{"id":20423,"date":"2026-06-09T13:35:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T18:35:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rgvbusinessjournal.com\/podcast\/como-los-rgv-red-crowns-convirtieron-el-futbol-local-en-una-campana-para-el-mundial\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T13:35:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T18:35:58","slug":"como-los-rgv-red-crowns-convirtieron-el-futbol-local-en-una-campana-para-el-mundial","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/www.rgvbusinessjournal.com\/es\/podcast\/como-los-rgv-red-crowns-convirtieron-el-futbol-local-en-una-campana-para-el-mundial\/","title":{"rendered":"C\u00f3mo los RGV Red Crowns convirtieron el f\u00fatbol local en una campa\u00f1a para el Mundial"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\">Los RGV Red Crowns se crearon para ser algo m\u00e1s que un equipo de f\u00fatbol.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">En este episodio del podcast del <em>Rio Grande Valley Business Journal<\/em>, Naxi L\u00f3pez entrevista a Jamal Fayyad, fundador y presidente del RGV Red Crowns, para hablar de c\u00f3mo un club de f\u00fatbol semiprofesional que antepone los intereses de la comunidad llam\u00f3 la atenci\u00f3n del Bank of America en el marco de su campa\u00f1a para la Copa Mundial de la FIFA.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Fayyad explica c\u00f3mo los residentes del Valle dieron forma al equipo, desde el nombre y los colores hasta la mascota, el loro de corona roja, un p\u00e1jaro que, seg\u00fan \u00e9l, refleja la capacidad de la regi\u00f3n para sobrevivir y prosperar juntos.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">La entrevista aborda c\u00f3mo los Red Crowns est\u00e1n creando oportunidades para los deportistas locales, por qu\u00e9 el club eligi\u00f3 el Harlingen Field y c\u00f3mo el equipo est\u00e1 colaborando con restaurantes, cervecer\u00edas, artistas y empresas locales para forjar una identidad que abarque todo el Valle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Fayyad tambi\u00e9n analiza el impacto econ\u00f3mico del rodaje del anuncio, que, seg\u00fan \u00e9l, inyect\u00f3 m\u00e1s de un cuarto de mill\u00f3n de d\u00f3lares en la econom\u00eda local a lo largo de dos d\u00edas, y explica por qu\u00e9 el proyecto supuso un tipo diferente de atenci\u00f3n medi\u00e1tica a nivel nacional para el Valle del R\u00edo Grande.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">El episodio ofrece un avance de la segunda temporada de las Red Crowns, la posibilidad de dar el salto al profesionalismo en el futuro y las razones por las que Fayyad afirma que el club solo crecer\u00e1 hasta donde la comunidad quiera que lo haga.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How the RGV Red Crowns Soccer Club landed in a FIFA World Cup campaign\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/95qdWgLaD9o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em><b>A continuaci\u00f3n se incluye una transcripci\u00f3n aproximada, generada por IA, de la entrevista de Naxiely L\u00f3pez a Jamal Fayyad, fundador y presidente de los RGV Red Crowns. Es posible que contenga peque\u00f1os errores y faltas ortogr\u00e1ficas. Para escuchar la conversaci\u00f3n completa, reproduce el episodio que aparece m\u00e1s arriba o a trav\u00e9s de tu plataforma de podcasts preferida.<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Hi, and thank you for joining us on this episode of the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal Podcast. I\u2019m Naxi Lopez, and today we have Jamal Fayyad, founder and president of the RGV Red Crowns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Hello. Thank you for having me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Of course. Welcome.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It\u2019s great to be here. This used to be my go-to coffee shop in college, and it\u2019s been a few years since I\u2019ve been back, so it\u2019s nice to return to my roots, so to speak. This is great. Thank you for having us.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Awesome. Jamal, you came onto our radar because we heard Bank of America was filming a national commercial here in the Valley as part of its World Cup campaign. Talk to us about that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yeah. So, you know, the cat\u2019s out of the bag. This is an exclusive, right? You\u2019re the first to know. It is Bank of America. They\u2019re the official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup, so they\u2019re the main sponsor. Anything you see with the World Cup this summer, you\u2019ll see Bank of America right under it or right next to it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Long story short, Bank of America heard about our story \u2014 starting a team from scratch, from the ground up, getting the community\u2019s input on the name, the colors, even the players, and providing an opportunity for local kids to play at the next level.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In just our first year, we had three local kids reach the professional ranks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bank of America heard that story and said, \u201cHey, in this World Cup campaign, we want to feature this story. We want to feature the Red Crowns and let people know what soccer can do for a community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Before I let you go further, though, I want people who haven\u2019t heard of the Red Crowns to understand what they are. Talk to us about that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Okay. Part one.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Part one.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Because there\u2019s going to be like a three-part episode.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I worked with the RGV Toros. Before they dissolved, I had already left. I remember I was done with soccer. I just wanted to be a fan. There\u2019s that saying about trusting the butcher\u2019s word for it when you\u2019re buying steak. That was kind of me. I didn\u2019t want anything to do with the business side anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">About four years ago, I went to England. I\u2019m a big Liverpool fan. I probably lost a few viewers right there, but I\u2019m a massive Liverpool fan, and it was always my dream to go to Anfield.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So I finally grabbed all my savings, broke the piggy bank and went to England.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My luck? The game was canceled.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Liverpool versus Fulham. Canceled.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So I\u2019m in England looking for something to do, and I decide to watch the level below the Premier League. In England there are something like 19 levels of soccer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The cool thing about England is it\u2019s merit-based. If you win, you get promoted. If you lose, you get relegated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Relegated. I learned that on Ted Lasso.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> There you go.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So I go watch a fifth-division match: Wrexham versus Southend.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This was before all of it blew up. Ryan Reynolds had already bought the team, but it wasn\u2019t the phenomenon it is today.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I remember sitting there amazed because Wrexham and Southend are about the size of San Benito or Donna. They\u2019re not huge cities. But on game day everything shut down. Everybody went to watch football.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I was freezing, not used to that weather, but I was having this moment thinking, \u201cMan, I think this could work back home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wrexham reminded me so much of the Valley.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you have a flat tire, somebody helps you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I was invited by strangers to dinner. Invited for drinks. People wanted to talk and learn about each other.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There were so many parallels that I thought, \u201cThis could work at home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But it had to be community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s what stuck with me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Not used to that. But I was sitting there having this moment, like, man, I think this could work back home.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This community \u2014 Wrexham reminded me so much of the Valley, where if you have a flat tire, someone is going to come help you out. I was invited by strangers to go have dinner, to go have drinks, and just talk and learn about each other.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There were so many parallels where I was like, this could work back home, but it has to be this. It has to be community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So I sat there and just kind of fantasized about doing something like this back home, after telling myself I was done.