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Beyond the Pitch Episode 73: Viva Mexico!
13 Plays13 days ago
Join Catherine and special guest Caitlin Clark for an informative look into all things Mexico women's football!
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Beyond the Pitch'
00:00:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello and welcome to Beyond the Pitch, a daily women's football podcast brought to you by the Global Sports Podcast Network. I'm Catherine and I'm here today with a very special guest. Hello, would you like to introduce yourself?
00:00:22
Caitlin Clark
Hi Catherine. and Yeah, I'm Caitlin Clark, not the basketball player, um but sports marketer. Yeah, happy to be here on this.
00:00:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Nice to see you.
00:00:33
Caitlin Clark
yeah
00:00:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
um So today we're going to be learning all about the league over in Mexico um and then I'm going to talk a little bit about Katie Zellam and her comments about Manchester United followed by if we get time because you know I'm like followed by England's last camp of the year.
00:00:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
So
Caitlin's Journey in Women's Football
00:00:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
starting off with Mexico Well, I thought let's set the scene a little bit first. So how did you get interested in women's football? Was it the Mexican league in particular or was it a league in the UK or?
00:01:05
Caitlin Clark
so it's growing up when I well, growing up. um I played for QPR for many years. I played alongside Chloe Kelly. ah happy mu
00:01:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Oh my God, that's amazing.
00:01:14
Caitlin Clark
Yeah um and yeah that kind of I kind of gave it up at 16 because you know I didn't really see like there were kind of any aspirations beyond just playing it in terms of career, um a lot of sacrifices, had to travel a long way to get to kind of training um and then finished university a few years later and came back to London and I was like I don't really know what I want to do and it was kind of tied with the 2018 World Cup 2018-19 yeah um World Cup and I kind of met, you know, I started to play for a team called Gold Diggers and saw the huge potential of the women's football kind of community on the ground here in London and then I kind of really reconnected with the women's football scene and then amazing kind of World Cup kind of won and then really got back into it and kind of decided I wanted to kind of make a career and in the space and also just
00:01:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
and
00:02:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
in this space, and
00:02:12
Caitlin Clark
I was so amazed that women's football had kind of reached a platform that I just had never thought possible and there's just so many great characters kind of created this kind of cultural moment and we're kind of here where we are today and it's you know got huge commercial potential and an amazing kind of whole community around it and it's just a really really exciting time so yeah.
Fascination with the Mexican League
00:02:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
Where does Mexico come in?
00:02:37
Caitlin Clark
Mexico. So basically at the start of this year I left my job um and decided I wanted to go away traveling. I studied Hispanics at university and have always been like super obsessed with like Latin American politics just the Hispanic culture in general and obviously Latin American football is just huge amazing matches iconic kind of love for football in those communities but anyway before I was going away I was like I really want to stay in touch with the women's football side I'm going to do some research on what the biggest leagues are over there and there's
00:03:16
Caitlin Clark
the Brazilian league, um not a huge scene in Argentina, but then I came across Mexico and suddenly realised that, you know, some of these teams had huge social followings. They were starting to get huge attendances at these games.
00:03:30
Caitlin Clark
And I was like, how have I not heard of this? There's so much going on in Mexico.
00:03:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah!
00:03:35
Caitlin Clark
Like an unbelievable amount of stuff. And Jenny Hermoso had just signed um a record deal at Tigres and it was kind of, you know, off the back of everything that happened off the World Cup. and Anyway so I just yeah I discovered that there was a lot going on and then earlier this year I went to a number of games and was just blown away about just how big the league's getting and I don't think many people the women's football kind of see know just how big it is and just how
Eurocentric Focus vs Mexican Success
00:04:01
Caitlin Clark
exciting um the league is and and how many big players and and what a movement is going on over there um alongside all the other kind of domestic leagues you know across the world.
00:04:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
And.
