Brad Paisley.

[00:03:59] And there's a picture of me with Brad Paisley with the stupidest smile on my face, like I had never met anybody important in my whole life.

[00:04:06] And I was so happy.

[00:04:08] It was so great.

[00:04:09] Oh, that makes me happy.

[00:04:10] I did know about that.

[00:04:12] I happened to be down in the security room at that time, and they were all tracking you.

[00:04:16] That's all I'm saying.

[00:04:17] Who's the crazy lady that's chasing Brad Paisley around the mall?

[00:04:19] It's not the first time that security has been alerted at the Mall of America because of something that I was doing.

[00:04:25] If you remember when I was with Minnesota United, do you remember police met the dark clouds on Light Rail?

[00:04:30] That is a very famous Minnesota United supporter story because they were monitoring traffic.

[00:04:36] And they saw all these people heading towards the mall, and they thought it was a protest coming.

[00:04:39] And so literally the dark clouds got off Light Rail with their signs, and security was standing there waiting for them.

[00:04:46] And I had to clear them.

[00:04:47] I love it.

[00:04:48] Through security coming to the rotunda.

[00:04:49] So anyway.

[00:04:50] Well, starting a new team in this community is not an easy task.

[00:04:54] We have a lot of pro sports teams, a lot of minor teams.

[00:04:59] We've got collegiate teams.

[00:05:00] We have a really strong sports community.

[00:05:03] What were some of those first steps?

[00:05:05] What did that look like to get up and running with a brand new team here in Minnesota?

[00:05:10] Well, we were lucky.

[00:05:11] There are nine founders.

[00:05:12] And somehow, like the best version of Survivor, we each had skills we were able to bring to the table.

[00:05:20] So I wasn't the person worried about hiring the soccer coach or figuring out the brand or anything else.

[00:05:27] My job was to get attention for the team.

[00:05:30] So for me, it was rallying everybody that I'd ever worked with and saying, hey, we've got this thing happening.

[00:05:36] We need your help.

[00:05:38] And because of the nature of the Twin Cities, which you guys both know, right, people help.

[00:05:42] And everybody wants things to be successful.

[00:05:46] There's not this competitive feeling of, oh, your success comes at my expense.

[00:05:52] If you're successful, it makes our market better.

[00:05:54] And so that's really where we started was I started in my lane over in the marketing and the public relations.

[00:06:00] We had some other founders working on the coaches.

[00:06:03] You know, I was working on where are we going to play.

[00:06:06] And some of our amazing designers and our board chair now, Allie Schmidt, she was working on the brand with a group of incredibly talented women.

[00:06:14] And so we all divided up.

[00:06:17] And it worked out really well.

[00:06:19] And the next thing we knew, it sort of all came together.

[00:06:22] And, in fact, our very first event was here at the mall.

[00:06:26] It was the first day I met McKenzie.

[00:06:27] Yep, it was.

[00:06:28] Was that day.

[00:06:29] And so, yeah, it was really amazing how it came together.

[00:06:32] Best group project I've ever worked on.

[00:06:34] Well, I have to say you guys pulled together an amazing team.

[00:06:39] The talent for those women athletes for Aurora obviously knocked it out of the park right away.

[00:06:44] So, McKenzie, we're excited to talk with you and hear about your experience with Aurora.

[00:06:49] Love hearing that you guys met for the first time here at the mall.

[00:06:51] Yeah, we did.

[00:06:51] So, tell us a little bit about your story.

[00:06:53] How did you get involved?

[00:06:54] So, I grew up here in Minnesota.

[00:06:57] I'm from St. Michael Albrechtville.

[00:06:58] And so, I went to school at Minnesota.

[00:07:01] I went to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

[00:07:03] And one of the other founders, Matt, did social media for our team.

[00:07:08] And so, once I was done playing, he connected me with Nicole, who ended up being the head coach.

[00:07:13] And I connected with her, went to a tryout, and then was on the team.

[00:07:18] And you were our captain our first year.