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This is about four years ago, right?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> About four years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So that trip ends. I come back home and I said, OK, I think we\u2019re going to do this.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But English soccer \u2014 or football \u2014 and American soccer are two different monsters, right? It\u2019s not apples to apples.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So for the next three years, what we did was look at markets in the U.S. similar to the Valley that had thriving soccer teams.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was like, why does it work here, but it didn\u2019t work the first time in the Valley?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We used the next three years to compare and study. I took trips to Lubbock. I took trips to California, Napa Valley, North Carolina. I took trips to these markets that were thriving, and I just tried to learn as much as I could.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> And what did you find?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> That it\u2019s community first and foremost.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Think about it. When you think soccer, you don\u2019t think North Carolina. You don\u2019t think Spokane. You don\u2019t think Madison, Wisconsin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But these teams made the community feel like part of it. People were invested, even if it wasn\u2019t monetarily. They had stories. They had memories with their children at the games.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So it wasn\u2019t about the wins or the losses. What happens on the field was actually secondary. That\u2019s what I realized with the really popular teams. It was more about what the club represented and being an identity, like it was in Wrexham and Southend.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So we studied, and when we were done, we knew what we wanted to do.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was go time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While doing all that studying, we had QR codes throughout the Valley, including next door, at coffee shops, libraries and the university. It was a QR code just asking people what made them think of home. It had nothing to do with soccer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nowhere did it say we were bringing a soccer team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It said: What colors remind you of home? When you go to Austin, Houston, Dallas, do you say the Valley, 956, RGV? What do you think of when you think of home? What animals make you think of home?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was a bunch of questions just about home.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We took all that information \u2014 myself, our design team \u2014 and that\u2019s how we came up with the RGV Red Crowns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nobody said the red-crowned parrot. The red crown is a parrot that we see all around here in the Rio Grande Valley.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There was a really cool story. It was like an epiphany. Like, this makes sense.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The red crown is a parrot naturally found in northern Mexico and here in the Rio Grande Valley. Now, you\u2019ll see them in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Florida. You\u2019ll see them all around the place.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What zoologists realized was these birds were taken from us for the pet trade. But if they ever escaped, as long as they were with their flock, they thrived.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And I tell people, it\u2019s like us, right?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We go through these hurricanes, through these freezes. But when the going gets tough, we forget about the different cities, the different high schools, the politics. We all get together like the red-crowned bird, and we survive as a flock.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I was like, this is it. This is the mascot.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bird was the biggest feedback we got.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Of course, the birding industry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yeah.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So we knew we wanted birds. We didn\u2019t know what. We even hinted at the chachalacas. We could have been the RGV Chachalacas, right?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We took different birds, and full transparency, there were two finalists.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was the Red Crowns, which ended up getting the name, and the kingfisher.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The kingfisher is a small bird that dives in the water, takes a fish and eats it. We have a big fishing community, the birding community. To me, it checked a lot of the boxes I was looking for.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The only reason we didn\u2019t go with it is if you Google kingfisher, it\u2019s the largest beer brand in India. India has a population of like a billion people. So I was like, Google will never own that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But then again, we started thinking about the Red Crowns, the colors and the parallels to our community, and it was a no-brainer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s how we came up with the name.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But I love today, I\u2019ll talk to a fan and they\u2019ll be like, \u201cHey, I helped name your team.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And it\u2019s like, what do you mean?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cIt\u2019s like we saw a QR code, and I said we should have been a bird and we\u2019re the Red Crowns.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But that was the goal. I want people to be invested, and I want people to tell that story: I helped name the RGV Red Crowns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So everything we\u2019ve done, including game day, concessions \u2014 everything is community-focused.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The beer we sell at the game is a branded, co-branded beer with Pluton Brewery in Brownsville. It\u2019s a Red Crown Lager, so we truly are community-focused.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> And Pluton is a small microbrewery in Brownsville.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yeah.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But back to the team. We started this team with the goal of providing opportunities for our local athletes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When I was with the Toros, one of the biggest gray areas I saw was that there were a lot of kids who were maybe finishing high school or in high school who, for whatever reason, didn\u2019t play college or didn\u2019t make it to the pros.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They\u2019re kind of stuck in limbo, like, where do I go from here?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Toros had their academy, and then they had the pro team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So we decided to join fourth-division American soccer so that an athlete can play with us.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Let\u2019s say there\u2019s a senior at Edinburg Vela. They can come play with us during the summer, get shown on a national level, but then when school starts, they can go right back to school and play for Edinburg Vela unaffected.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s what we love, because with the Toros, if you were to sign a professional contract, that\u2019s it. You\u2019re a Toros player.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Oh, and you can\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> And you can\u2019t go back to school.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">At a certain point, you realize we became the enemy for a lot of academies and high schools. They didn\u2019t want their best players going over there because they would lose them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yeah. I mean, it was an either-or type of situation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Exactly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With us, you can play with us, and we celebrate where you\u2019re from. We celebrate your high school. We celebrate your academy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We let people know Edinburg Vela brought us this player. Look at the amazing things he\u2019s doing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then once we\u2019re done, you go back unaffected.