00:04:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
Wow. I mean, one criticism that I quite often have about the League, why I wanted to look at different leagues is I do feel like probably because of resources and because of the kind of levels of kind of journalists, people who are in the women's space, we don't really look outside much. um We're beginning to a bit more, I think, with the popularity of some of the other national teams and performances.
00:04:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
we are beginning to but yeah definitely quite Eurocentric I i feel at the moment particularly or NWSL and Eurocentric.
00:04:45
Caitlin Clark
Yeah, for sure. And I think, I know Copper 71, the film came out last year. and Yeah, I mean, that also kind of ah story told just how amazing. I just think, like, yeah, there's a kind of real feminist movement in Mexico. And um yeah, that film really highlights it. And also, yeah, like, I agree with you. I think there's so much that infant leaks could be learning from the Mexican ego mix right now. um And I'm here to kind of shout about it. and Yeah, see it foreseeable.
00:05:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
but It sounds amazing. How many teams are there in the, what's the setup of the league like over there?
Mexican League Structure and Professionalization
00:05:24
Caitlin Clark
Yeah so the league was first professionalised in 2017, where all the kind of men's side had to open a kind of breakout women's team as well, which was kind of, they were granted access to stadiums, branded opportunities and training facilities.
00:05:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right.
00:05:43
Caitlin Clark
So some of the women's teams will be playing in the Estecca, for example Club America playing in the Estecca, um for a number of their games, which is a huge, I think it's 80,000 capacity stadium, but they've had a number of games where they filled that. um And ah yeah, so it's founded in 2017 and seventeen um and ah they kind of established rules such as only three international players could play in each squad, which meant that there's really strong elite pathways for Mexican talent over there.
00:06:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay. Mm hmm.
00:06:13
Caitlin Clark
And it's kind of building this kind of long-term plan and investment um in in that kind of domestic talent. and But then in terms of how the league runs, there's 18 teams um and yeah, ah quite a lot of teams.
00:06:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Wow, quite a lot. Yeah.
00:06:31
Caitlin Clark
No relegation, but how it works is
00:06:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
and
00:06:35
Caitlin Clark
um the kind of seasons split into two. I think that's a kind of common theme across Latin American football.
00:06:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:06:42
Caitlin Clark
um I don't know whether that's because, you know, certain times of the year are too hot. But yeah, the league split into two called the Aventura and the Cucera. And essentially, um they'll kind of of play each other once.
00:06:56
Caitlin Clark
and the last six will kind of battle in a kind of mini tournament and then you'll kind of rattle it down to the last ah the winner and ah the the final there was a final about two weeks ago in Monterey, the current and champions,
00:07:11
Caitlin Clark
and
00:07:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
Sure.
00:07:12
Caitlin Clark
But yeah, what I like about the league is it's super competitive. There's not been like one household name like in the WSL with Chelsea.
00:07:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm-hmm.
00:07:20
Caitlin Clark
There's been kind of each year there's there's kind of real healthy competition amongst four clubs. And yeah, it's just a huge fan base over
Mexico's Role in 2027 World Cup
00:07:31
Caitlin Clark
there.
00:07:31
Caitlin Clark
And um I think, yeah, we'll start to see the Mexican national team really coming to light in the next few years as this kind of long term plan really kind of plays off.
00:07:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
so I was going to ask you about um the 2027 World Cup, obviously, over in that part of the world.
00:07:44
Caitlin Clark
yeah
00:07:47
Caitlin Clark
ye
00:07:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
What? Yeah, how are they feeling about that? Do you know? I'm really getting excited for it, I must admit. I know we've got the Euros.
00:07:53
Caitlin Clark
um oh
00:07:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah
00:07:56
Caitlin Clark
I think, well, ah they were part of the bid, actually, I was really disappointed to hear that they actually didn't win the bid.
00:08:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:08:04
Caitlin Clark
And obviously, Brazil, you know, won it. And I think that, you know, huge, exciting tournament in such a footballing nation and beautiful nation.
00:08:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm hmm.