[00:07:20] I was a captain.

[00:07:22] First and second season.

[00:07:24] And, yeah, it was just, it was incredible.

[00:07:27] The kit reveal, I think, was really when it sunk in for me how big this was going to be.

[00:07:33] And bigger than anything that I had been a part of or experienced before.

[00:07:36] So, it was really, it was incredible.

[00:07:38] And I don't know if you remember, I actually cried when I met you guys.

[00:07:41] Because we had been working on this on paper for a year.

[00:07:46] And to actually see real live players.

[00:07:49] Like, it was real.

[00:07:50] And so, that morning at the Rotunda, it was you and Ari.

[00:07:53] And I was like, wait, we did this.

[00:07:56] Like, these are real live soccer players in front of us wearing our brand that we made up.

[00:08:02] It was, and I, so I was teary.

[00:08:04] I was like, oh my, like, this is actually going to happen.

[00:08:06] Yeah.

[00:08:07] And for those who are listening and watching who don't know what a kit are,

[00:08:11] or don't watch Ted Lasso, what's a kit?

[00:08:13] A kit is your jersey, your uniform.

[00:08:15] Your uniform.

[00:08:16] Yeah, absolutely.

[00:08:17] And we're so proud to be part of that story, too.

[00:08:19] I have to ask, I have a granddaughter who's six years old and loves playing sports, football, ninja, baseball,

[00:08:26] which I love because she has role models, right, to look up to.

[00:08:30] Yeah.

[00:08:32] How young were you when you started sports, and did you play sports in addition to soccer?

[00:08:36] I did.

[00:08:37] So, I started playing soccer specifically at four.

[00:08:40] My dad played growing up.

[00:08:42] The rec league started a block down from my house, so we just walked over.

[00:08:46] And in addition to soccer, I played.

[00:08:48] I tried volleyball.

[00:08:49] I tried softball.

[00:08:50] I ran track, played basketball, tried all the different sports, played football with the boys at recess, all of those kind of things.

[00:08:56] But soccer was really where it stuck for me.

[00:09:00] I had such energy to play the other ones.

[00:09:02] I needed to be running a little bit more.

[00:09:04] Well, it's a crazy world because as you get into the high school years, they really kind of force you into picking that sport that you really want to fine-tune your skills,

[00:09:13] and you end up playing it year-round.

[00:09:15] So, it's hard for athletes to be multi-sport athletes.

[00:09:17] But I love hearing that you're trying a lot of different things out, and I think that's really encouraging for young people that do give it a try,

[00:09:23] give a lot of things to try and see what's going to stick.

[00:09:25] But you're involved in a sport, in a women's sport, when so much momentum is being built,

[00:09:33] when you're seeing success across so many different levels of play.

[00:09:37] What is that like, and where is that opportunity that you see, to Dan's point,

[00:09:42] to be that role model to really make a difference in showcasing your skills and your success to so many other younger generation?

[00:09:51] Yeah, I think that that first season of Aurora, I was like blown away that I had the opportunity to like give little girls someone to look up to

[00:10:02] and show them that like you can play at a high level and in front of all these fans.

[00:10:07] And so, I think it's really cool to be in that group, and I think it's really exciting for girls growing up right now

[00:10:14] that they have somewhere that they can go after college and like make money and make it a career if they want to.

[00:10:21] And so, I think growing up I had, I went to Gopher Games growing up.

[00:10:26] I went and watched my local high school team play when I was really little and was like a ball girl for them.

[00:10:31] And so, I think it's just really cool that this is the next step.

[00:10:35] And so, I'm really lucky to be part of it.

[00:10:39] And it's not just on the field.

[00:10:40] Like, we work really hard to train young women off the field as well, and that's been a really important part of our mission

[00:10:46] is sometimes everybody, including Mackenzie, they just need that one opportunity, right?

[00:10:53] And then you give them that one opportunity, it unlocks so many others.

[00:10:57] And so, we're really proud of the fact that along with Ken's, we have 15 players playing professionally right now

[00:11:03] that all came through Aurora.

