Making the
LEAP
Bayonne couple chases their dream
I quit Supply and Demand
Alex and Sibrena By Daniel Israel Photos courtesy of Sibrena and Alex Geraldino and “I QUIT”
S
ibrena and Alex Geraldino own the FC Teamsters, a semi-professional minor league soccer team based in Bayonne. For the past three years, the FC Teamsters have been playing in Don Ahern Veteran’s Stadium. Now, the Geraldinos and the Teamsters have made it to primetime, starring in the Discovery Channel television show “I QUIT.” The show follows entrepreneurs who have quit their jobs to pursue their dreams.
32 • BLP ~ FALL | WINTER 2020/21
Kill the Miami Condo The show was a perfect fit for the Geraldinos. Sibrena retired from the hip hop entertainment industry after 26 years to work beside her husband cofounding the Teamsters. She had dreams of retirement in a condo in Miami, but, oops, Alex used the money to buy the Teamsters franchise. While Sibrena was onboard for the change in plans, she still faces her own challenges jumping into something entirely new. She said the soccer club started out as a hobby, but then she fell in love with it. She said it’s something you have to be passionate about, having spent $10,000 out of pocket for two years while they created the Teamsters.
Alex said they were inspired to found the club, in part, after traveling to Brazil where they encountered soccer players who asked Alex how they could play professionally in the U.S. Alex was an athlete himself. He played American football for Germany’s NFL Stuttgart Scorpions and Austria’s NFL Graz Giants. Returning to the U.S., he worked for the government as a Federal Procurement Official. Sensing an untapped supply of soccer players during their frequent travels, Alex became a registered U.S. Soccer Intermediary and a sports agent. “An abundance of talent in New Jersey” prompted him to focus on players here who’d never had the chance to showcase their abilities. Still, the Teamsters are a “small community club with a global mindset,” recruiting from around the world, according to Sibrena.
Big Bucks? When Sibrena heard about “I QUIT,” Alex saw it as the perfect opportunity. Sibrena said she’d been looking for a television show that could help brand the Teamsters. Two years ago, they aced the audition, filming began 18 months ago, and wrapped up in June. The show follows the Geraldinos and other entrepreneurs, who are mentored on their new business quests by successful business leaders, including the COO of Shopify Harley Finkelstein; CEO of Goldieblox Debbie Sterling; and CEO of