00:08:12
Caitlin Clark
um But essentially, um yeah, I think off the back of, you know, the men's World Cup being hosted in Central America, I think it would be amazing and I think you know it's a space where the women's football was thriving and it would have been an amazing extra kind of establishment and already exciting kind of grounding. um But yeah I think um a lot of the players are playing in America, a lot of them are staying in Mexico now. and I can't remember what the question was, the head of the World Cup.
00:08:42
Caitlin Clark
um Yeah I think obviously they didn't, um the national team didn't actually qualify for the last World Cup and the Olympics but and we're seeing like their youth teams are now winning huge tournaments, they're beating, the under 20s beat um the US in a, I think it's called a concafel
00:08:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
you
00:09:01
Caitlin Clark
final and
Fanbase Dynamics in Mexico
00:09:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
well
00:09:02
Caitlin Clark
so I think we'll really see the rise of Mexico in the next few years as testament of just how much they're putting into their league.
00:09:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's amazing. Where do you think, kind of where do you think all this massive kind of fandom with it started with them?
00:09:19
Caitlin Clark
I think Mexico is traditionally quite a footballing nation. and you know They've hosted in the Esteca, which is the famous um stadium where the first unofficial women's World Cup took place.
00:09:32
Caitlin Clark
ah you know They've also hosted they that's the the home of where Pele won the World Cup, Maradona won the World Cup.
00:09:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm hmm. Mm hmm.
00:09:39
Caitlin Clark
they it's a country you know it's it's vibrant it's it's there's a lot of feminist talk there's a lot of appreciation of women there's always a you know a long way to go but there's there's ah a real kind of feature of women in kind of the news they've got um a real kind of campaign around women in politics um but i think there's a general kind of yeah the the women's football scene is yeah i think rooted in in a love for football but also um this kind of feminist kind of movement in Mexico um and it's kind of combined with the two yeah yeah yeah
00:10:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
You mentioned Pele there. Can I just mention one of my favorite male players of Manchester United for many years, Chiquerito Hernandez. I miss him dearly. I think he's still playing, which is amazing. ah but Another question I was going to ask ah was, do you think or the fans filling the stadiums, does it kind of, is it a shared fan base between the men's and the women's football or do you think there's like people who are only going for women's football and people like in the UK, I think it's very much split. um It feels to be like a very different audience sometimes.
00:10:48
Caitlin Clark
Yeah I think from what I saw um it was a real mix. I think if you look at Barcelona for example I think the reason they've got quite a big fan base and you know they I think that they have they had the records a few years ago or has that been beaten on? yeah the 91, I can't remember but yeah the record a few years ago, um I think some of these ah fans are just ah overly riding fans of just the club um and you see at Barcelona, you know the fans are the men's, the women's, the basketball team, that I don't know every other franchise that's part of the one club um and I think in Mexico what was part of the kind of infrastructure and
00:11:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm hmm.
00:11:32
Caitlin Clark
um development of growing the league is that the women's team are granted equal access to branded opportunities. So a lot of the teams will feature on the main socials of and of of their clubs, which I think it's great to see it.
00:11:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
that's great
00:11:47
Caitlin Clark
We've seen, you know, across women's football, you
Community and Fan Groups in Mexico
00:11:49
Caitlin Clark
know, there's a real Gen Z following.
00:11:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's great.
00:11:50
Caitlin Clark
And if you invest in the right kind of strategy to grow that fan base and excitement on digital, then I think that will come. And I think Mexico has done that really, really, really well.
00:12:01
Caitlin Clark
um trust ah Definitely,
00:12:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
hu Sounds amazing. I think I might have to book a trip. Yeah, and yeah I might have to be booking a trip over there.
00:12:08
Caitlin Clark
definitely.
00:12:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
oh I'm just really interested in the in these kind of
00:12:13
Caitlin Clark
and
00:12:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah You mentioned fan groups as well.
