Category: Sidewinder Insider

Sibrena Stowe-Geraldino admits there was a time when she knew next to nothing about soccer.

Her career as an entrepreneur, music manager, media buyer and journalist kept her busy in the field of entertainment and sports, but the Beautiful Game was not part of her portfolio.

Same holds true for her husband, Alex Geraldino.

Association football is the world’s game, but American football was his; Geraldino played cornerback for teams based in Germany and Austria before injuries sidelined him.

Today, however, both have a place in soccer history as the power couple behind the Bayonne, N.J.-based New Jersey Teamster Football Club of the National Independent Soccer Association. She’s the first female African-American principal owner of soccer team while he’s the first Dominican-American proprietor.

“Can you imagine, two people starting a soccer team with absolutely no soccer experience?” Stowe-Geraldino asked. “Neither one of us had ever kicked a soccer ball at that time, and here we were, investing in the soccer industry and players. In fact, I had to read the book, ‘Soccer for Dummies.’ We knew for certain that I was a well-seasoned entertainment entrepreneur who could run a successful business, make anyone or anything famous and brand the company, if not nationally then globally.

“We also knew for certain that Alex knew exactly how to scout players, how to treat players and how to find the help that we would need for our business. Alex is an alumni of Leigh Steinberg’s Steinberg Academy, and he learned a lot about sports management there.”

But why soccer?

Well, turns out Geraldino’s interest extended far beyond the gridiron.

“What has led us to soccer is interesting since my husband Alex is a former sports player and sports advocate,” Stowe-Geraldino said. “Even after his torn right hamstring and torn arm tendon injuries and retirement from American football, he’s always had a desire to do more in sports. As a passionate athlete, he became a USA boxing official and then a registered U.S. soccer intermediary in 2016. When he was an intermediary, he felt compelled to help develop players and to help them get to the next level.

“He met someone at the (Major League Soccer) Draft in Los Angeles in January, 2017, and by February, 2017, we decided to establish a semi-pro or amateur team.”

The pair met Javier Romero – who believed in their mission and took over as coach of the squad – and soon they became completely immersed in the world’s most popular sport.

Not only that, they made sure NJTFC was an integral part of the Bayonne community.

“We are super involved in the City of Bayonne and the County of Hudson,” Stowe-Geraldino said. “We love engaging with the youth soccer clubs in our region and there is no shortage of ball boys and girls. We’re hosting five-week camps and clinics for soccer players in the school district of Bayonne and other cities throughout northern New Jersey.”

NJ Teamsters FC donates time and money to several non-profits, including the Bayonne-based Ahern Foundation, and provides non-governmental organization schools affiliated with the Malaika Foundation in the Congo and at Estrela de Favela in Rio de Janeiro with items such as team-branded soccer balls and feminine hygiene products.

Civic leaders and government officials have been supportive of NJTFC’s efforts.

“We’re building a legacy that, God willing, will outlive us both and contribute greatly to the lives of the community, for the residents and the businesses,” Stowe-Geraldino said.

Following a successful run with the United Premier Soccer League, the couple decided to fast-track their goals for the Teamsters.

“We competed in pro development and amateur leagues for two years, and we basically wanted to be with a league that operated in a manner in which we were accustomed to,” she said. “We wanted to play for a league that ran their business professionally and with quality. We’re glad we started out in a division 4 and added another team that’s more like division 5. We ranked in the top 5 if not No. 1 each season, won cups, and there was nowhere else to go but up.”

NISA, a Division 3 league that promotes an open model and has no franchise fees, was the logical next step.

Featuring independent soccer success stories such as Chattanooga FC and Detroit FC – as well as the New York Cosmos, one of the sport’s most recognizable brands – NISA offers the Teamsters a chance to broaden their footprint.

“We’ve been approached to join other pro leagues, but ultimately, we loved NISA’s business model,” Stowe-Geraldino said. “Once we discovered Chattanooga FC and Detroit City FC were members, we knew we wanted to be a part of NISA. Alex has studied both club’s business model, and even tried to get in touch with them via LinkedIn, prior to knowing about NISA. As a matter of fact, Alex and I were away on soccer business in Europe when I happened to check Twitter and noticed NISA.

“I then googled the league, googled the founders and all of the clubs and discovered we shared similar values. Integrity, the spirit of excellence, and being change agents are all priorities for us as well as NISA so I told Alex, ‘This is where we need to be.’”

