003 – Owning Bugeaters FC with Jonathan Collura
This is the next episode in my series where I talk to owners of lower-divisions sides.
Last episode I spoke to Damon Gochneaur who is in the process of becoming an owner by starting Denton Diablos FC.
This time, I met up with a more seasoned owner. He’s a businessman who lives in the Dallas area, so we sat down at The Thirsty Growler in The Colony, Tx for a pint (or 2) and a chat. He’s owned and been involved in lower-division teams in England with Alfreton Town and Bradford Park Avenue, California with Napa Valley 1839, and is now the owner of Bugeaters FC in Nebraska. His name, Jonathan Collura.
Jonathan shared the story of how he became an owner and what it’s like to own a team remotely. He also talked about what he’s trying to accomplish and what the challenges are in owning a lower-division team in the current US Soccer ecosystem. And of course, he filled me in on what, exactly, a “bugeater” is.
Jonathan is a wealth of knowledge and is very generous with his time. In fact, after we finished recording, he stuck around and talked with me for over an hour about soccer in the US and abroad.
Jonathan can be found on Twitter at @jonathancollura.