00:12:18
Caitlin Clark
he
00:12:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
um kind of yeah I'm just really interested in how these groups are forming and the movements that they're making and kind of what the environment is for the women's teams. You said they're connected to the men's teams, um but like in terms of access to facilities and access to the pitches and that, do they all like train on the same pitches? and
00:12:47
Caitlin Clark
I'm not 100% sure and obviously I think there's always still a long way to go.
00:12:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay.
00:12:51
Caitlin Clark
um But I know yeah from from being on the ground there, um I think they do a lot better than other leagues. And I think a lot of infant leagues could be learning from what's happening over in Mexico. Some of their social accounts can be benchmarked against the likes of the WSL and the NWSL, which speaks for itself. But yeah, the fans that I met,
00:13:17
Caitlin Clark
um and how they had kind of come to the women's, like following the women's side. I met a group of fans that all had their own drums for Club America and they they were great um and they kind of followed home in a way and Mexico's a really big country but they were like fanatics.
00:13:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well.
00:13:34
Caitlin Clark
I also met a really, really great group of women called Tías de Porro, which means aunties, auntie fans, and they were three triplets that were retired women that one had worked in Texas all her life, one had worked in the town, and they wore these hats, um but they they followed home in a way and and they're really loud, hilarious women and that took me for tacos actually after.
00:14:01
Caitlin Clark
and But what what I loved about my trip there was
00:14:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
wow.
00:14:03
Caitlin Clark
um you know There's some great communities in the yeah UK, in London, Manchester, you know that's what our pride and joy in women's football is, these amazing communities that you know have been fostered. and But even over there, it's the same movement and this love for the women's team and this this movement of women's football is not just in these famous household kind of leagues that we know of, but in Mexico um there's a huge there's a huge following and they're super passionate super loud and and proper fans um which is super exciting and and if if anyone is in Mexico or finds themselves in Mexico I can connect you with them because yeah I'm sure they'll take you under their wing that they took me so yeah.
00:14:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's amazing. i love
Challenges in Women's Football
00:14:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
I love the communities that are created by women's football. i think it's I think it's definitely something that we've taken on as our own thing and it's not necessarily represented in the men's game as much.
00:15:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's really nice. What do you think is the main kind of challenge that the Mexican League or Mexican football is facing at the moment?
00:15:09
Caitlin Clark
Um, hmm. i I think some of, I think it you know it's great the access to stadiums and you know given that platform to to the women's teams, but I think it's the same you know debate across women's football, like can you fill these stadiums? Are we at a point yet where it kind of almost you know devalues the sport by over kind of yeah over making it such a big spectacle that it's not quite there yet so um yeah I'd say that that's one key thing and and then um I think they've done quite a lot in terms of
00:15:53
Caitlin Clark
in terms of like protection of players but I know there's a few cases of you know obviously yeah some players kind of yeah like abuse online perhaps um some more kind of protocols around that um but yeah I think the main issue is you know giving them this access to savings but can you know can that is that a kind of fulfilled dream at the moment
00:16:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Absolutely. my My thought is always, um whenever there's discussions about women's team play teams playing in main stadiums, I'm not going to call them men's stadiums because they're not, they're the club stadiums.
00:16:25
Caitlin Clark
Hmm.
00:16:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
um I always think that sometimes some sometimes money, the financial side of it actually has to take a backseat. In terms of social progress, if you want to have social progress, if you want to kind of have evolution in society then fight finance economy does need to be put on the back burner sometimes and we found like with recently in the WSL if you heard about Arsenal and Bayern Munich Arsenal kind of being kicked out Arsenal women's team being kicked out of the Emirates so that the men can play there I just thought of course financially that makes a huge amount of sense I totally get that because you're gonna sell more tickets for the men's team
00:16:38
Caitlin Clark
Hmm.
