“I don't know if the rest of the world is fully aware of how special this place is”. JJ and Kealia Watt on the power of the community within Burnley.
Prior to last season, if you would have asked anyone outside of
Burnley what they thought of the 94,000-populated town they would probably have
come up with the usual spiel about Anti-Football and Brexit FC before trying
and failing miserably to imitate the accent.
You only have to look at a recent Twitter video from Paddy
Power depicting what they felt is the stereotypical Burnley fan to know that on paper that's what
some people think of when they hear the word Burnley.
Granted, that clip showed some element of imagination and
was actually quite funny, but for those on the inside, Burnley is far from that.
It’s the Singing Ringing tree, the ‘Bene and Hot', the Haffners pies, the cotton
mills, and the Royal Dyche. But most importantly it’s the sense of community.
This is what appealed the most to JJ and Kealia Watt when they decided to invest in Burnley back in May. Whilst this may only
be a minority stake, it is clear that they are fully invested in what the town and football club has to offer.
The American couple visited the Leisure Box in Brierfield Lancashire
as part of an event showcasing the great work that Burnley FC’s official charity
Burnley FC in the Community does for young people across the borough of Burnley and
Pendle.
Such is the magnitude of the pair’s sporting achievements they
were swarmed by a sea of excitable young fans clamoring for selfies and
autographs before they could even as much as say ‘Up the Clarets’.
Both have enjoyed stellar careers in their respective sports,
mastering their craft down to a fine art, and have reaped the accolades and adulation
that has been bestowed upon them.
JJ is widely seen as one of the greatest defensive linemen in NFL history, receiving defensive player of the year three times in his first five years in a professional career spanning 11 seasons for both the Houston Texans and the Arizona Cardinals
Soccer player Kelia competed in the NWSL from 2014 to 2021 making a total of 152 appearances for Houston Dash and Chicago Red Stars as well as scoring the winning goal for the US Women’s National Team in the Under 20 World Cup Final in 2012, before going on to make three appearances for the senior side.
It is definitely not something that has gone to their heads
though and within a few seconds of talking to them, it is noticeable that they exude
a certain warmth and have an acute social awareness to boot. Perhaps this is down
to where they grew up with their hometowns being Pewaukee, Wisconsin, and Draper,
Utah:
"Wisconsin does remind me a little bit of Burnley,” JJ says. "It's a lot of farming. It's a big open area. It's not rich. It's not poor.
It's a lot of very hardworking people and they're very passionate about their
sports team.”
Kealia was also immediately struck by the town’s passion for
the shirt when they first visited Burnley back in March:
“That's what we loved so much when we first came here, and when we were driving through Burnley and saw all the football club jerseys”.
She also noted that both Utah and Wisconsin share a lot of similarities
with Burnley, particularly when it comes to generosity:
“Everybody really wants to give back to the community, and
everyone is really ingrained in the community, which I feel is similar in
Wisconsin and kind of how we were raised. And that's why we love doing it so
much.”
In this case, they gave the most valuable commodity of all their
time, speaking to everyone alongside viewing the facilities on offer, which
they heaped huge praise on:
“This place is incredible," JJ states. "I mean, to have this facility
with this beautiful turf field with the rock-climbing wall and everything that
they have here for the kids. It really is a beautiful thing for the community.”
Kealia continued, “When we first came in we both said to
each other I don't think we've ever seen a facility made for something like
this so beautiful and cool and really unique.
It's a really special place. We're so happy we got to come back here”.
The 133,000-square-foot leisure facility which was opened in
2019 by then Prime Minister Theresa May, really is downplaying its importance
when it describes itself as ‘friendly fun and affordable’ on its website. It is
a place awash with people from so many different walks of life, which the former
Texans player believes sport has the power to do:
“I think sports are an incredible way to bring people
together. It's anybody from any background, anybody from any situation can come
together on one team, put everything aside and play together towards one goal.”
This especially rings true when it comes to Burnley FC in the Community’s
Limitless Clarets Project. A project that aims to enrich the lives of children
and adults with additional needs through sport and sensory provisions.
I work on the project and see first-hand the positive impact
sport has on our participants on a weekly basis which they both witnessed after
observing one of our sessions.
“I think the Limitless Clarets do an incredible job with
that” mentions JJ, “Obviously giving everyone an opportunity to participate and
to feel like that they're a part of that team. And there's not many things that
are more powerful than feeling like you're part of a team.”
The multi-year partnership with TikTok for Burnley FC Women,
the Mission to Burnley series on Sky Documentaries, and the acquisition of the
Watt family and YouTube sensations Dude Perfect as stakeholders, are just some
of the fan engagement strategies ALK Capital has implemented since becoming
owners in December 2020.
Why? Because they want to let the world know about Burnley, and
the Watt’s along with Dude Perfect only hope to aid that process.
“I don't know if the rest of the world is fully aware of how
special this place is” comments JJ. "And that's what we're here to do. That's
what Dude Perfect is here to do. That's why Mission to Burnley is what it is.
We just want the world to know about Burnley because there's very special
things going on.”
I know journalism is supposed to be unbiased, but I think I
speak for everyone who lives and works here when I say Burnley is brilliant.
There is just something different about this place situated in amongst Lancashire’s
endless supply of hills. It's our town, it's our turf, it's our home.
They say home is where the heart is, well Burnley certainly
seems to have stolen a place in this couple’s heart.
