Stateside preseason with Real Salt Lake brings Burnley's Utah ownership group 'full circle'

SANDY — For one who came from a very different world of the NFL, J.J. Watt's transition from football to international futbol came pretty natural.

The Burnley minority owner of the past three years had some help, of course — from his wife, former Alta High star and fellow co-investor Kealia Ohai.

The former youth hockey player from Pewaukee, Wisconsin, and former first-round NFL draft pick and three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year with the Houston Texans was a longtime fan of Chelsea FC before meeting Ohai, who played at UNC, the U.S. women's national team and 16 seasons in the NWSL — and going all-in on soccer.

So when an opportunity came for the Watts family to purchase an investment stake in England's Burnley FC three years ago, the 6-foot-5 defensive end leapt at the opportunity.

Owning a piece of an American sports franchise could have been fun. But the Clarets — a club with close to 150 years of history that was recently relegated from the Premier League to the second-division EFL Championship — provided the Watts with an opportunity to be involved, not just invest.

"I always knew after I was done playing that I wanted to get into ownership," Watt told local reporters Wednesday before Real Salt Lake's 4-1 win over Burnley at American First Field. "This was a natural step. Being here, with her, in this stadium, is pretty surreal."

Of course, that doesn't mean he didn't consider American sports. NFL franchises with the tens of billions of dollars in valuations, were probably a step too far.

But Watt admitted he did seriously inquire about the National Women's Soccer League, especially in the period between the Utah Royals' sale in 2020 and the franchise's rebirth in 2023 when Watt seriously considered joining a bid to revive pro women's soccer in his wife's home state.

"The Royals were very interested, too," Watt said. "I think there could certainly be opportunities. But the valuation of what we're doing (with Burnley) is different, partially because of the lack of promotion/relegation and being able to ascend up to higher levels.

"We like where we're at now," he added. "You never know what the future holds, but we're really enjoying it."

For now, that includes being one of several American — and Utah-born — links between the Clarets and Claret-and-Cobalt of Real Salt Lake. In addition to Ohai, Burnley is led by owner and chairman Alan Pace, the former RSL president; and David Checketts, the Real Salt Lake co-founder who sits as one of four directors on the club's board.

"It's just come full circle," said Checketts, who is also involved with Pace's ownership of LaLiga side Espanyol de Barcelona. "Jason (Kreis) is here, and so many people that I hired are still here. I hope fans still love it — and there are worse ways to spend a summer night in Utah. All of those are things I dreamed for a long time."

Being a part of the ownership hasn't been without its bumps over the past three years. But like any new position, the Watts found the footing while staying involved following retirement as professional athletes.

"It's a lot more frustrating than being a player, because you can't always do what you want to do and fix things," Ohai said. "But we've learned a lot, especially about promotion-relegation and going into the Premier League."

With so many local ties, it's no surprise that when the newly relegated Clarets opted for a preseason tour of the United States, one of those stops — the concluding one Wednesday night after 10 days abroad — would be in Utah.

That brought Ohai back to the same field where she won a state championship with the Hawks before her rise at UNC, the national team, and with the NWSL.

"Every time I bring J.J. back, it's amazing here," said Ohai, who called Utah a soccer state.

"People come over here, and they can't believe how beautiful it is, how clean, how nice the people are," she said. "I'm just proud of Utah as a state. When we heard that Burnley was coming here, we had to be here — and we made sure to bring my family out. I'm a proud Utahn right now."

Related topics