00:16:58
Caitlin Clark
yeah
00:17:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
um therefore you're gonna make more money makes sense but i just thought what a way to make a stand it would have been to say no the women's team are just as important and they've already booked it they got here first what but kind of
00:17:18
Caitlin Clark
Yeah. Yeah, shame. I mean, even also, you know, they've done, you know, they're doing leaps and bounds in terms of you know its stadium access but it's a shame they've kind of shot themselves in the foot with that one. and
00:17:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I mean, I always figured that they were kind of like the gold standard in terms of creating a women's real women's football movement for a club in England. Like um my club Manchester United hasn't done as successfully. It was really upsetting when it all traffered first game of the season. I was there, there was I think 12,000 in the stadium that can hold 76. That wasn't very nice to see. But again, the advertising of it kind of Yeah, it really didn't help them, um which I totally see where you're coming from that you need to provide.
00:18:01
Caitlin Clark
Yeah yeah sure I think I know Barcelona um a few years ago tied the women's match with off the back of the classical and I think there's little nuances of how to really
00:18:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah You need to provide that. It's like, yeah, people aren't going to come if you don't tell them that something's happening.
00:18:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:18:25
Caitlin Clark
tie that really well and and build that kind of marketing strategy of you know what's important to the club but also yeah how how to get those fans in on seats.
00:18:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm hmm.
00:18:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, that's really fascinating. um Before we move on, do you is there anything else you'd like to tell us about or anything I've forgotten to ask you?
00:18:49
Caitlin Clark
For me, yeah, i just
Growth Strategies for Mexican League
00:18:51
Caitlin Clark
I think there's so much input leads could be learning from what's happening in Mexico.
00:18:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
he
00:18:55
Caitlin Clark
I think what they've done in terms of um elite pathways for national talent is you will start to see the rise of Mexico in the next few years as that really comes into shape.
00:19:07
Caitlin Clark
I think what they're doing really well and and what smaller leads could learn from is how they're internationalizing them themselves as well. so they're starting to bring in key international players so like Jenny Hermoso is there and I think she's really settled and kind of found herself almost off off the back of such a difficult recent part in football.
00:19:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:19:29
Caitlin Clark
She's been really welcomed by the league, you know after the World Cup she was welcomed by loads of fans of a huge banner.
00:19:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:19:36
Caitlin Clark
um and they've brought in another player called Lanna, who's the CAF Women's Player of the Year. and me official official yeah she She was there before Chelsea, and and they're also, in terms of internationalising and raising that profile, they they've had key kind of pre-season games with household names, so Barcelona went and did a stint there,
00:19:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:19:59
Caitlin Clark
Bayern Munich, also the NWSL are currently doing, yeah, they they they do kind of pre-season tours there and I think they're doing a really good job at kind of raising their profile in a small way, but slowly we'll see.
00:20:10
Caitlin Clark
I hope a UK team will go over there soon and maybe that will get women's football fans over here um out there. um yeah And then also, lastly, I do think um in terms of their social following,
00:20:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
That would be great.
00:20:24
Caitlin Clark
like they again they can be benchmarked against the WSL and NWSL. The league itself has one million followers all together with and I think with all the all the dedicated women's football platforms they have five million um and yeah I'm sure yeah there's a there's huge access to you know a pool of fans there that I think brands will tap into um
00:20:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
What do you think about some of the kind of, uh, biggest football or like WOSO women's soccer, um, themed accounts on like social media? I don't tend to hear much from them about the Mexican leagues either. Like there's quite a few that cover the NWSL, they'll cover Barcelona, they'll cover like top teams elsewhere, but I don't, I think maybe that is another resource they should be tapping into.
00:21:14
Caitlin Clark
Yeah, for sure. I mean, maybe I should approach approach some publishers about it. um But yeah, no, for sure.
00:21:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:21:19
Caitlin Clark
I mean, I think once people tune in to what's going in there on over there, I think i think people will, yeah, they'll they'll see. um I think also some of the athletes over there have really showing, you know, huge potential on how you build a brand online or their popularity.