[00:11:04] That's awesome.

[00:11:04] And we have seven people that have come through our front office that are all now working full-time in sports.

[00:11:10] And in one case, Morgan Turner, she played for us, and now she's working in sports on the sponsorship side of the U.

[00:11:16] So, part of what we were trying to establish is you're going to get rejected to all these other places.

[00:11:22] Come to Aurora.

[00:11:23] Get the experience you need.

[00:11:25] Get the reps you need.

[00:11:26] Build your resume.

[00:11:27] And go on.

[00:11:28] And it's sometimes working too well because we've lost some people that we'd like to hold on to.

[00:11:33] But it's working.

[00:11:35] Like, people just need experience, and they just need a chance.

[00:11:37] Yeah.

[00:11:37] And congratulations to you because now you're playing professional.

[00:11:40] Yeah.

[00:11:40] Tell us a little bit about that.

[00:11:42] Yeah.

[00:11:42] So, after the second season of Aurora, I went to Serbia.

[00:11:46] I was there for about four months.

[00:11:49] A quick experience.

[00:11:50] Got what I needed out of it.

[00:11:51] It was really cool.

[00:11:52] I went with another Aurora player, actually, Abio.

[00:11:54] And we both got to play in the Champions League.

[00:11:57] We got to travel and then continue to build our resumes.

[00:12:01] And then I was in Sweden for the past nine months playing there, and it was incredible.

[00:12:05] I loved my experience.

[00:12:07] Sad to not be going back, but yeah, it was awesome.

[00:12:11] Fantastic.

[00:12:11] And Andrew, you talk about building their experience off the field, and you can tell.

[00:12:17] When the team is out here, first of all, we love working with the team.

[00:12:21] You guys have just fun personalities and just great connection with the community.

[00:12:27] And so, we've done a lot of events together, but it's just been great to work with the team

[00:12:31] and really can really recognize that effort and really building out to the community.

[00:12:36] So, we'd love to hear any other fun stories that you've had here at the mall with some

[00:12:40] of the events because the kit reveal, it's great to hear that that was just a huge tipping

[00:12:43] point of being able to have that realization that this is happening.

[00:12:47] So, are there any other fun stories that you guys have?

[00:12:49] Because I know you guys have also done rides and some fun team building.

[00:12:52] And did you go on the behind-the-scenes tour?

[00:12:54] No, I think that was this summer.

[00:12:57] I think I missed out on that one, unfortunately.

[00:12:59] It was awesome.

[00:13:00] That's all I've got to say.

[00:13:01] I heard.

[00:13:02] I heard.

[00:13:02] I saw him have missed it.

[00:13:02] I had a behind-the-scenes tour of the mall.

[00:13:04] It was fun.

[00:13:05] Oh, they had a blast.

[00:13:06] And I think, you know, the biggest thing for this team and our players is a lot of them

[00:13:12] have come from environments where they're just playing in front of their parents and

[00:13:15] their grandparents.

[00:13:16] Sure.

[00:13:16] And so, to walk into TCO Stadium and have 6,000 people there but have, like, real sponsors like

[00:13:25] the Mall of America.

[00:13:26] Like, you look over at our signage, it's the Mall of America and the Star Tribune and Gatorade.

[00:13:30] And those are real companies, right?

[00:13:33] With real choices and that everybody is choosing Aurora.

[00:13:37] And again, we're in a busy market.

[00:13:38] People could go anywhere on a Saturday night.

[00:13:40] And so, when they show up, and I think what I've seen is that when the players have an opportunity

[00:13:46] to connect back to the community and say thank you, it's so genuine.

[00:13:50] And we had an open house last Saturday at our offices.

[00:13:53] And these kids that were showing up to see the players that we had, but even our mascot,

[00:13:58] it was like they missed them.

[00:14:00] There was like a, I need to see you.

[00:14:02] And, but the players felt the same way.

[00:14:05] And that, I think, is really special.

