LOS ANGELES -- Uzo Aduba said she could only figure skate competitively for 10 years or run track in high school because she had help from outside organizations. They helped with the costs of ice time and skates, which she said her family could not afford.
By playing sports, the three-time Emmy Award-winning actress learned how to focus, multitask, compete, and more traits that benefitted her in other areas of life.
Now, Aduba is giving back as one of 40 Angel City Impact Founding Collective donors. The non-profit initiative, launched by Angel City FC, looks to drive change in youth sports programming, receiving donations from individuals, not corporations, including actors, activists and former athletes, among others.
“It was important for me to be involved in this initiative because I love the work that Angel City Impact has on the community and the way that it supports and fosters the growth of the community and young people,” Aduba said.
Angel City celebrated the launch of Angel City Impact Friday at Secret Walls HQ with a show by Los Angeles-based photographer and director Brittany Bravo, as well as live art, food vendors, and more. Aduba and defenders Ali Riley, Elizabeth Eddy, and M.A. Vignola attended the event.
The first goal of the initiative is to create more no-cost soccer programming for girls and gender-expansive youth and expand the ACFC Coach Network as the club grows its partnership with the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.
Angel City Football Club
The club’s head of community & marketing, Catherine Dávila, said she completed a “listening tour” with over 30 organizations to hear about their challenges and where Angel City could make the most significant impact, with Co-founder and President Julie Uhrman joining some of those calls.
“We are not here to show up and say and be prescriptive, to say we are Angel City, and this is what you are going to do because this is what you need,” Dávila said.
Dávila said Angel City wanted the donors to be invested in the mission while being representative of Los Angeles. She believes steps work to create systemic change to lower barriers to access in soccer.
Dávila has played soccer since her youth and said having a relationship with the sport has been important. She said she learned how to contribute to a team and have a sense of agency, an opportunity she wants every kid to be able to access.
“I was the best version of myself on the soccer field,” Dávila said. “....There is so much benefit to sport, beyond getting a scholarship, beyond playing pro, beyond even the physical. That's why I still play and will play until I can't walk.”
Chris Fajardo, Angel City’s vice president of community impact, said it has been vital for the club to make a difference off the field. Angel City Impact allows them to further their influence, building on the progress they have made through their 10% Sponsorship Model.
The 10% Model has allocated 10% of the club’s sponsorship revenue to community initiatives since its founding, directing $3.5 into Los Angeles communities and impacting 160,000 people. The team won Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year at The 2024 ESPY Awards.
“This is us investing in youth play,” Fajardo said. “Being able to offer an alternative for youth to be able to address the inequities that exist around play, that's number one.”