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019re going to do our best to help you reach your goals, whether it\u2019s playing college soccer or playing professionally.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Like I said, we had three kids go pro just in our first year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But the goal is for the high schools around town and the academies around town. We want to be that ultimate goal for them, helping their students and athletes achieve their dreams.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As they say, it takes a village to move mountains.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s our mindset with all of this \u2014 getting the whole Rio Grande Valley involved with the Red Crowns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> And what are you seeing? What kind of response are you getting from the local academies, the schools and the public?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It takes conversations like these, so thank you for doing this.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think the soccer community specifically has been burned before, and I get it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So it takes people seeing what we\u2019re doing. Actions speak louder than words, right?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think after our first year, people see it now. They\u2019re like, OK, they really are just a semi-pro team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We don\u2019t have an academy. And I tell everybody this: I\u2019ll never have an academy. That\u2019s not my business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019re in a very educated market. There are plenty of academies out there. There are plenty of youth groups out there.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I don\u2019t want to come in and bulldoze everybody out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s how a lot of people put food on their tables. Their academy feeds a lot of families. It\u2019s the main source of income for a lot of people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So let us help you instead of competing with you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And my business is selling tickets. Soccer fans probably don\u2019t want to hear that, but that\u2019s where I make my money.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I mean, if nobody\u2019s watching the game\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Exactly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My business is sponsorships, ticket sales, group ticket sales, concessions and merchandise.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What I tell our staff is we play soccer three months out of the year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The other nine months, we\u2019re a fashion brand. We\u2019re a merchandise brand. That\u2019s how we survive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I don\u2019t make money by charging academy fees. I don\u2019t make money by charging parents to put their kids in our camps.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We leave that to the academies, and we worry about the summer soccer season and providing opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">At first it was, \u201cWe\u2019ll see about that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And unfortunately for me, a lot of people remembered me from the Toros. They were kind of like, \u201cI don\u2019t know about this guy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But it took Year One for people to see a proven concept and a proven model.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Year Two has been great. The feedback has been great.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think this commercial is also going to help catapult us to new levels.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But it\u2019s nice getting those phone calls now where people say, \u201cOK, I see what you\u2019re going for. We\u2019re in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That kind of makes my day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It takes a while, but we\u2019re getting there.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Interesting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How many seasons have you actually played?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> One full season. This is our second.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> So this is your second season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This is our second.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">May 16 is our home opener. Tickets are on sale. Shirts are on sale. Everything is about ready to go.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">May 16 will be the season opener for our second season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> And where do you play?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We play at Harlingen Field.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If anyone remembers the Valley WhiteWings, we took over that stadium.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s a whole other story.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Again, we\u2019re in a market with an educated fan base. You meet somebody and they love Am\u00e9rica, or they love Tigres because their grandparents loved Am\u00e9rica or Tigres.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When we were looking for a home field and starting this project, I didn\u2019t think Harlingen was going to be where we ended up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Personally, I liked Edinburg. I liked McAllen. I thought those made sense. Maybe even Brownsville.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But what Harlingen offered us that none of the other cities offered was a blank slate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What I mean by that is, let\u2019s say we played at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg. There are football lines there. There are football goalposts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s the case for a lot of places.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Harlingen Field had been abandoned for nearly 15 years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So when we went to the city, I said, \u201cHey, can we come in, dig everything up and put a soccer field in here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They said, \u201cSure. Why not?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What I love about that is if I get a fan \u2014 let\u2019s say an older gentleman \u2014 he\u2019s already coming in with a bias, like, \u201cThis isn\u2019t real soccer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When people see football lines and goalposts, they\u2019re turned off.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When you come to our stadium, you see a proper soccer field.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I\u2019m a little romantic when it comes to the sport. I feel like all soccer fans are.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of the biggest compliments I\u2019ve gotten \u2014 and I\u2019ve had a few people tell me this \u2014 is, \u201cThat\u2019s the closest thing I\u2019ve been to a European match,\u201d or, \u201cThat\u2019s the closest thing I\u2019ve been to seeing a match in Mexico.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s what we\u2019re going for.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> So you guys basically redid the whole field?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yeah. It\u2019s a soccer field.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> And that\u2019s not an easy undertaking. Did you get help from the city or anything like that?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It\u2019s still city-owned. We rent it out. It\u2019s our home, and we\u2019re the primary renters now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The city helped out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We learned last year \u2014 and not to throw anyone under the bus \u2014 but the wrong grass was planted.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You could see it when we played. It wasn\u2019t the best grass.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019re in the process of fixing that now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So when you come to Harlingen Field this year on May 16, you\u2019re going to notice proper soccer-playing grass \u2014 the same kind of grass used by FIFA for the World Cup.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The grass has its own ID. That\u2019s how intense this is.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> My gosh.