[00:14:07] And I think so when you've come from a place where no one's paying attention and you get

[00:14:10] to the place where everybody's paying attention, you give everything you can back to that fan

[00:14:15] base.

[00:14:16] Well, you've done a really great job building a unique fan engagement and it's created

[00:14:22] passionate fans.

[00:14:23] So, I'd love for both of you to talk a little bit about that because that's got to fuel

[00:14:26] the energy and the momentum for the team, for the club in general, ownership.

[00:14:31] So, talk a little bit about the unique fan engagement.

[00:14:34] Yeah, I think I can speak as far as like the playing goes and being part of like on the

[00:14:39] field where you have people banging the drums and doing chants specific to each player and

[00:14:45] just like the encouragement and the, it's so loud.

[00:14:48] And it's just like, that sounds silly, but coming from playing in front of your parents

[00:14:52] and stuff, you can hear your parents shouting.

[00:14:54] It's your parents talking.

[00:14:55] You can hear your parents talking.

[00:14:56] Yes.

[00:14:57] I mean, like, why did she do that?

[00:14:58] Yep.

[00:14:58] So, going from that to playing in front of 6,000 people who are engaged and when you're

[00:15:05] going to score, like, it gets louder and everyone's cheering, like, it's an incredible, incredible

[00:15:10] experience.

[00:15:10] And so, I think that is really unique and it just makes you feel part of a community that

[00:15:16] all these people are here supporting you on the field, but also off the field and in

[00:15:21] your success going forward.

[00:15:23] And I think, like, some of the ways that we've been different, which the mall's been a part

[00:15:26] of is our first two seasons when you were our player walkout supporters, right?

[00:15:31] That's, like, when our players would come out and these little kids are lined up, ready

[00:15:37] to walk out holding their hands.

[00:15:39] What you've never been able to see is that interaction between the players and these kids.

[00:15:43] We've had Special Olympians.

[00:15:45] We've had, we work really hard to invite in groups that otherwise never, ever get these

[00:15:49] opportunities.

[00:15:50] And they'd get their little Mall of America gift bag.

[00:15:52] And it was, but the moments right before they walked out when, like, Mackenzie, when you're

[00:15:58] coming, they would lean over and introduce themselves.

[00:16:01] And the kids are scared.

[00:16:02] And they would connect.

[00:16:04] And then they hold hands.

[00:16:05] And they walk out onto that soccer.

[00:16:07] Oh, I'm getting chills just thinking about it.

[00:16:08] It's, like, one of my favorite moments of the game.

[00:16:10] Because we have made such an immediate and direct impact on those little kids who are never

[00:16:15] going to forget it.

[00:16:16] But also a moment for our players to be like, this is really special.

[00:16:21] And now I get to go play soccer.

[00:16:23] Yeah.

[00:16:23] Right?

[00:16:24] Yeah.

[00:16:24] That is one of the most incredible things is that little bit of connection beforehand.

[00:16:28] And then coming to see them afterward on Autograph Alley.

[00:16:32] Like, it's just, it's great.

[00:16:34] Yeah.

[00:16:34] Yeah.

[00:16:34] It makes the game so much bigger than it really is when you can really layer in that purpose

[00:16:40] and you're making a difference with a lot of individuals.

[00:16:42] And I think, you know, I'd love for you to talk about the unique model from how it's

[00:16:49] structured.

[00:16:49] Aurora is a community-based model.

[00:16:51] Very similar to kind of the Green Bay Packers.

[00:16:54] I don't want to bring up the Packers in a Minnesota podcast.

[00:16:57] But it's a unique model that has worked for teams.

[00:17:00] And I think it's unique to Minnesota.

[00:17:03] So talk a little bit about that and how it's still an opportunity for people to get involved.

[00:17:07] Yeah.

[00:17:07] So when we started the team, the beauty of the team is it was founded by normal people in

[00:17:11] the Twin Cities.

[00:17:12] But the hard part is that none of us are rich.