Stowe-Geraldino adds that the name New Jersey Teamsters FC was chosen to give the club a distinct Garden State identity.

“We wanted to be a New Jersey team,” she said. “New York Red Bulls play in New Jersey, in the same county as us, about 15-20 minutes away but, we felt they really didn’t represent New Jersey. We live within the soccer hub of America; Kearny, Ironbound district of Newark, and the New York Cosmos are all within miles from us, but no team with heritage had New Jersey’s name.”

The club crest is equine-inspired and features shades of blue and red.

“We knew we wanted a horse on our logo because that’s the state animal and we looked up the name for a pack of horses, or thoroughbreds as I called us, and low and behold, Teamsters means a driver of a team of animals,” Stowe-Geraldino said.

NJTFC plans to make the move to NISA next year, although the COVID-19 pandemic has shut all sports down until further notice.

NISA was early in its 2020 spring season when it suspended the schedule for 30 days on March 12. That competition stoppage will likely be extended based on current models of the virus’ spread.

“The front office of NJ Teamsters FC is operating from our homes,” Stowe-Geraldino said. “We advertised pro tryouts for March 2020, however we made the decision to reschedule our tryouts about a week or more before the state mandated us to stay in. Once the universities shut down, we followed suit. We’re responsible, are parents and concerned citizens so, it was a no-brainer for us.”

Working from home is still working, of course.

“Right now we’re doing as much work as possible, holding daily conference meetings with our head coach, sponsorship director and advisory board members,” she said. “Our attorneys are still working on contracts, we’re engaged with potential sponsors, purchasing training equipment, interviewing and hiring staff and doing the best that we can during the global pandemic.”

The NJTFC motto is “Stand ready to strike,” and Stowe-Geraldino is confident that when the gears of the sports world start turning again, New Jersey’s newest soccer club will be prepared.

“We’re excited for our future and the future of NISA,” she said. “We know we’re with a league that will work hard at making soccer greater here in the USA.”

Back in 1978 when I was playing winger for the Huffman High School soccer team in Birmingham, Alabama, I dreamed of one day going pro and putting on a jersey with my name on it. Like Edson Arantes do Nascimento I wore No. 10, but if I wound up being signed by the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League – and they had already retired Pelé’s number – I would’ve understood.

I mean, he had the digits before I did.

If not the Cosmos, the Los Angeles Aztecs might’ve been a nice landing spot (they’d need someone to replace Ft. Lauderdale-bound George Best), or even the Memphis Rogues – a club in a city that would be within reasonable driving distance if my parents decided to come to the Liberty Bowl and watch me play.

Sadly, I ended up turning pro in 1979 (and by “turning pro” I mean I gave up soccer to work part-time unloading 18-wheelers at a tire company) and those dreams faded. A team-issued number became a non-issue.

But my name will, in fact, be on the pitch at Laney College Football Stadium in Oakland tonight when Chattanooga Football Club starts its National Independent Soccer Association spring season. I won’t be wearing the shirt it’s written on, but quality athletes like Raymond Lee and Kyle Carr will.

How is this possible?

Because Chattanooga FC is taking the phrase “Play for the name on the front of the jersey, not on the back” to a whole new level when they make their professional debut against the Oakland Roots. The NISA club will be repping the names on the front of the jersey, back of the jersey, sleeve of the jersey … all over the jersey.

The unique kit is adorned with the monikers of more than 3,000 supporter-owners, a tangible tribute to those of us who invested in the club. And that’s a pretty cool gesture.

Being the association football tycoon that I am, Chattanooga FC isn’t the only professional club I have a stake in. I also own a share of both Celtic FC and Manchester United.

Being a part of “The Bhoys” means that each year I receive the annual accounts and auditors’ report, the strategic report and the directors’ report from Glasgow via email.

Sexy.

My piece of Man U is even more impressive considering every January I get a cashier’s check for nine cents.

Hashtag “Ostentatious.”

Obviously, those are mostly “Hey, look at me!” stocks.

I proudly hang the certificates in my Fan Cave, but it’s with the knowledge that they represent barely a drip in the ocean of association football.

The CFC investment, on the other hand, is important to me, and important to the thousands of other supporters who decided to take a leap of faith. We all have a passion for the Beautiful Game, and we got to plant a seed that helps it grow in a community-first way.

