JJ Watt: “What I believe in [chairman] What Alan (Pace) is doing in Burnley and what Vincent (Kompany) is building. It’s just a matter of coming at the right time. We really enjoyed our time at Burnley and we look forward to returning.”
Last Updated: 05/01/23 6:55 pm
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Former NFL star JJ Watt and his wife, football player Kealia Watt spoke about what they hope to achieve at Burnley after announcing an investment in the club
Former NFL star JJ Watt and his wife, football player Kealia Watt spoke about what they hope to achieve at Burnley after announcing an investment in the club
Former NFL star JJ Watt and his wife Kealia Watt, a former US national team player, have announced their investment in Burnley Football Club.
JJ is a three-time award-winning defensive player of the year. The 34-year-old is out of action at the end of the 2022 season after 12 seasons with the Houston Texans (2011-20 and Arizona Cardinals (2021-22).
Kealia had a successful club career with the Houston Dash and the Chicago Red Stars, representing the United States national team three times in 2016. She holds the record for fastest goal scoring against any outbound player. eye for the women’s national team, scoring 48 seconds after her international debut.
NFL Three-Time Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt retired at the end of the 2022 season
She says the pair have always been interested in English football, with JJ being a fan of Chelsea and Kealia of Arsenal. Sky Sports Newsbut their loyalty now remains firm to Burnley after announcing an investment in the club.
“We went to Burnley, visited the town and we fell in love,” Kealia said. “It’s an incredible place.
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“What Vincent (Kompany) has done with this team is unbelievable. We can’t wait to see this. [next] season.
“We’re so excited. It’s going to be great – we’ll be there on opening day. We’re counting down the days, we can’t wait.”
JJ added: “It’s all about the opportunity to have an impact in the club.
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“Chelsea are obviously an unbelievable club and they’ve built something extraordinary there, but I believe in what [chairman] What Alan (Pace) is doing in Burnley and what Vincent is building.
“It’s just a matter of coming at the right time. We really enjoyed our time at Burnley and we’re looking forward to coming back.”
The Watts family spent time at the club and in the local community at the start of the season, when they attended the Clarets’ 3-0 win over Wigan at Turf Moor. They will also attend Burnley’s final home game of the season against Cardiff City on Monday, May 8.
The pair also talked about how following Wrexham’s story since the club was taken over by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney has proven to be an inspiration.
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“We saw the documentary a few months ago and it’s great to see what they’ve done,” Kealia said.
“That’s what we’re modeling later on. They’re fantastic and Wrexham is a fun team – we followed that and that’s exactly what we’re trying to do here.”
JJ added: “I talked to Rob about his experience and I tried to get a better understanding of what he did, and I also spoke to Ryan to try to get an opinion. his about what worked and what didn’t.
“Obviously they’re in a different league and a different situation, with what Wrexham are doing, but they’ve done an incredible job.
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“Our goal is to engage and engage with the community. With [Burnley] supporters, we want to earn their trust, we understand we can’t come and expect them to trust us right away.
“And then we want to help tell their story to America and beyond. We want people to know about Clarets.”
Alan Pace, Chairman of Burnley, said of Watts’ investment in a statement: “We are delighted to welcome JJ and Kealia into the Clarets family.
“This has been a conversation that has been going on for a while and throughout this season we have been deeply impressed by their passion and care for both the club and the Burnley community. I am very much impressed. Looking forward to working with them.”