[00:17:15] And it does take money to run anything.

[00:17:17] And so we were trying to figure out how we were going to fund this team.

[00:17:20] And Wes Burdine, who's one of our founders, he is a student of soccer and fan culture.

[00:17:26] And he knows everything you'd ever want to know about how fans interact with their soccer

[00:17:31] teams.

[00:17:31] And Wes said, you know, I think we can get community funding.

[00:17:34] So basically crowdsourcing to fund this team.

[00:17:37] I didn't know anything.

[00:17:38] But I was like, oh, sounds good.

[00:17:40] Like, I think we can solve that.

[00:17:41] Sure.

[00:17:42] And so what we did, and it's been done in men's soccer.

[00:17:45] It had never before been done by an independent women's soccer team.

[00:17:49] We opened up what is called a WeFunder as the platform.

[00:17:52] And so it's a secure transaction.

[00:17:54] And you actually buy shares in the team.

[00:17:57] So you actually own parts of Aurora.

[00:18:00] I own parts of Aurora.

[00:18:01] Dan's going to own parts of Aurora.

[00:18:03] I am going to.

[00:18:04] Your granddaughter needs shares in the team.

[00:18:06] You're right.

[00:18:07] I'll maybe do it in her name.

[00:18:08] Yes, you can.

[00:18:09] And so when we went out to everybody and said, we can't afford to start this team, but we've

[00:18:14] got this vision.

[00:18:15] We think it's going to work.

[00:18:16] And people just all jumped in.

[00:18:19] So the minimum price is $100.

[00:18:22] You can buy your shares.

[00:18:23] You can spend more than that if you want to.

[00:18:25] You can gift them.

[00:18:26] And our average investment the first time we did this was $330.

[00:18:31] It was people waiting for payday to buy their shares.

[00:18:34] And so the first round, we sold 3,080 shares.

[00:18:38] We sold out.

[00:18:39] We raised a million dollars.

[00:18:40] We had so many people left on the waiting list.

[00:18:43] And so this fall, as we head into season four and we have to figure out, okay, how are we

[00:18:48] going to keep growing?

[00:18:50] There's only so much you can count on your sponsors and tickets.

[00:18:53] And we can't expand our stadium.

[00:18:55] So we decided we would do another round.

[00:18:57] And so right now we have community owners' shares open.

[00:19:01] They make great gifts.

[00:19:03] And again, it's $100.

[00:19:04] And so if you just go to mnaurora.com, you can find your way to purchase your shares and become an owner.

[00:19:11] And then you get to walk around and say, I own a women's soccer team and it's way cooler than the Packers.

[00:19:17] I know.

[00:19:18] I probably should have had an example of soccer versus American football.

[00:19:21] No, everybody asks about the Packers.

[00:19:22] But so many people know the Packers model because it's literally like right in the middle of a residential area.

[00:19:28] And the difference between us and the Packers, I mean, there's a lot of differences between the Packers.

[00:19:33] But one of the differences is our community owners elect two representatives to our board of directors.

[00:19:39] It is really important for us that we never get so big that the fans don't know who's running the team.

[00:19:46] And so the community owners in our bylaws, we just had the elections.

[00:19:51] We're about to welcome two new representatives in.

[00:19:53] They elect two members of our board.

[00:19:55] And so in every board meeting, every decision we make, there is a representative from that community ownership group.

[00:20:01] And I think it has allowed us to make really good decisions because the voice of the fan is sitting in the room.

[00:20:10] And if you think about all the teams you support, when are you ever going to run into the people that run the team?

[00:20:16] Like you don't get to just express your displeasure, right?

[00:20:20] Whereas here, well, one, you can run into any of us anywhere because we live here.

[00:20:24] But also like you have a representative.

[00:20:27] And I think that model makes people feel empowered about buying their shares as well.

[00:20:32] So in addition to becoming an owner, be a fan.

[00:20:35] So talk a little bit about the season and kind of where people, where you go to watch, where you can buy tickets.