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> So it\u2019s a true soccer field, and we\u2019re excited to open it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hopefully we\u2019ll host an East vs. West High School All-Star soccer game and events like that for the community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In my opinion, it\u2019s Harlingen Soccer Fields now. It\u2019s a soccer pitch, and we love it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s how we ended up in Harlingen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When we started this team, one thing I heard a lot \u2014 and this isn\u2019t just with the Red Crowns \u2014 is that people have this misconception that because we\u2019re in the Valley, and Mexicans love soccer, people will automatically love the team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I argue with people all the time that it actually makes my life harder, not easier.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Let\u2019s say tomorrow the NFL decided the Rio Grande Valley needed a football team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tomorrow they announce the Valley\u2026 I don\u2019t know. Give me a name.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I don\u2019t know. I\u2019m thinking of all the other names that already exist.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Exactly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So let\u2019s say we have an NFL team called the RGV Whatever.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Are you telling me all those Cowboys fans we see around town are going to adopt that team overnight?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yeah.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> No, I don\u2019t think so.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019re in a market with such a heavy soccer fan base.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> They already have their likes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Exactly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s why I\u2019m so persistent about looking authentic and feeling genuine.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I tell all of our fans the Red Crowns don\u2019t have to be your favorite team. We just want to be your local team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can still go see Tigres once a month or however often you go.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But now you know there\u2019s an option that\u2019s more than half the price, and you can support your local team and your local economy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Keep your favorite team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I have my favorite team. I watch Liverpool every weekend.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But now you also have a local team you can root for.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019re not trying to take over. We\u2019re not trying to become your new favorite team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Just your local team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Interesting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">OK, let\u2019s switch to the commercial.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How the heck did Bank of America learn about you? Do you bank with them? How did this happen?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I do now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We didn\u2019t at first.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They\u2019re the official bank of the Rio Grande Valley Red Crowns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You\u2019ll see signage at the stadium. I think you\u2019ll see them in the commercial.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They\u2019re our official banking partner.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We had been talking to them because we were looking for sponsors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We initiated some discussions, but nowhere in those conversations did we think we\u2019d be talking about a commercial.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This just proves that in the Valley, somos pocos.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pedro Locos, one of the people handling that account for Bank of America, is from Harlingen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">He was basically our spokesperson inside the bank.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">He was telling them, \u201cWhat they\u2019re doing down there isn\u2019t normal. Getting three guys to go pro in their first year isn\u2019t normal. Getting the whole community bought in isn\u2019t normal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So the bank started thinking maybe there was a story there.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We were up against six other stories.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Going back to what you said earlier, one of the people we were competing against was tied to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ted Lasso<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We were competing against six stories, and we won \u2014 or at least we were given the opportunity to work with Bank of America.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We feel lucky, excited, blessed \u2014 all the words.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But ultimately it goes back to the Valley surviving as a flock.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Had it not been for a local Harlingen native speaking up for us, I don\u2019t know if we\u2019d be here today.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s how we are down here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We support each other. We help each other out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We got really lucky. Right place, right time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But once they learned about us, everybody was kind of jaw-dropped hearing some of the stories and some of the struggles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We take 25 guys when we travel for away games.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Our closest game is in San Antonio.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That means every weekend we\u2019re driving at least four or five hours.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And as everyone knows, on that drive you stop at a checkpoint.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With everything happening right now, that\u2019s a whole other story.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We had players who didn\u2019t feel comfortable traveling on away trips, so they would only play home games.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Those are things we don\u2019t really promote or talk about, but they\u2019re struggles we deal with daily.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The bank heard stories like that and was fascinated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I remember one of the directors saying, \u201cWhen we\u2019re done with this, maybe we should do some kind of documentary and just follow you guys because this is amazing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We had a player last year who drove from Mexico to practice every day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Wow.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And people do that all the time here. We don\u2019t even blink at it anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Exactly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When I told them that, you could just see the look in their eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I was like, \u201cThat\u2019s normal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Go look at Brownsville. You see people doing it every day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What makes me really proud is that a lot of times the Valley ends up at the top of every bad list.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We may have dropped to second on some of those.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Baby steps.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Right.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But we\u2019re also near the bottom of every good list.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What I loved about this story is that it wasn\u2019t the same old thing you see on Netflix or whenever people talk about the Valley.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Like the Selena series where they put mountains in Brownsville.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Oh my God, yes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This was authentic.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This was authentic to the Valley.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">From what we saw, it\u2019s going to show the beauty of our little part of the world \u2014 our little slice of heaven.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Our goal was always to be an identity for the community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I\u2019m glad we got to show that to the world and tell that story because I think it needs to be shown.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There\u2019s more than bad news happening down here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are amazing people, amazing stories and amazing things happening every day in the Rio Grande Valley.