Eva Longoria about investing in Mexican football culture with ‘Necaxa’
In the newest episode of the Podcast “Daily Variety” Eva Longoria closes with co-editor Cynthia Littleton to talk about her new football Docuseries, “Necaxa”, premiered on FX on August 7.
Before her involvement in the project – which follows Longoria while she tries to revive Club Necaxa, a football team in Aguascalientes, Mexico, Longoria became connected to the sport after she initially invested in the Los Angeles Angel City Women’s Pro Soccer Team and Willer’s ownerness is owned by the most
“Angel City for Los Angeles was a very specific project led by Natalie Portman and Julie Uhrman, who wanted to prove that female owners could run a female team in female sport,” Longoria says on the podcast. “It was a good pilot program.”
Real estate investor Al Tylis and Sam Porter, a director of Club Necaxa, approached Longoria about her interest in investing in the team. “They invest in undervalued competitions or teams in huge competitions. They have a cricket team in India and a rugby team in New Zealand,” she says. “They came and said,” We want to do La Liga Mexicana because there is so much value in the Mexican league. ” Look at the amount of eyeballs [soccer] Apart from the Premier League and Champions League, and the number of people looking at La Liga Mexicana, was insane. They have a very money ball approach. They are very data -driven and statistics. “
She continues: “I am the opposite. I am emotionally driven. I am not investing in things. I invest in people. And I fell in love with Al and Sam. I said,” These are guys with whom I want to be in business. ” Every time I have the chance to raise what people think of Mexico, the beauty of Mexico, the idea of the talent from Mexico and the culture, I jump into it.
When Longoria originally signed as an investor in Club Necaxa, she did not think that producing a series would be the result until she arrived in the Mexican city.
“I thought,” This is a TV program, “she said.” The city is a character. The family who runs the team is great people: the players, the coaches and the staff. I immediately saw a TV program. ”
Only later did she work with “Welcome to Wrexham” producers Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds, who serve as executive producers. “We started developing the TV program outside the world ‘Wrexham’. By chance, my investment group decided to invest in Wrexham with all and Sam. In turn they invested in us,” says Longoria.
“I love what they do with ‘Wrexham’, she says.” I thought if there is anyone who knows how to do this, it is Rob and Ryan. I knew we would have a show because you can’t script what happens. We have had coaches. We have undergone management changes. We have sold our star player. We have him back. The emotion and drama are crazy.
Since photographing the series, Longoria has had the opportunity to immerse itself in the Mexican football culture and to learn the significance of football for the community, while also admitting the fears she had about unknown territory within the men dominated by men.
A fear, she explains, “was that I am Mexican American. I am American by nationality and I thought: ‘Oh God, I hope they accept me. ‘I was also nervous as a woman in the sport of a man, as one of the few. The reason I saw football as a national language is because nobody cares about it.
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