00:21:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
hu
00:21:37
Caitlin Clark
There's a player called Juan and Gutierrez who I think she's 21 but she's got 2 million followers and is like just post videos of her dancing she's really doing like real personality-led kind of videos as well as you know showing that she can complete at the highest level of the game there's a couple um as well that the profile they're kind of raising their child together that you know they they've and they're kind of an iconic duo in Mexico um I can't remember their name they're called they're cats called her ea
00:22:09
Caitlin Clark
But yeah they that they um yeah, I think some of the athletes there are really likeable and you know on that common theme you know over here of some of the women's players that are starting them and you know really likeable characters.
00:22:22
Caitlin Clark
There's some really amazing characters over there that are really platforming women's football and and doing the right talk.
00:22:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:22:30
Caitlin Clark
But I think, yeah, we'll keep an eye on.
00:22:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Um, do you know how from over here is it possible to watch the Mexican games?
00:22:37
Caitlin Clark
um gosh i i i just want to highlight i mean are they six hours behind um i know that they they've got a similar youtube kind of strategy that uh wsl so i imagine so but i i actually i watched the final the other day but i think that was obviously such a big game um but i believe so i i remember reading up that they do have similar kind of youtube
00:22:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
Or do you need to do a dodgy?
00:22:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:23:04
Caitlin Clark
uh, forecasts kind of, of games, um, but yeah.
00:23:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Maybe I'll do some digging before this goes out. And if I find any YouTube channels, I'll put them in the links in the episode description so people can so people can watch them.
00:23:14
Caitlin Clark
and
00:23:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
What was I going to say? If I start watching that, are there any particular teams? Do you have a favorite team?
00:23:28
Caitlin Clark
Oh, it's hard to say. I was sort of, I really like kids, I'm but a bit of a fashion nerd.
00:23:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
Oh.
00:23:35
Caitlin Clark
ah
00:23:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
i'm I'm right with you, it pains me so much that Arsenal's Awaker is so nice.
00:23:41
Caitlin Clark
Yeah, so nice, so nice. And then, yeah, I wonder when this Stella McCartney will drop. um I was saying, I, so the kind of big house and household names I think I know globally in terms of football are obviously Club America.
00:23:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:23:56
Caitlin Clark
who are based in Mexico City but there's another club called Tigres who are based in Monterey and I would say from attending both matches I have to say Tigres for me I'd say Tigres, um Jenny Hermoso plays there, um I think for me they play in an amazing stadium called Universitario and it's just that your classic South American open-top, you know, sunlit stadium, iconic and um they've been filling out, yeah for the finals they've been filling out, they really do that Americanised light show that we kind of saw at the
00:24:34
Caitlin Clark
the US lionesses game last week but they've done that for years in Mexico.
00:24:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm. Well.
00:24:41
Caitlin Clark
But yeah Tigres and yeah I think I just have such a good time with the fan group there it was a real Mexican women's football experience it's like popcorn in the stand you can't see the pitch because there's like people setting these cans of coke and you just like trying it and then there's you know the light show where they're there after we went for tacos and then the players turned up in the taco place
00:25:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
Oh, wow.
00:25:04
Caitlin Clark
It was great, it was great. So yeah, I'd say T-gres, are their kits really nice? Really nice.
00:25:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
I love how prominently food is and in these stories but then I guess and that kind of speaks to Mexico as well with the food being one of the best cuisines on the planet in my opinion.
00:25:14
Caitlin Clark
Yeah.
00:25:20
Caitlin Clark
Yes, definitely.
00:25:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
um I haven't been to Mexico so I've never tried fully authentic but I have been to l LA and in LA there was good Mexican food.
00:25:30
Caitlin Clark
yeah it's yeah followed by yeah having it after football as well and then the the whole team turns up can't get any better than that just mexicans eat tacos day and night i think it's just part of the culture it's like like you know having pie at football i imagine yeah
00:25:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:25:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
So is that what people do? They like go to football games and then go out for tacos.
00:25:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Even the players. Mm-hmm.