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> And aside from being a really good PR move for the entire region, it\u2019s also an economic driver.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Having this commercial shot here in our area injected money into the local economy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tell our viewers a little bit about that. How much money was pumped into the local economy?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In just two days, more than a quarter-million dollars was pumped into the local economy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aside from that, this was the first union production we\u2019ve ever had in the Valley when it comes to filming.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I\u2019ll probably butcher some of the Hollywood terminology because I just learned all of this last week, but it was a Screen Actors Guild union production.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Everything was very organized and very intense. Lunch was at a specific time. Wrap was at a specific time. Call times were exact.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I remember some of the extras who do this kind of work all the time asking, \u201cHow did you get a union job down here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I don\u2019t know. You tell me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Exactly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was really neat hearing things like that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was the first SAG production we\u2019ve had in the Valley.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When they agreed to come down, I had one request: keep everything local.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019ve had businesses that believed in the Red Crowns from the beginning, and this was kind of my thank-you letter to them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Thank you for believing in us. Thank you for partnering with us when this was just an idea.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And to their credit, they did exactly that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They kept everything local.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They stayed in local hotels. They brought people here instead of outsourcing things.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The shirts they needed were made locally instead of through vendors in California.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The props were sourced locally.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Everything they did was local.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On top of that, the production staff went out and spent money throughout the region.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I know they spent a ton of money at a print shop in Brownsville.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Every night they were out having dinner. Some of them came to McAllen. Others went to Brownsville.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They spread the love around.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My one ask was to keep it local, and they did.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So when you see the clothes in the commercial or the props in the commercial, just know those were sourced locally.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even the truck they used came from a local resident.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They saw a green truck they liked and asked the owner if they could use it in the commercial.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They paid him. They rented the truck from him. He got a nice paycheck out of it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Every business featured in the commercial got paid for the day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They paid employees who weren\u2019t able to work that day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They didn\u2019t force businesses to close.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So the business owners were happy because they were getting paid, staying open and their staff was getting paid too.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was truly remarkable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sometimes you hear \u201cHollywood\u201d and it sounds like a nasty world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But they were amazing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They kept it local. They paid everybody.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And we were happy to finally share that love with all the people who believed in us from Day One.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Very cool.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So where did you guys shoot?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What locations did you use?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Primarily Harlingen and Brownsville.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We tried really hard to get McAllen involved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of the things we wanted to feature was a restaurant called Ram\u00f3n Prosper in McAllen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">At every Red Crowns game, we invite a local restaurant to participate at no charge.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They don\u2019t pay to be there. We don\u2019t take any of their profits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They keep everything.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What I get out of it is that season-ticket holders get a different culinary experience every game.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s not hot dogs every game. It\u2019s not burgers every game. It\u2019s something different.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For our first game, we invited Ram\u00f3n Prosper on Main Street in McAllen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They created this breakfast ramen dish that was almost like a ramen-Frito pie fusion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was incredible.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Everybody loved it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We really wanted to feature them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The problem was the production was massive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There were more than 100 crew members and about 10 to 18-wheelers full of equipment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Logistically, they couldn\u2019t go from Harlingen to McAllen and then back to Harlingen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That was the one shot that didn\u2019t make it, and I\u2019m still disappointed about it because it was such a cool concept.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ramen at a soccer game is the last thing people expect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But we tried really hard to make it happen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Most of the filming ended up being in downtown Harlingen and downtown Brownsville.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In Harlingen they filmed around Van Buren Avenue, Jackson Street, Bandera Coffee and Uppercut Barbershop.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In Brownsville they filmed downtown at Jay\u2019s and Rutledge Burgers, along with another restaurant whose name is escaping me right now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They also filmed a lot of random street scenes around both downtowns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Again, they took care of everybody who participated \u2014 businesses, actors, everybody.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was nice to be able to provide that opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> For sure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Before we started recording, you mentioned there were some pretty big names working on this project.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bank of America brought in some seasoned professionals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Talk to us about that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I found out after the fact, which is probably a good thing because I would\u2019ve been even more nervous.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The guy behind the camera was an Oscar-winning and Emmy-winning cinematographer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Cinematographer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> There you go.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My wardrobe person was funny.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">She was dressing me every day, completely nonchalant about it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the last day she told me, \u201cYou\u2019re going to wear this, this and this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I said, \u201cGreat. Where are you headed next?