FC Tucson Women jersey sponsor takes a hands-on approach to women supporting women

Last month, Angela Gee boarded a Tucson-bound airplane in Seattle, expecting it to be business as usual.

Gee, a commercial architect, has taken that flight countless times since growing her Seattle-based firm, Dean Alan Architects PLLC, into the Tucson market in 2019, but this flight was a bit different.

A self-described people person, Gee started talking to the person sitting next to her, FC Tucson assistant coach and academy head coach Vito Higgins.

With Gee being a soccer fan, growing up watching her brothers and friends play and taking in Seattle Sounders FC matches as an adult, the conversation was natural, and Gee was eager to learn about FC Tucson’s program and all that it entailed.

Higgins told Gee she should talk to FC Tucson President Amanda Powers, and told Powers about Gee when he returned to work.

After doing a little research, Powers said she learned that Gee’s firm is the only woman-owned firm doing commercial architecture in the region, which piqued her interest from the start.

“I liked that. That’s an important story to tell,” Powers said.

But while Powers was looking into Gee, she was also busy readying FC Tucson Women for the start of its 2021 season, after nearly two years away from play.

Last April, the Women’s Premier Soccer League called off the season, due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Powers admits the WPSL’s decision a year later to go ahead with the season caught her off guard, and on top of that, everyone at FC Tucson had been busy trying to plan for a men’s season.

“We had written it off in our mind as the season was not going to happen,” Powers said. “But when you have so many irons in the fire and something hits, it’s like, ‘Let’s go!’”

Powers, along with head coach Kelly Pierce and team administrator Charlie MacCabe, got to work figuring out where they were at and what they still needed.

“We had sponsors from the 2020 season ... and individuals who could put money towards the season, but we were struggling with fundraising and didn’t have a front of the jersey sponsor,” Powers said.

That’s where Gee came into play.

“I spoke to Angela on the phone about the broad picture of FC as a whole,” Powers said. “It really resonated with her.”

Powers also told Gee about the team’s tag line, which is a play on the phrase, “It starts in Tucson,” that was used to promote May’s MLS Preseason play at Kino Stadium.

When Powers was promoting FC Tucson Women’s player trials event, she noticed people saying, “She starts in Tucson,” and realized the team needed to dedicate its fast-approaching season to the tag line.

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She took an image created by local artist Danny Martin for the team’s panel truck and had it printed on shirts, along with the “She starts in Tucson,” tag line.

“Next thing you know, we’re all about ‘She starts in Tucson,’” Powers said, adding that when she told Gee about the movement, it struck a chord. “Angela saw the value of her firm’s name on the front of our jersey, and a couple of games in, she was willing to commit.”

FC Tucson announced Dean Alan Architects as the women’s team’s official jersey sponsor on June 8 — four days after the season’s start — and the new jerseys were ready to go by the second game on June 9.

“I grew up Tucson, so of course I’ve always loved Tucson and cared about the community and felt connected to the community,” Gee said. “Being able to support that semi-professional play in Tucson is just really exciting.”

Powers said everyone at the organization was so grateful for the infusion of cash the sponsorship provided, especially after the pandemic year. They were also grateful for the support.

But it’s about more than that for everyone involved. It’s also about women supporting women.

Nationwide, only 18% of architects are women, and the percentage of women-owned firms is even smaller than that.

“The players really appreciate having a woman-owned firm supporting them,” Gee said. “I don’t know if that’s happened before.”

Gee said that while her firm mentors everyone trying to make a start in the profession, she says women are drawn to her company because they know they’ll be mentored by someone who can relate to their experience.

She shows a similar hands-on support of FC Tucson Women: Gee’s attended every home game since signing on as sponsor, which Powers said means a lot to the players.

“It’s tough to get our sponsors out to games, so it’s been really refreshing that every game, we get to chat and she’s wearing her jersey,” Powers said. “And (the sponsorship) is elevating her profile, too, as a woman-led business that’s growing.”

Undefeated FC Tucson Women is 4-0-1 and in first place heading into its final home game Friday, which has both Powers and Gee excited.

They’re also excited about the future of FC Tucson Women, as Powers said a bigger plan for the team will be revealed in upcoming months.

Until then, the pair will be cheering for the team during the season’s last three games.

“It’s really important that we come together as a community, especially after all that we’ve been through,” Gee said. “If there’s room for us to stay involved (with the team,) I would love to stay involved.”