Photo Credit: Miranda Zorrilla
We’re back with another Supporters Spotlight. We are keeping the Angel City FC theme going with this week’s featured group AC Pandemonium. Miranda Zorrilla, Marketing Manager for AC Pandemonium took some time to give a little more information about the group.
How and when did the group come into existence? What made you all want to start the group?
Pandemonium began in early 2021, shortly after the very first announcement of Angel City FC, yet long before the team ever stepped foot on the field. Starting this group meant the absolute world to us. It meant, first and foremost, being the support that these players deserve, being part of writing the history for this club, and setting a precedent for what supporters culture in women’s soccer can be. It also meant creating community and family. Los Angeles is beautifully diverse and we wanted to make sure that this group represents and embraces that diversity to the fullest.
Can you share some information about the group structure? Are there roles/committees, etc.? If so, what is your role?
Our group commits itself to staying as horizontally aligned as possible. That is, there are certain “leadership” positions that are either required or help facilitate the inner workings of the SG more efficiently (i.e. President, VP, Secretary, community manager, events manager, etc), but when it comes to decision making or quite literally anything that represents the group as a whole, we are sure to include all of our members in having a say in anything from how the group operates to how we deal with conflict to when and where we have a tailgate. No voice is more important than another.
I am Pandemonium’s Marketing Manager, and although I did not help establish the roles in the group, I was asked to fill the position early on in our existence. It’s been an absolute pleasure to help craft this group’s voice and to represent these members that I call family.
Could you give a little more info about the group (Mission statement, goals, values, etc.)?
Beyond being here to support Angel City and our players, Pandemonium is constantly and actively committed to being anti-racist and upholding intersectional values and principles. The women’s soccer and broader women’s sports communities are some of the most inclusive and open minded out there in the sports world. Yet, there is still so much work to do in our own circle of women’s soccer. We want to be part of the learning, the unlearning, the educating, the culture-shifting, and the fight. There is always work to be done and we refuse to stay silent on any matter of injustice.
There has been a push to bring a women’s soccer team to LA for quite some time. What does it mean to members of the group to not only have a team, but have a team with this level of thought and investment in it?
This team is everything to us. We have members who followed the LA Sol and have been waiting for women’s soccer to return to Los Angeles, members who are young enough to be witnessing ACFC as their first women’s soccer team in LA and have waited their entire lives for this, and members who only just began following women’s soccer recently. All of us have different experiences with the sport, but each one of us is incredibly thankful to finally have this team here and so deeply integrated into the community. The investment in the team itself doesn’t stop at investment in players. The investment branches out into the real streets of this city. For that, we will forever be grateful.
What do you and/or the members of the group love most about the team?
There are a lot of things to love about this team, but the diversity of our players and how well they represent this fan base is something incredibly special to us. It means a great deal to look onto the pitch and to see someone who looks like you, was brought up like you, acts like you, and shares the same values as you. Nothing makes us happier than seeing these players happy themselves and feeling at home.
What do you love most about being in an Supporters Group?
This is my first experience in a Supporters Group and I must say, it has been quite the ride (and we’re still not even finished with our first season). I will forever be indebted to this group for not only the sense of community they have given me, but the sense of absolute family that they have provided me with since the get go. There are times when we commit ourselves to this culture so much that we end up spending more time with each other than our own families. Having the level of comfortability and trust that we do with each other makes all of those times so worth it.
Where can people find you before games and how do they join you during the game?
Before ACFC home games, you can find Pandemonium tailgating on Christmas Tree Lane outside the Northeast entrance of the stadium! Anyone can join us there by just walking up and saying hey and/or during games by purchasing single game or season tickets in the supporter section. If you come tailgate with us, be ready for some games, good food, and fun drinks. If you come stand with us during a game, be ready to chant and dance your heart out for 90+ minutes. We promise, both of those options are an absolute party!!
Anything you want to plug?
Recently, AC Pandemonium partnered with 4 of our fellow ACFC SGs in a Prideraiser benefiting the TransLatin@ Coalition for every goal scored by a ACFC during the month of June. In total $1,804 was pledged during the Prideraiser campaign.
AC Pandemonium can be found on social media and their website at the following links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/acpandemonium, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acpandemonium/, TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@acpandemonium, Website: https://acpandemonium.com/
You can catch AC Pandemonium at the next Angel City home game vs OL Reign July 30th 7:30pm PT at the Banc of California Stadium in LA and on Paramount+