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And she goes, \u201cBruno goes on tour tomorrow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I said, \u201cBruno?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">She said, \u201cBruno Mars. I\u2019m his stylist.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And I was like, \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> So you got styled by Bruno Mars\u2019 stylist. No big deal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Right?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maybe there was always a diva hidden somewhere inside me and this project finally brought it out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But honestly, I had my own makeup team, stylist and wardrobe person.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The cinematographer and directors had worked on some really major campaigns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The set designer is the same person who has worked on commercials with Messi.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">He was telling me stories about Messi and the World Cup.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">He came from Sweden.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The directors came from New York.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Most of the crew came from California.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We had people from Austin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This was truly a global crew that came down to the Rio Grande Valley, and it was everyone\u2019s first time here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To see all the positive reviews and everything they loved about the Valley was just a nice reminder of how lucky we are to live where we live.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Were any of them apprehensive, like, \u201cOh my God, the border,\u201d or, \u201cThis is the U.S.-Mexico border?\u201d That\u2019s always the image we have to fight here in the Valley.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We struggle with it too, with players.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We have a 90-10 rule.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ninety percent of our roster is local kids because we\u2019re trying to be an opportunity for them to reach new heights.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But 10% are either out-of-town guys or guys who have played at a high level before.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We do that because that 10% teaches the 90% how to act, how to eat, how to train, how to stay in shape.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They\u2019re kind of like the big brothers of the team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Seasoned veterans.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yeah, seasoned veterans.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But we deal with that when we\u2019re recruiting players.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They\u2019ll say, \u201cI don\u2019t know if I want to go down there. I hear such bad news,\u201d or, \u201cI hear about the drug wars,\u201d and all that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I\u2019m like, \u201cJust come down here. Trust me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So we\u2019ve started a series called \u201cOur Slice of Heaven.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We released the first one two weeks ago.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I feel like it\u2019s our responsibility to show off why this place is amazing, so that when we\u2019re recruiting these guys, they can go to our TikTok and be like, \u201cOh, man, that actually looks really nice. I want to go down there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I don\u2019t know if there was any apprehensiveness with the production crew, because if there was, they didn\u2019t tell me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But I think it\u2019s also one of those things where once you get here, you\u2019re like, \u201cOh, why was I worried?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> And I feel like if they\u2019re Oscar-winning, they\u2019re a little more open and have traveled. I don\u2019t think this is the most dangerous place they\u2019ve been to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yeah, exactly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But I would say the one thing I heard was, \u201cWe\u2019re coming back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Everybody loved the visuals of everything.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The set designer was telling me, \u201cI love downtown Brownsville because I see old Mexico here. I can do so much with this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then the next day he was like, \u201cOh my God, downtown Harlingen. That\u2019s 1950s America. I can do so much with this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Anywhere we\u2019d go, he would say, \u201cLook at the colors.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">He was one of the people who said, \u201cI need to come back here and shoot more. We need to do more here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even the staff were saying, \u201cThe food is amazing. Everything has been amazing. We need to come back. We need to have a weekend at South Padre or have a weekend in Progreso.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I was just standing there like, \u201cTold you guys.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was really great to hear how much they loved the Valley, despite only being here for two days.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And 90% of that was just work, work, work. It was an intense schedule.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But when they did have that off time, they were impressed and they loved everything about it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was really heartwarming to see so many new people come down here and love it so much.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So it was kind of one of those, \u201cTold you so\u201d moments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yeah, it was great.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Do you know what the commercial is going to look like?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think you mentioned off camera that Bank of America is doing kind of a three-pronged approach for the community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yeah.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There\u2019s already one with Diego Luna, a player for the U.S. Men\u2019s National Team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That commercial is already out, so you\u2019ll see it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now that I said it, you\u2019re going to see it on Facebook and Instagram.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There is a big name that I can\u2019t say yet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think ours comes out first. I don\u2019t know when that big name will come out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And then we\u2019re the other piece of that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019re the community piece.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The commercial is a quick story about how soccer impacts community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think we\u2019re the prime example of that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019re working with local breweries and local restaurants. We invite them to every game. We provide opportunities for local players to go to the next level.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We truly are community-based in all aspects of this business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019re a business at the end of the day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s challenging because you have 30 seconds to tell the story.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">From the shoots, I think they\u2019re going to do a good job.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But yeah, it was a quick 30 seconds to show how soccer impacts community and vice versa.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Interesting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Well, we can\u2019t wait to watch it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I can\u2019t wait.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I know they say it adds 5 pounds, so we\u2019ll see.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yeah, for sure. Definitely 5, 10, 15. It\u2019s definitely very accurate here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I might have looked for some Ozempic or something just to get ready.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But we\u2019ll see how that goes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019re excited and nervous.