Photo courtesy of Angel City FC
It’s that time again! We are in the midst of another NWSL season and the 10th season at that. This historic season saw two new expansion teams, Angel City FC and San Diego Wave join the NWSL, and with those teams a host of wonderful Supporters Groups. Angel City FC has several itself and that is how we are kicking off this year’s Supporters Spotlight Series with Rebellion 99. Vice President Tory Lathrop answered some questions about the history of the group, and what they are all about.
How and when did the group come into existence? What made you all want to start the group?
Rebellion 99 started as a movement – a homemade banner that simply said, “Bring NWSL to LA” in June 2019 was quickly followed up with an online petition, in person meet ups, and from there the want/need of bringing a NWSL team to Los Angeles grew.
LA has a storied history of professional sport teams – so why not push for a NWSL team to call LA home? As fans we felt it was necessary to show the LA and NWSL community we wanted a team here and we were ready, willing to support them.
https://www.rebellion99.com/who-we-are
Can you share some information about the SG structure? Are there roles or different sub groups/committees within the group? If so, what is your role?
Rebellion 99 is composed of a council that includes a variety of coordinator roles that vary from Membership to Community Outreach and more. We offer committees for members to join and volunteer their time throughout the year. We have been able to accomplish so much since our inception thanks to the time and effort put in by our members.
We also have a Board of Directors that help advise our Council operations. I first joined R99 as a member and then had the opportunity to join our Council as the Community Outreach Coordinator in August 2020 and then transitioned to Vice President in Nov/Dec 2020.
https://www.rebellion99.com/leadership
Could you provide a little more info about the group (is there a mission statement, goals, values, etc)?
Our Mission statement is:
We, the supporters of Rebellion 99, vow to support our Angel City Football Club through our wins, draws and losses, as well as work to uplift women, LGBTQIA+ and marginalized communities everywhere.
Rebellion 99 and its supporters stand for inclusivity, equality, respect and camaraderie and will uphold these standards at all times – in and out of the stands.
We commit ourselves to giving our Angel City athletes the respectfully raucous support they always deserve by standing by them, our Rebellion 99 family and our community as we unapologetically advance the women’s game for fans everywhere.
We are the only Angel City FC Supporter Group (SG) that is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and everything we do is aimed at giving back to our surrounding communities.
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?
I think to our members and ACFC fans, having a team here is everything. Having the investors and the support that ACFC compiled from the beginning was so vital to laying a solid foundation with the opportunity for growth and longevity. I think that’s the difference now – it’s no longer a question of whether or not women’s soccer is marketable or worth the investment or will it last. The short answers to all those questions is a resounding YES. My hope is that what we’re doing here in LA will translate to other existing and expansion NWSL markets and continue to connect us to teams globally.
What do you and/or the other members in the group love most about the team?
Rebellion 99 has been excited to watch our roster grow in our inaugural season. What I love about our team is that they want to be here, to play for us, and they aren’t afraid to stand for important issues like racial equality, queer representation, reproductive rights, and gun control.
We had the opportunity this season to work alongside Simone Charley in support of mental health awareness, raising over $2700 for the CA Black Women’s Health project, and we look forward to supporting more players in their charitable endeavors.
I also love that when they aren’t training or at a match, they are having FUN – that’s such an important component to having a successful team. Britney Isenhour has some of the most entertaining social media content, while Jun Endo and Stefany Ferrer Van Ginkle are “friendship goals”, and Didi Haračič makes me love our coastline even more with her gorgeous photos.
I think at the end of the day – this team clearly wants to compete week in and week out, which fans love and respect.
What do you love most about being in an SG?
The thing I love most about being in our SG is that we’re made up of such a diverse community and our common love of soccer has brought us together – it truly is the world’s sport. I also love seeing long time fans welcome new fans in and share their insight, experience, and passion for the game – it’s beautiful. Ask anyone who has come to a game an ACFC match at The Banc – once you’ve experienced it once, you’ll want to come back for more.
Where can people find you before games and how do they join you during the game?
All ACFC fans can find us tailgating pre-match and are always welcome to join us! We have members throughout the stadium come kick off, but if you want to get loud and rowdy with us, you can join us in The North End of the stadium* – just look for the giant R99 flag. We love to have fans join us and we’re happy to teach the team chants/cheers.
When we’re not chanting in The North End you can find us at our community outreach events throughout the year – Pride parades, volunteer opportunities, our annual soccer tournament – we work hard to provide a variety of events to fans and members year round.
*Fans with tickets in The North End (Reserved and General Admission sections 101 – 108)
Anything you want to plug?
This September we will be hosting our annual R99 Tournament: A New Hope, in Covina. It’s a fun 5v5 tournament open to youth teams and adult teams. Registration is open now and we have all kinds of exciting surprises planned. For more info you can check out our website https://shop.rebellion99.com/collections/5v5 or our social media for information. Until then fans check our socials for upcoming community events for the remainder of the Summer.
Rebellion 99 can be found on social media and their website at the following links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NWSL_LA, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nwsl_la/, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NWSLLA/, Website: http://www.rebellion99.com/
You can catch Rebellion 99 TONIGHT (July 9) cheering on Angel City FC as they take on San Diego Wave at 7:30pm PT at the Banc of California Stadium in LA and on Paramount +
