Player 22 furthers Angel City's mission

Angel City defender Jasmyne Spencer applied for multiple grants for her lifestyle brand, Jas It Up. The buisness hopes to promote sustainability, uplift communities, and protect the Earth’s future. Despite her mission, Spencer did not receive the first grants she tried for.

Then, she applied for the Player 22 Small Buisness Grant Program and got it. The grant provides funding and resources to current and retired women’s soccer players, including coaching, video-based business learning, and startup tools. 

“I feel like I'm seen and heard,” Spencer told The Sporting Tribune. “Sometimes I felt like I wasn't getting the grant because I'm not far enough along in my process as a business. You have to start somewhere, and this is something that I'm doing on the side as I am still playing. 

It is a unique and cool opportunity to receive some funding from people who can appreciate the journey that we are on as pro athletes.”

Angel City started the program in 2022, and it became one that was heavily supported by their partners. Five of them are involved (Justworks, HubSpot, PNC Bank, Payscale, and Johnnie Walker Blended Scotch Whisky).

Having multiple businesses back in the program is crucial because it allows them to offer resources in addition to funding. For example, the grant comes with access to IFund Women’s workshop library, which could help the athletes become better entrepreneurs.

“When you're an entrepreneur, you're learning by doing, and unfortunately, you learn the most from mistakes,” said Angel City president and co-founder Julie Uhrman. “You do not always have that network of people you can go to to ask for help or questions. Money helps, but also [guidance on] the right way to allocate that money and the right people to partner with is important.”

The grant opens doors for women’s soccer athletes, which may not have been accessible. Lauren Yildirim, Justworks' vice president and chief of staff, pointed out that, according to the United States Chamber of Commerce, “⅓ of small businesses in the United States launch with less than $5,000.”

“That’s pretty incredible, and it shows that a grant like the Player 22 Small Business Grant can unlock new opportunities for small businesses,” Yildirim said. We’re squarely focused on supporting small businesses and making entrepreneurship more accessible to all. 

We’re proud to work with ACFC and IFundWomen to provide P22 grantees with the right tools, including funds, to continue growing their businesses.”

Spencer plans to use the grant to expand into education. She will launch a program in late 2024, and more information will be announced then. 

“The mission behind Jas It Up has always been to educate people,” Spencer said. “To be able to move into schools and programming is exciting. Fashion has always been the vehicle for me to share that message, but to also take a step and grow beyond fashion is exciting.”

Other grant recipients include Gotham general manager Yael Averbuch West, NWSL analyst Jill Loyden, and broadcaster Melissa Ortiz. All of the entrepenurs have playing experience, even if they are not current athletes like Spencer. 

“93% of all women in the C-suite played sports; that feels like a really good place to invest money,” Uhrman said. “What it takes to be successful on a court or a pitch is no different than what it takes to be successful in a boardroom or at a company.”

Lodyen founded The Keeper Institute, which aims to teach young goalkeepers. She is a former United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) goalkeeper who also played in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the Women’s Professional Soccer League (WPS), and the W-League (Australia). 

The Keeper Institute plans to use the grant for a free three-month goalkeeper coach workshop. The program will help coaches develop “effective session design, principles of the position, and ecological psychology techniques.”

“This grant is huge for us and the goalkeeper community!” Loyden said. “The goalkeeper position is often one that is overlooked and over scrutinized, leading to players who want to drop out of the position and ultimately the game.  

We can continue coaching and impacting the goalkeepers that come through our doors, or we can have a greater impact by educating the next generation of goalkeeper coaches with all the tools they will need to be an effective teacher.”

Angel City, through the Player 22 Program, is helping athletes and former athletes like Spencer and Loyden pursue entrepreneurial endeavors. The club set out to raise standards for women’s soccer players, and the grant is one way they do so off the pitch.