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But ultimately, we\u2019re just proud to put a spotlight on the Rio Grande Valley and show it off to the rest of the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019ll be featured during every World Cup match. You\u2019ll see it in English and in Spanish.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are also digital commercials.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Everything we did that whole weekend, they\u2019re going to make, I think, three or four digital spots for streaming platforms, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So it\u2019s truly going to be a Red Crown summer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For everyone local, once you see us on TV, come to Harlingen Field and see the Red Crowns for yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A little fun fact: Every game \u2014 and we didn\u2019t plan this. There\u2019s no way we could have planned this \u2014 around 7:50 or 8 p.m., a flock of red crowns flies over our stadium while we\u2019re playing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s the coolest thing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I\u2019ve been super annoying, I\u2019m sure, with Sports Illustrated and ESPN, because I\u2019m like, \u201cWhere else in sports does the actual mascot fly through?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And they do it every single game.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I\u2019ll never forget our last game.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We played FC Dallas. We were down 2-0, and it was like the 50th minute.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The crowd went nuts because the Red Crowns have become something we all expect now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They flew right over. The crowd went nuts. And you could see the players like, \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yeah, that bird.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> But that kind of lit a spark, and we ended up winning 3-2.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s become a thing, and it\u2019s really cool to see.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So if you see the commercial, just know you have a local team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They don\u2019t have to be your favorite team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can come see the Red Crowns both on the field and in real life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Is there any opportunity for businesses that want to sponsor or jump in on it?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What\u2019s the best way to get ahold of you?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> So, RGVRedCrowns@gmail.com.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There\u2019s also marketing@rgvredcrowns.com.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s probably the best way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But if it\u2019s more of a quick question, use RGVRedCrowns@gmail.com.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019re a small staff, so I try not to overwhelm everybody.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One person is in charge of the Gmail account. Another person is in charge of the marketing account.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Or just shoot us a message on Instagram.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We check every message.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you\u2019re interested, reach out to us. There are plenty of opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019re making upgrades to the stadium, which includes a video board.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So we\u2019ll be able to play commercials. We\u2019ll be able to show your logo or whatever the case is on the screen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Last year, we weren\u2019t able to do that. It was all static.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We do have some sponsors we haven\u2019t announced yet, some local sponsors we\u2019re excited to announce, including some McAllen-based businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Just because we play in Harlingen, we\u2019re not a Harlingen team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019re the Valley team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So we try to spread the word and spread the love.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One thing we did during the offseason is every other weekend we hosted Coffee with the Crowns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We would go to a local business and watch soccer together.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We would open a tab, watch European soccer and have coffee on the Red Crowns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We did that in Brownsville, Harlingen, McAllen and Edinburg.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We went to different coffee shops and different businesses at no cost to them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We would open the tab at no cost to the fans, and we just tried to celebrate that local business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But then it also gets us in front of the soccer fan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now we get to talk Red Crowns. We get to talk soccer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> So visibility.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Visibility.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That was really fun.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Another thing we do \u2014 we\u2019ve only done this in our first year \u2014 is every offseason we\u2019ll go to a local artist and say, \u201cEverybody has a different view of the Red Crowns, or what our logo should be, or how we should look.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So we go to a local artist and say, \u201cGive us your interpretation of the Red Crowns.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then they get a merch drop.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This year, we worked with Face to Face Art.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">He came up with a collection. It was like, when I think of Red Crowns, I think of chisme y cotorreo.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Oh.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> So he drew that out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">He got a shirt and a hat that\u2019s up for sale on our website.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Next season, when we\u2019re done, we\u2019re going to go to a different artist and say, \u201cOK, now it\u2019s your turn. What do you think of Red Crowns?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then they\u2019ll get a shirt, a hat, and it\u2019ll be out there for sale.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This Saturday \u2014 I guess it\u2019ll be too late by then \u2014 but we have our Sip and Pick event.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019re inviting everybody to Pluton in downtown Brownsville, and you get to try the new Red Crown Lager.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You get to sip it, try it out, and then we invited local artists throughout the Valley to draw a beer can design.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You get to go and pick your favorite beer can.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019re going to pick the winner of that vote, and then that\u2019ll be the official beer can for the Red Crown Lager.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> So fun.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It\u2019s probably annoying, but we truly are that local.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">From the beer cans to the beer itself, everything we do, we do with community involvement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That includes our merchandise, everything.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even our logo.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Our logo was made by the head designer for the Houston Rockets, and he\u2019s a local kid.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Our coaching staff is local.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We truly want the Valley \u2014 from Rio Grande City and Roma all the way to Brownsville and the island \u2014 to feel like they have a piece or an investment in the Red Crowns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Whether it\u2019s money, buying season tickets, giving us a design or voting for what the name should be, we truly want to be an identity for the Rio Grande Valley.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> And you found that the buy-in is really important, right?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can\u2019t have a successful operation without that, it seems like.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yeah, you definitely need it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In soccer especially, you need buy-in not just from the players but from the fans.