[00:20:43] Give a little bit of fan information.

[00:20:45] Yeah.

[00:20:45] So season kicks off.

[00:20:47] I don't know the start date.

[00:20:48] It's usually we start.

[00:20:49] We don't have the schedule.

[00:20:49] It's not out yet.

[00:20:50] We start training in May usually.

[00:20:51] Games usually start early June and goes through hopefully the end of July.

[00:20:55] There we go.

[00:20:56] Hopefully the end of July is when the season should run through.

[00:21:00] So and I think you can also get tickets on the website.

[00:21:02] You're the logistics person.

[00:21:05] So at manorora.com and there's a newsletter you can sign up for.

[00:21:09] Tickets will start being sold in January.

[00:21:10] So we're getting here and then once the schedule comes out.

[00:21:14] I love that.

[00:21:14] And I'm curious.

[00:21:16] I know the answer to this.

[00:21:17] But how many losses have you incurred in the first three seasons?

[00:21:21] Three.

[00:21:22] And they have all been in the playoffs.

[00:21:25] Okay.

[00:21:25] Non-playoff losses.

[00:21:27] Zero.

[00:21:27] Zero.

[00:21:28] I know.

[00:21:29] That's awesome.

[00:21:30] You're like 33-0-3 or something, right?

[00:21:32] Yeah.

[00:21:32] Yeah.

[00:21:33] I think so.

[00:21:33] Which is fantastic.

[00:21:34] You have this amazing organization that you've built with really strong, dedicated players

[00:21:39] that are good.

[00:21:41] Absolutely.

[00:21:41] Right?

[00:21:42] Yeah.

[00:21:42] Yes.

[00:21:43] We need the trophy.

[00:21:45] Yes.

[00:21:45] We'll get there.

[00:21:46] No shade on McKenzie.

[00:21:49] It's a team.

[00:21:50] But when we started in this league, there was 44 teams.

[00:21:52] And we were in the championship game that season.

[00:21:56] Now this league has 96 teams and counting.

[00:21:59] I just saw a team get announced for Utah this morning.

[00:22:03] Sioux Falls.

[00:22:04] South Dakota.

[00:22:05] Minnesota is coming in to the league.

[00:22:06] Which could be good.

[00:22:08] Like you get those fans over here at the mall.

[00:22:10] Yeah.

[00:22:10] But it's going to get harder and harder to win the trophy.

[00:22:13] Certainly.

[00:22:14] When the league's doubled in size.

[00:22:15] Yeah.

[00:22:15] In three years.

[00:22:16] But yeah.

[00:22:17] We are very good.

[00:22:18] I think.

[00:22:18] Yeah.

[00:22:19] I think your record is incredible.

[00:22:21] Right?

[00:22:21] It shows that there's good coaching.

[00:22:23] There's good management.

[00:22:23] There's strong players.

[00:22:25] And it's fun having a Minnesota team that really consistently wins.

[00:22:29] And we have several.

[00:22:30] Right?

[00:22:31] But this is fun.

[00:22:32] Yeah.

[00:22:32] So there you go.

[00:22:33] There it is.

[00:22:34] Yeah.

[00:22:34] We'll just smile to that.

[00:22:36] Yeah.

[00:22:36] I had honestly thought this year was going to be the trifecta year after the Frost won

[00:22:41] the national championship.

[00:22:43] And the Lynx were playing really well.

[00:22:45] Yes.

[00:22:45] I actually was like, what if we did a women's trifecta in Minnesota where we win, the Lynx

[00:22:49] win, and the Frost win?

[00:22:51] How amazing would that be?

[00:22:53] And then, you know, and of course, sports are hard is what I have learned now with Aurora.

[00:22:59] It's a lot harder to win than I thought it was.

[00:23:02] Super easy for me to say sitting in the stands.

[00:23:05] So I have now learned it's a lot harder than it looks from a fan's perspective.

[00:23:09] I'd love to ask Mackenzie really quickly, if I may, when you're two years with Aurora

[00:23:14] as a player.

