WELCOME TO THE LAND OF 10,000 COMMUNITY OWNERS
The Land of 10,000 Community Owners
Community is at the heart of what we do. We exist because three years ago 3,080 people invested in the idea of an independent Minnesota women’s soccer team. Aurora went from a team with no name, no players, no stadium to a team that beats the attendance of a number of professional women’s teams and has never lost a regular season match. That’s in just three years. And we’re not done.
That’s why we’re building the largest community owner base in American soccer. We’ve got 10,000 lakes, why not 10,000 owners? And why shouldn’t you join the 3,080?
Investment Perks
What is a Community Owner?
As a community owner, you are the lifeline of our club. Our name, our logo, and our mascot were chosen by community owners. You have a vote to elect 2 of our community board members. For us, community ownership was at the heart of the Aurora dream: that everyday people of all different walks of life would have stakes in building a world-class women’s soccer team.
Elevate the Future of Our Club
Over the past three years, we’ve made tremendous strides on and off of the pitch. Our community’s trust in our early vision has enabled us to build a competitive playing environment for our athletes, create accessible opportunities by launching a second team, and cultivate a passionate community around our club. The support from our 3,080 Community Owners has been instrumental in our growth and achievements, it’s your turn to be a part of it.
“In a future professional organization, my shares might only amount to a fraction of a fraction of the club. But it’s still my club. I still have stakes in that club” – You, probably.
We don’t want consumers, we want fans with stakes. When will we go pro and what will it look like? We don’t know. But we’re buying in for the future. We’re investing in an organization that will help change the landscape of women’s soccer and Minnesota sports.
WeFunder FAQ
What is a WeFunder campaign?
Minnesota Aurora is a Community Owned team that started in 2021 as Minnesota Women’s Soccer. WeFunder is a platform that allows the secure transaction to sell the shares. In our first round, we raised $1 million from 3,080 investors. After 3 seasons, we want to welcome more owners, especially everyone that was left on our waiting list.
Why raise more money?
We are one of the largest community owned soccer clubs in the country. Our original goal was to raise enough money for 3 years. This past year was a pivotal year for Aurora. We hired a front office and moved away from being a founder’s volunteer organization. We built the front office hoping to successfully submit a bid to enter the NWSL in 2026. While the NWSL bid was not viable this year, we still have strong hopes to be a professional team within the next few years.
With growth, there are challenges and to secure the future of the club, a second round of WeFunder made the most sense because it’s our community owners who have been with us since the beginning and why we all do what we do to support women’s soccer and sports. This new round will allow us to keep growing and giving back to our players, fans and community.
If I invested before, are my shares cumulative?
This new investment campaign is separate from the previous one, so the investment amount for perks will only be from this current round of investments.
Who can invest?
Anyone (over age 18)! Unlike many investments, you don’t have to have a certain amount of wealth. If you want to buy shares for someone under age, they would be in your name until they come of age and you can assign shares to someone else. If you bought shares the first time, you can purchase more.
How much are shares?
Shares are $50 each with the minimum investment of $100. There is no cap on how much you can invest.
If I invested before, can I sell my share for a profit?
That’s a question for your lawyer. If you email hello@mnaurora.com we can give more specific guidance, but any share transfer or sale needs to be done through a lawyer.
Can I give shares as a gift?
Yes, you can gift shares to anyone you’d like!
*If you are purchasing shares for a minor, you need to purchase in your own name. When they turn 18, you can transfer the shares to them by contacting hello@mnaurora.com. We will need to get some additional information about you and the person the shares are being transferred to.
Can I transfer my shares to a friend or family member?
Yes! Transferring shares to a family member (or transferring without a monetary transaction) can be done easily by us. Selling shares requires a lawyer. You can transfer the shares to them by contacting hello@mnaurora.com. We will need to gather some additional information about you and the person the shares are being transferred to.
Will I get a dividend on my investment?
Our investors should not have expectations of dividends as we are a pre-professional sports team and sports teams often run regular deficits. Additional as a General Benefit Corporation (GBC), our expectation is that any potential profits would be reinvested in the company, particularly in our significant community engagement part of our mission.
What happens when Aurora goes pro?
When we go pro, we’ll partner with investors and while we will no longer be the majority owners of the club, any future investors will bring some form of the community ownership with it, whether we own a small percentage or have representation on the board.
How did you use the first $1 million?
We stayed true to our mission of making soccer accessible for all players. We pay for player housing, US Soccer registration fees, waive try out costs if needed. We also used the money for rent at TCO Stadium, hiring a front office and paying coaches. Some of the money was also used for our pursuit of an NWSL team.
We did make mistakes along the way and expanded our staff and spending at a faster rate than planned. Our original $1 million was intended to get us through December 2024, however we have fallen short by a few months and this WeFunder effort is part of continuing operations for the future.
While our sponsorship, ticketing and merchandise revenue helps defer a lot of our expenses it isn’t enough to continue to operate the team at the high level that we have established.
Is Aurora going pro?
Not at this time. We were unable to pull together the investments needed for a NWSL 2026 franchise. We will continue to look at all options available to us in the future.
When does the investment window close?
A closing date has not yet been set. When determined, we will let the public know in advance.
Still have questions?
Email investment@mnaurora.com