The Angel City Football Club, which has called California Lutheran University home since 2022, has solidified a two-year contract extension with the school. In my opinion, this contract is positive not only for ACFC, but for the Cal Lutheran community as well.

This agreement ensures Angel City a home base for the next two years. This decision, which has been met with both positive and negative responses, has resulted in discussions among community members.

This collaboration not only provides the team with a top-notch field but also benefits the school by attracting prospective students and community members, especially when they find out a professional soccer team practices on the campus. The upgrades that have taken place to accommodate a professional team have greatly impacted the University program, which needed facility upgrades. 

The facility enhancements, which are a natural improvement for current student-athletes, also have become quite a stellar recruiting tool for future Kingsmen and Regals. 

“I’ve noticed the impact it has as far as exposing other people that aren’t familiar with Cal Lutheran. Just to the general public what Cal Lutheran has to offer without facilities, athletics, and it also provides jobs for our student workers to participate in as well,” said Carlos Gonzalez, an athletic trainer at Cal Lutheran.

I feel that any potential recruit, after having the chance to witness firsthand new facility upgrades, can be quickly swayed simply by viewing top-tier facility enhancements. Having a professional soccer league use Cal Lutheran’s field has been beneficial, especially since they updated the old turf to a new set. 

Cody Owens, the head athletic trainer at Cal Lutheran, said having ACFC on campus has not only brought great pride on campus but has also benefited other programs as well. Upgrades, such as the enhancements that took place on Memorial Field, have allowed for not only better field conditions but more importantly, an improvement in overall athletic competition.

“That being redone has been amazing, I mean it’s so nice out there now, football can practice out there, that’s where they’re going but then once footballs done, the general student population is going to have a really nice field,” Owens said. “Rugby can practice out there, the cheerleaders are out there now, I think, and lacrosse will have a nicer place to go when they don’t have the stadium so that field being redone, I think, has been fantastic.”

Having a professional sports team on campus is not only beneficial for the sports programs involved, but I feel that even a non-athlete student takes pride in having a professional sports team on campus. The community takes great pride in the fact that this is not just Cal Lutheran’s team, but the community of Thousand Oaks as well. 

Gonzalez said he has seen the significant impact that having a pro-sports team on campus does for not only the student-athletes, but for the community in general. The pride in the community speaks for itself.

“I think that any time we have a professional team at any campus, you have a sense of prestige and also ability to see what the higher level of athletics has to offer. So that kind of elevates us to meet their level as well with our athletics. Which of course involves the community, the staff, the faculty, where everyone can just see what we can provide for them so they can provide for us as well. Because this is a symbiotic relationship where they give us the ability to work with them and they give us resources and we give them resources,” Gonzalez said. 

According to an article on Jax Sports Radio, having a professional sports team on campus can also be a motivating factor for many young athletes as well. The fact that collegiate athletes can see professional athletes up close can have an impact on their young careers. 

The chance to train as they do, as well as emulate certain aspects of these professionals, can motivate student-athletes to one day make it professionally as well.

“I mean it’s pretty cool to have a professional sports team on your campus … It’s a nice little buzz that we have here on our campus … I think that maybe our athletes see that next level on the campus and it maybe is motivating for them,” Owens said.

Overall, I feel that the Angel City Football Club has been an asset to not only Cal Lutheran, but the community as well. It has brought positivity to the campus as well as excitement amongst fans and students alike.