[00:23:15] What's the one thing you treasure the most from that experience?

[00:23:20] And what was the biggest lesson you learned as a player?

[00:23:23] Oh, good question.

[00:23:26] I think what I cherish the most is, I mean, I just love being part of a team.

[00:23:30] And the first couple of seasons, I can only speak to those seasons, but we were so close.

[00:23:35] Like, I loved those girls.

[00:23:37] And I think that's why we did so well and continue to do so well is because the environment

[00:23:43] they put together is so professional.

[00:23:45] We're with each other every morning practicing.

[00:23:46] We're with each other traveling.

[00:23:48] We spend so much time together and we really get to know each other.

[00:23:50] And so I think that's like what I cherish the most.

[00:23:55] I just love being part of a team.

[00:23:56] And I think the greatest lesson I learned is probably just that if you have like the right

[00:24:09] group of people or like, I think you guys do a great job of bringing in the different

[00:24:14] players.

[00:24:14] And I think beforehand, I was under the opinion that like being on a college team for four

[00:24:21] years, you get good chemistry, you get to know each other, but that can happen in a

[00:24:26] short period of time if it's the right group.

[00:24:28] And I think that's something that goes for beyond soccer too.

[00:24:33] It goes into business and life.

[00:24:35] Yeah.

[00:24:35] Building a cohesive team.

[00:24:37] Yeah.

[00:24:37] Right?

[00:24:37] Yeah.

[00:24:38] I love that.

[00:24:38] Yeah, absolutely.

[00:24:39] I do have to give you a shout out for the branding, you know, coming from the marketing

[00:24:45] brands side of the world.

[00:24:46] I love how it all came together.

[00:24:49] I mean, when you can have a brand that transpires into beautiful merchandise that all the fans want

[00:24:55] to want to wear, want to showcase, I mean, hats off to really developing an amazing brand

[00:25:02] and having it very like leaning into the Minnesota style as well, but yet being bold

[00:25:07] and fresh and unique.

[00:25:09] Wait till you see the 2025 jersey.

[00:25:11] Ooh, we're going to have to add some merch.

[00:25:13] And you should probably have a store out at Malva America one of these days.

[00:25:16] We're going to get there.

[00:25:17] We've got a very ambitious list for 2025.

[00:25:21] But, you know, the truth of our brand is that there were women designers in the Twin Cities

[00:25:26] that had been consistently rejected from working in sports.

[00:25:29] And they came forward and said, we want to help.

[00:25:33] And we were smart enough to say, great, awesome.

[00:25:36] And again, saying very much that I was in my lane.

[00:25:39] I had nothing to do with any of it except for approving the hiring of these women.

[00:25:44] And as has happened a lot with Aurora, like it just came together.

[00:25:47] So the woman that actually designed our jerseys, so we had two other women, Carla and Nicole

[00:25:52] and Allie that did our logo, which of course we're not wearing.

[00:25:56] I love it.

[00:25:58] But then this woman, Cassidy Sapinski, who designed our jerseys, she actually introduced

[00:26:04] herself to Wes Burdine after we had announced that we were bringing a team.

[00:26:08] We were Minnesota women's soccer.

[00:26:09] And she introduced herself and said, I am a kit designer.

[00:26:12] I haven't had a chance to really do this on a big stage.

[00:26:16] I want to design your kits.

[00:26:18] And she had done some minor soccer stuff that, again, we were aware of because, you know,

[00:26:23] we're soccer geeks.

[00:26:24] And so Wes is literally texting us from the bar at Blackheart saying, Cassidy Sapinski just

[00:26:30] walked in and said, she wants to design our kits.

[00:26:32] Can I hire her?

[00:26:33] And the board is like, yes, like hire her.

[00:26:36] And she's done all of our kits since then.

[00:26:38] But she started on the foundation of the logo that the fans voted on.

[00:26:43] And it's been amazing.

[00:26:45] And so, yeah, the 2025 jerseys.

