Rosie Aguilera Trailblazes Path as NoCo Owlz President

WINDSOR, Colo: Step aside, sports world, there is a new sheriff in town by the name of Rosalind “Rosie” Aguilera.

Future Legends announced that Aguilera has been named the president of professional sports at the Future Legends Complex, overseeing operations for Pioneer League baseball team Northern Colorado Owlz and USL League One soccer club Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC.

Aguilera is believed to be the first Latina president of a professional baseball team and joins a select group of female front office executives that includes Miami Marlins general manager Kim Ng, Boston Red Sox assistant general manager Raquel Ferreira, Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynthia Marshall, LA Lakers president Jeanie Buss, FC Tucson president Amanda Powers, and recently announced North Carolina FC president Francie Gottsegen.

“This is a thrilling opportunity for me to take everything I’ve learned and apply it as an executive at a professional level,” Aguilera said in a press release. “It’s exciting to be part of new franchises and build championship-contending teams made up of players who are good humans on and off the pitch.

“I’m excited to be able to make an impact, and to blaze a trail for other women who may want to become executives at professional franchises,” she added.”

Aguilera mix of athletic participation and experience, along with her passion for baseball and soccer, are seen as a plus by many within her sports circle.

“Rosie is unique in that she has experience in soccer as a player and an administrator, and in a professional baseball front office,” said Jeff Katofsky, member of Future Legends. “We are so lucky to have someone like Rosie, whose experience, and, as important, heart, will take the Owlz and Hailstorm to high levels of performance and fan experiences.”

In 2017, Aguilera, a native of Piedmont, Calif., founded the RV United Women’s Football Club in Cape Town, South Africa. RV United uses soccer to build self-esteem, encourage physical health, and promote academic development among young women in South Africa. As the managing director of RV United, Aguilera fundraised, wrote grants, created and managed the organization’s budgets, and served as the liaison with donors.

Working in some of the most impoverished areas of South Africa, making every dollar stretch as far as you could was crucial, Aguilera said. “There were days when you’d have to decide between feeding the girls and making sure they got home safely. That’s pressure,” she explained.

She has also worked in minor league baseball, acting as the community affairs manager and director of business and community affairs for the San Rafael Pacifics during the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

Athletically, Aguilera served as the goalkeeper for the University of California at Berkeley women’s soccer team from 2007–09 after transferring from UC Irvine. She earned a bachelor’s degree in conservation and resource studies from Cal in 2010, and her master’s degree in sport management from the University of San Francisco in 2013.

Future Legends Complex is the premier destination for sports and events in Northern Colorado. Opening in 2022, the 118-acre complex will be home to the Owlz and Hailstorm FC, and will feature a professional stadium, multiple baseball diamonds and multi-purpose fields, an indoor sports arena, lodging, and retail; and will host guests for major sports tournaments, events, leagues, and more.

For more information on the sports complex, go to futurelegendscomplex.com.

— Jerry Del Priore

Photo: Future Legends Complex.