00:25:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well, it sounds like there's so much that we can learn from the Mexican League. And I think that
Book Recommendations and Wales' Achievement
00:26:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
that's um the really great thing to focus on is we need to remember to look outside of the UK and Europe sometimes.
00:26:11
Caitlin Clark
yeah and yeah when i When I tell people all about Mexico on this talk, they're like, what are you talking about?
00:26:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
For sure.
00:26:17
Caitlin Clark
I'm just like, just, honestly, follow this account and you'll just see how much of a buzz there is on the ground over there. Yeah, it's exciting and I hope hope more eyes will be on the league over there.
00:26:31
Caitlin Clark
and And also, I think slowly we'll start to see players as like going over there because obviously the lifestyle, and living in a hot country, the idea of playing in Mexico for a little season and just, you know, that they're treating players right.
00:26:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
mm hmm.
00:26:45
Caitlin Clark
that You know, Jenny Hamill, so I think she's the highest paid. but
00:26:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah.
00:26:50
Caitlin Clark
Yeah, they're really looking after their players and and yeah, there's exciting stuff going on over there. And I think it's in the right hands with, I can't remember the chief, I don't know, of the Federation, and but she's she's really knows her stuff and yeah.
00:27:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
And many, sorry, I keep asking you more questions. I keep thinking, okay, I've come to the end, but then I'm thinking of more questions.
00:27:10
Caitlin Clark
It's all right.
00:27:15
Caitlin Clark
of
00:27:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Is there many players leave Mexico to go to other leagues?
00:27:21
Caitlin Clark
I think a lot of the NWSL players start there and then head back.
00:27:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Sure.
00:27:27
Caitlin Clark
I'm not totally sure to be honest, um but obviously that rule of only three international players means I think actually they will stay.
00:27:38
Caitlin Clark
I'm not sure to be honest, I'm not sure. and
00:27:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's an interesting rule. I think Germany has a similar rule that only three non-EU players can play on any one team. um the life of Bayern Munich, Georgia Stanway would be won because we're no longer part of the EU.
00:27:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thank you, Brexit.
00:27:55
Caitlin Clark
yeah
00:27:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:27:57
Caitlin Clark
yeah
00:27:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I did not wait for that. Let's just bring that out there. um And by the way, I also love that you have the season mag behind you.
00:28:09
Caitlin Clark
Oh yeah, I've got i've got so many bags. I need to get some new ones actually. These are like, no they're a few years old, but um yeah.
00:28:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
Amazing. Well, thank you so much for coming. I hope, um yeah, I hope that was informative for everybody who's listening. I'm sure I'm absolutely sure it was. um Just before we wrap up, I just wanted to do a few shout outs.
00:28:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah one to Wales who, against the Euros for the first time, it was heartbreak for Ireland. My ah social feeds were full of ah Irish fans crying. ah it They did really, really well, Ireland. It looked like an amazing match, especially for the neutral. But yeah, congratulations to Wales. um Also wanted to do a couple of recommendations. So ah Dom Jansen who plays for the Manchester United and the Netherlands national team and her sister Michelle have written a book ah with a lady I know called Jamie from Twitter. I only know her as Jamie so don't ask me for her second name but she's co-written a book with them. ah It looks great, it's out in Dutch now and it will be out in English soon. It's about creating space for growth in a busy life.
00:29:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
and also there's Claire McEwen has written a book about the history of women's football globally. Actually whilst we're here I'm going to look and see if there's any discussions of Mexico. ah It's called She Can Kick It and it's out now on Amazon. Yeah I am going to have a look and see if there's mentions of Mexico. I know they talk about the um Corpa 71. I know they talk about the 1988 pre
Episode Wrap-up and Thanks
00:29:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
-World Cup World Cup, um so hopefully there will be some mentions of Mexico in here. And I think that's it, ah so thank you for joining us. We look forward to welcoming you to the next episode of Beyond the Pitch. So bye from me!
00:30:04
Caitlin Clark
Great, thank you. See you everyone.