The Bay Area isn’t just the epicenter of women’s sports; it is rapidly becoming a hub for a growing list of rising Gen Z stars.
Add to the list Bay FC’s Kennedy Fuller, 19.
“The reason I picked Bay is because of what they’re building,” said the midfielder, who was acquired Wednesday from Angel City in exchange for $500,000 in transfer funds.
Four years ago, the Bay Area didn’t have any women’s pro sports teams. After Bay FC launched in 2024 and the Valkyries played their inaugural season in 2025, the region will welcome PWHL San Jose this winter and two pro volleyball franchises — LOVB San Francisco and MLV NorCal — in 2027.
As more Gen Z stars arrive to anchor these franchises, others are taking notice. Fuller, who has admired Hutton’s game since they first played against each other, is proof.
“She’s Claire Hutton. She’s such a beast on and off the field,” Fuller said. “I’m looking forward to learning from her, being able to play with her in the midfield, and hopefully being able to assist and score some goals with her.”
Despite being a teenager, playing alongside national team stars is nothing new to Fuller, who teamed up with Christen Press and Sydney Leroux at Angel City.
“I was playing with people that I had posters of on my wall when I was a kid,” she said.
Fuller scored two goals and had two assists in 11 games with Angel City. She found out about Wednesday’s transfer while training with the U-20 U.S. women’s squad in Barcelona alongside Gamero, who has been her roommate at youth national team camps.
Bay FC entered a month-long pause, for the World Cup, in 13th place out of 16 teams. It’s not the start first-year coach Emma Coates envisioned, but after paying a $1.1 million fee to acquire Hutton and $500,000 to add Fuller, the franchise is investing in talent that should give the team a brighter outlook.
The Bay Area has always been a region built on the shoulders of stars — just ask Joe Montana, Willie Mays, and Stephen Curry. And in the last few years, nearly every Bay Area men’s team found a Gen Z foundational pillar.
Brock Purdy, 26, is the 49ers’ quarterback; Bryce Eldridge, 21, is emerging as the face of the Giants; and Macklin Celebrini, 20, has the talent to lead the Sharks to Stanley Cups. If the Warriors nail the No. 11 pick in next week’s NBA Draft, they’ll be one step closer to providing fans with hope that the post-Curry era won’t look so bleak.
Hutton and Burton are in that tier, and soon, the hockey and volleyball franchises will find their own anchor players in a region with plentiful opportunities for Gen Z.
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