To that end, Chattanooga FC are trailblazers. And even though I live 250 miles away from Finley Stadium – and other investors might live 2,500 miles away – we still get to claim them as “our team” because they are.

So regardless of this evening’s result, I’m proud to be part of the Chattanooga family.

Front of the jersey, back of the jersey … CFC is playing for all the names.

And one of them is mine.

The original North American Soccer League will always hold a special place in my heart.

Despite its overspending, overreach and ultimate self-destruction, it broadened my football world and allowed me to become fully immersed in the Beautiful Game.

But as much as I loved the NASL, I also admired the American Soccer League – as much as I could. It was rare to find anything more than league standings in my local paper, so I usually had to wait on the annual release of the “Complete Handbook of Soccer” to get ASL info.

Although completely overshadowed by the league that featured Pele, George Best and Johan Cruyff, it had been around since 1933. Its longevity was impressive, despite spending much of its existence as a low budget, Northeast-based circuit. (Its headquarters were based in Providence, Rhode Island).

So when former NBA great Bob Cousy was named ASL commissioner on December 19, 1974, I was hopeful. Sure, Cousy was a basketball legend with no ties to association football, but almost everyone knew his name. And the American Soccer League desperately needed some name recognition.

“It’s the first opportunity that has come along that allows me to stay in sports and retain my home in New England,” Cousy, who continued to work as a TV color commentator for basketball and consultant for various companies, told United Press International. “It’s great to be working with people who are dedicated to their work. And lastly, I guess I need fulltime employment.

“It’s a sport I know nothing about but I’m willing to learn.”
When Cousy took the reins of the ASL, it featured the Boston Astros, Connecticut Wildcats, Delaware Wings, New Jersey Brewers and New York Apollo in the East Conference while the Cleveland Cobras, Cincinnati Comets, Indiana Tigers and Rhode Island Oceaneers made up the Midwest Conference.

“I’m no stranger to public relations work,” Cousy said. “I’ve kissed my share of babies, marched in parades and flown helicopters to push pro basketball. The ASL wanted publicity, and that’s why they came to me.”

While the NASL was stocked with international stars (mostly in the twilight of their careers), Cousy advocated a more homegrown approach.

“We’ve got to start thinking of our American colleges as our farm system,” he told UPI in a 1975 interview.

But the ASL also needed to widen its footprint if it wanted to become a legitimate national league. Cousy was tasked with figuring out how to make that happen in a financially responsible way.

“Realistically, no one is making dollars in soccer at this time – the big guys or the little guys,” he said. “For instance, our franchises sell for $35,000. (NASL franchises) go for $350,000. Pele has helped our cause even though he’s with the other league. He’s generated some fringe benefits for us.

“Since Pele’s arrival people have been coming to us and discussing franchises. Before, I was chasing them around.”

In 1975 the ASL was still regional, although the Chicago Cats, Cleveland Cobras and Pittsburgh Miners added three major markets.

But 1976 saw expansion to the West Coast, with the Los Angeles Skyhawks, Oakland Buccaneers, Sacramento Spirits, Tacoma Tides and Utah Golden Spikers (replaced during the season with the Utah Pioneers) joining.

“They (the NASL) look better right now,” Cousy told Associated Press in a May, 1976, interview, “but our approach is more sensible. With our numbers, we can draw 3,000 or 4,000 a game and stay in business and stay in the black. Our grocery store is smaller than their supermarket.”

Indeed it was. But the “Mom and Pop” league struggled against the big box NASL. Franchises came and went, and with rare exceptions attendance was terrible. In 1979 Cousy resigned his post with the ASL, and at least one league official was happy for the change.

“The commissioner doesn’t have to be a soccer man,” Pennsylvania Stoners president and coach Willie Ehrlich told the New York Times. “But once he’s bitten by the bug, he’s got to show it. After five years as commissioner, Cousy still goes around telling people he knows nothing about soccer.”

With or without Cousy, there was no happily ever after for the ASL. It folded in 1983 and while five franchises survived to form the original United Soccer League, that venture played only one full season in 1984. In fact, America’s pro soccer bubble burst completely that year as the NASL also went cleats-up.

Still, the American Soccer League competed over six different decades and is deeply rooted in United States soccer history.

It never really grabbed the spotlight, but give it credit for trying to step out of the shadows.