Will Ferrell’s newest sports endeavor is no laughing matter.
The Hollywood funny man played the owner of basketball team in the movie Semi-Pro, now he gets to do it for real with a professional soccer club. Ferrell announced himself as the final of the 25 co-owners of the MLS’ expansion LAFC at a press conference to unveil the team’s colors and logo on Thursday. It will begin play in 2018.
“This is not a joke,” Ferrell said. “I am actually a member of this fine ownership group. I’ve never been a part owner of everything. … I’m still part-owner of an ’84 Toyota Camry with my brother.”
Farrell, who played an eccentric youth soccer coach in the film “Kicking and Screaming”, made his position with the club known for the first time at the press conference. He walked on stage and placed a director’s chair between co-owner Peter Guber and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and said, “I want in”, according to the Associated Press.
Ferrell is a soccer aficionado, who began playing the game at 8-years-old on “the mean streets of Irvine, California.” He played on his high school varsity team and his wife and three sons all played soccer growing up.
“To say that soccer is part of our lives in an understatement,” Ferrell said.
He got a taste of being a professional athlete when he played 10 different positions for 10 different baseball teams in spring training in the HBO documentary “Ferrell Takes the Field” that raised money for cancer research. With the LAFC Ferrell is part of a star-studded ownership group that includes Magic Johnson, Nomar Garciaparra and Mia Hamm and had the financial support by prominent Malaysian businessmen Vincent Tan and Ruben Gnanalingam.
Ferrell and the group hope to bring a professional soccer team directly to the city of Los Angeles. The LA Galaxy plays its home games at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. The LAFC is working toward finalizing plans to demolish of the Los Angeles Sports Arena after getting full entitlements and build $250 million stadium next to the L.A. Coliseum, according to the Associated Press.
“Once we solidified that we were in the heart of Los Angeles legitimately, with our brick and mortar, we wanted to build around the moniker of L.A., because it’s globally recognized,” LAFC President Penn said.
