🏆 From Player to Owner: Building a Career Beyond the Game

Leslie Osborne Lewis is a co-founder and owner of Bay FC, and part of the ownership group of LOVB San Francisco, set to debut in 2027. A former U.S. Women’s National Team player, broadcaster, and entrepreneur, Leslie has become one of the most influential builders in women’s sports today. A Santa Clara alum and former associate athletic director at Santa Clara University, her career spans elite performance, venture-backed ownership, media, and grassroots team building, with a consistent throughline of creating sustainable platforms for women to compete, lead, and thrive.

Blue Collar Roots, Big Vision

Leslie grew up in Brookfield, Wisconsin, in a blue-collar household. Her dad owned bus companies, her mom was a teacher, and work ethic was non-negotiable. “I saw my parents work their butts off,” she says. “That blue-collar mentality, my work rate, my willingness to always want to be the best, that’s what set me apart early.”

When college recruiting heated up, Notre Dame felt like the safe choice. Instead, Leslie followed her instinct to get uncomfortable. “There was part of me that wanted to do something different,” she says. One campus visit to Santa Clara changed everything. “I spent an hour on campus and literally said, ‘I want to come here.’ I wanted to be part of something that hadn’t been done yet.” She won a national championship as a freshman, alongside future Bay FC co-founders and with Brandi Chastain as a volunteer coach. “That set my bar really high,” she says. “And unfortunately, we never won another one.”

Pressure, Setbacks, and Finding More Than Soccer

While still in college, Leslie was called into the U.S. Women’s National Team pool and invited to train for the 2004 Olympics, unfortunately not making the final roster. Shortly after, the women’s professional league, the WUSA, folded during her senior year. “It was crazy,” she says. “I thought I was going to get drafted and that was my path, and then it just disappeared.”

She went on to earn 62 caps with the National Team, played in the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and made the 2008 US Olympic roster, only to tear her ACL and ankle ligaments two days later. “That was the first time in my life I had to think about who I was outside of soccer.” Rehab took a year and a half. During that time, she explored broadcasting, nonprofit work, and business. At the time the next iteration of women’s professional soccer came, the WPS. “I reached out to the league and said, ‘Can I be on the sidelines doing TV?’ They said, ‘Leslie, you’re on crutches.’ I said, ‘I don’t care.’” That mindset changed everything. “For the first time, I felt like I had leverage and my mindset changed because I had the opportunity to be exposed to so much and gain experience during my 18 months off the field while rehabbing. I felt like I was more than a soccer player and was more multi-dimensional.”

Learning to Build While Playing

Leslie returned to play professionally with FC Gold Pride, the Boston Breakers (both WPS), and then with the Chicago Red Stars in the inaugural season of the NWSL. In Boston, she was mentored by a venture capitalist who introduced her to investing and entrepreneurship. She co-founded Sweat Cosmetics (later rebranded as Hustle Beauty) while still playing and helped raise $300,000 to keep the Boston Breakers alive after the WPS folded and the transition to the NWSL was happening (during that time the Boston Breakers played in the WPSL, a 2nd division league).

“I had no fundraising experience,” she says. “All I had was passion and a willingness to convince people to believe.” That experience became a blueprint for entrepreneurship and multi-sport ownership after she retired.

From Player to Owner

After retiring on her own terms, Leslie transitioned seamlessly into leadership. She worked in Santa Clara’s athletic department, broadcasted three FIFA Women’s World Cups with Fox Sports, co-creating and co-hosting the show Redefined, and is raising three daughters.

In 2020, she saw a moment. When Angel City FC announced its launch, Leslie called her former college and US Women’s National Team teammates Aly Wagner, Danielle Slaton and Brandi Chastain immediately. “I said, ‘If Angel City is doing it, why aren’t we?’”

What followed was three years of grassroots fundraising, community building, and pitching a vision that blended player experience with institutional ambition. Bay FC ultimately secured Sixth Street as its majority investor and won an NWSL expansion bid in 2022. “We were the first team to bring institutional capital into the league,” she says. “Without that, we wouldn’t be building a $40 to $50 million training facility.”

That same ownership mindset now extends beyond soccer. Leslie is also part of the ownership group of LOVB San Francisco, set to debut in 2027, continuing her focus on building sustainable, athlete-centric platforms across women’s professional sports.

The Builder’s Toolkit

Asked what translated from her playing career into ownership, Leslie doesn’t hesitate “My work ethic is foundational,” she says. “If someone’s working harder than me, that never sat well.” Equally important is building with others. “I’ve never done anything alone. That’s what team sports has provided me, a mentality of teamwork” she says. “I know my strengths and my weaknesses, and I love bringing people together to compliment those..”

Confidence matters too. “I’ve been in a lot of rooms I had no business being in,” she laughs. “But when someone tells me no, something ignites in me and my midwest grit kicks in”

What Drives Her Now

Looking back, Leslie wishes she had leaned more into what made her unique. “I focused so much on what coaches wanted from me instead of my secret sauce,” she says. “That applies to athletes and founders. Don’t lose what made you special by trying to please everyone else.”

Today, her “why” is simple. “My three girls,” she says. “They’re watching everything.” Her daughters believe anything is possible because of what they see daily. “That motivates me more than anything,” she says. “If I can open doors even a little wider for them than I had, that’s everything.”

From blue-collar beginnings to building one of the most ambitious clubs in women’s sports, Leslie Osborne’s career is proof that showing up, saying yes, asking questions, and building through uncertainty can change an entire landscape.