[00:26:48] I can't wait.

[00:26:49] They're going to be amazing.

[00:26:50] We could maybe reveal them here.

[00:26:51] Yeah.

[00:26:51] I'm hoping we can.

[00:26:52] Love that.

[00:26:53] Yeah.

[00:26:54] I've already put it on the list.

[00:26:55] But yeah.

[00:26:56] So we've been, again, just so many people coming together that wanted to work in sports,

[00:27:01] wanted.

[00:27:02] And we are female-led.

[00:27:03] We use women every opportunity and every position.

[00:27:07] Our entire medical team is female.

[00:27:09] Our strength and conditioning coach is female, which is, have you ever had anyone except for

[00:27:14] Kayla that was female?

[00:27:15] No.

[00:27:15] They're all guys all the time, right?

[00:27:17] Guys training women, athletes, it's like, you know, they're different.

[00:27:21] So we are really proud of all of that.

[00:27:23] Well, to wrap up this episode, I would love to have final words from both of you about

[00:27:29] words of advice that you would give to young, aspiring women that are either looking to play

[00:27:35] sports or to work in the field of sports.

[00:27:39] Because to your point, sometimes it's a nice transition from the athlete side to the business

[00:27:44] side.

[00:27:44] But what would be your advice for those young, aspiring females?

[00:27:48] Yeah.

[00:27:48] I think just continue to dream big and set your goals really high and then work really

[00:27:53] hard to get there because the opportunities are available.

[00:27:56] And if you really do want it, it's there for you to take it.

[00:28:00] Especially now.

[00:28:01] Especially now.

[00:28:02] Yep.

[00:28:03] Seize the opportunity.

[00:28:05] I think for me, you know, obviously being on the older end, looking back, I encourage

[00:28:10] all the young women on the team, off the field to ask, right?

[00:28:16] Like, tell us what you want.

[00:28:19] You and I have been lucky enough.

[00:28:20] Like, we've had a long relationship, but we have shared, like, resumes back and forth.

[00:28:26] Like, oh, I just met with this young woman.

[00:28:28] She could be great.

[00:28:29] I see you have a job open.

[00:28:30] Like, you had somebody who helped me with our launch two years ago who was like, she

[00:28:34] just needs a little bit more experience.

[00:28:35] And so she came and helped us for, you know, the season.

[00:28:38] And so I think it is something women are getting better at.

[00:28:42] But ask.

[00:28:44] Say it out loud.

[00:28:45] Someone out here is going to help you because someone helped all of us.

[00:28:49] And so the more everybody can be proactive and just say, hey, I'd like to learn more.

[00:28:55] Right?

[00:28:56] We will help.

[00:28:56] We'll do everything we can.

[00:28:58] But you have to get it out of your head and out into the universe first.

[00:29:02] And then you may end up with a soccer team.

[00:29:04] So, you know.

[00:29:05] So that's great advice from both of you.

[00:29:08] I really appreciate your thoughts and insights.

[00:29:10] And I think to your point, you can't assume that those around you know what's in your head

[00:29:14] or what you want to do.

[00:29:15] So you do have to voice it and put it out there and be bold and be courageous and give

[00:29:20] it a shot because you just never know where those ideas are going to lead.

[00:29:23] So Mackenzie, Andrea, thank you for joining us today.

[00:29:27] Dan, thanks for co-hosting.

[00:29:28] And that's going to do it for this episode of So Much More.

[00:29:31] If you want to learn more about Minnesota Aurora, jump online to mnaurora.com.

[00:29:36] Check out the opportunities for ownership as well as becoming a fan.

[00:29:39] We'd love to see you on the field and we'd love to see you out here for upcoming events

[00:29:42] to celebrate Minnesota Aurora.

[00:29:44] So with that, have a great day and see you soon.

[00:29:47] Thanks for listening to So Much More, a Mall of America podcast.

[00:29:51] Subscribe wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

[00:29:53] This show is presented by Bloomington, Minnesota Travel and Tourism.