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s important for us that people feel they\u2019re part of it in one way or another.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I never want this to feel corporate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I never want people to feel like, \u201cYeah, I have season tickets, but I\u2019ll never be able to tell the coach what I think.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We truly want to feel as local as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So much so that I\u2019ll get a message on Instagram like, \u201cCan I speak with the president? I think you guys should be doing this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And I\u2019ll give them a call.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Like, \u201cOK, what is it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s not always the most pleasant conversation, but ultimately it\u2019s worth that nuance for the bigger goal or the bigger picture.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So if you want to talk to me, reach out to us on Instagram and I\u2019ll give you a call.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019ll talk, whether it\u2019s about players or about what five years looks like from now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I was about to ask that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What do you envision over the next five years?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I would like to go pro.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I would like to be where the Toros were before they dissolved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But I tell everybody this: We don\u2019t make that jump without the community wanting that jump.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There\u2019s a world where we talk to our season ticket holders and our fans, and they say, \u201cYou know what? I actually like the $10 tickets. I like the $2 hot dog. I like the $4 beers. I don\u2019t want to lose that. I love that you guys just bring local players and give them opportunities. Let\u2019s keep it that way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then we just don\u2019t move.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We continue this, and we just become that team that helps kids reach the next level.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There\u2019s also a world where people say, \u201cYou know what? We are ready for that jump. I\u2019m OK that my season ticket goes up 30%. I\u2019m OK that the beer that was $4 costs $9 now. I\u2019m OK that my hot dog now costs $4 instead of $1 or $2. But now we have a professional team.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then we make that jump.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But we don\u2019t do anything without the community\u2019s buy-in first.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Those are discussions we\u2019re already having.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the end of the season, we\u2019re going to have our season ticket holder wrap-up party, and we\u2019re going to ask them, \u201cHow did you feel about this season?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWhat if I told you next year we\u2019ll take the next jump up, but it\u2019s going to come with higher costs and higher operating costs?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If they say, \u201cNope, we\u2019re good,\u201d then we don\u2019t move.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If they do want it, then the sky is the limit for us.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think we\u2019ve shown the soccer world that the Valley is a market that can not only be successful, but thrive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I\u2019m telling you this firsthand: When I was looking for investors for this club, a lot of people from out of town told me, \u201cI don\u2019t know if the Valley is a good market. Look what\u2019s happened.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And to me, that was just a challenge because I know what we\u2019re capable of.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Look at UTRGV football, right?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That place is packed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I know it\u2019ll be packed for soccer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">People just need to be bought in, and they need to feel like it represents them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We play in fourth-division U.S. soccer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In our league, we led in attendance in our conference. We led in YouTube views. In Texas, we led in ticket sales. We led in merchandise sales.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So now I\u2019m going back to those same people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Keep it G-13.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I\u2019m going back to those same guys like, \u201cHey, remember when you said this wasn\u2019t a market? Look what we\u2019re doing now at a shoestring budget with very little monetary help.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This truly is a small team led by volunteers, led by people who still have their 9-to-5 jobs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And we do this all out of passion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But it showed the rest of the soccer world that there is something in the Valley.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019re glad and proud to be that disruptor in the game.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Awesome.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jamal, any closing thoughts you want to leave our viewers with?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> May 16 is the home opener.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019re excited.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We have some really exciting announcements, both off the field and on the field.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We have some exciting players we\u2019re going to announce soon, some familiar faces.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And again, we don\u2019t want to be your favorite team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We just want to be your local team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We hope we make you all proud.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We hope you\u2019re proud to wear Red Crowns merch.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Come out and support.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Without the community, we\u2019re truly nothing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Awesome.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Congratulations to you. Congratulations to the team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Obviously, this is something great for our community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019ll definitely keep an eye on you guys.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And you heard it: May 16 in Harlingen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jamal Fayyad:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Thanks for the invite.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naxi Lopez:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Thank you so much.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And make sure to subscribe and continue watching.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":20427,"template":"","podcast-category":[],"class_list":["post-20423","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"description":"","video":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.5 (Yoast SEO v28.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>C\u00f3mo los RGV Red Crowns convirtieron el f\u00fatbol local en una campa\u00f1a para el Mundial - Rio Grande Valley Business Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rgvbusinessjournal.com\/es\/podcast\/como-los-rgv-red-crowns-convirtieron-el-futbol-local-en-una-campana-para-el-mundial\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"C\u00f3mo los RGV Red Crowns convirtieron el f\u00fatbol local en una campa\u00f1a para el Mundial\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Los RGV Red Crowns se crearon para ser algo m\u00e1s que un equipo de f\u00fatbol. En este episodio del podcast del Rio Grande Valley Business Journal, Naxi L\u00f3pez entrevista a Jamal Fayyad, fundador y presidente del RGV Red Crowns, para hablar de c\u00f3mo un club de f\u00fatbol semiprofesional que antepone los intereses de la comunidad... 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En este episodio del podcast del Rio Grande Valley Business Journal, Naxi L\u00f3pez entrevista a Jamal Fayyad, fundador y presidente del RGV Red Crowns, para hablar de c\u00f3mo un club de f\u00fatbol semiprofesional que antepone los intereses de la comunidad... 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