LOCAL Houston | The City Guide March 2018 | Page 64

FOOD | ARTS | COMMUNITY | STYLE+LEISURE
GABRIEL
BRENER
OWNER, HOUSTON DYNAMO/DASH
IN DECEMBER 2015, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESSMAN GABRIEL BRENER BECAME THE MAJORI-
TY OWNER OF MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER’S HOUSTON DYNAMO AND THE NATIONAL WOMEN’S
SOCCER LEAGUE’S DASH AND ACQUIRED THE REMAINING 27 YEARS ON THE 30-YEAR LEASE
ON BBVA COMPASS STADIUM. HE INITIALLY BOUGHT 50 PERCENT OF THE CLUB ALONG WITH
FORMER BOXING CHAMPION OSCAR DE LA HOYA IN FEBRUARY 2008. SOCCER IS GROWING
FASTER THAN ANY OTHER SPORT IN THE UNITED STATES, AND IN HOUSTON, FANS CAN
THANK BRENER FOR INVESTING IN THE CLUB, THE STADIUM AND THE SPORT’S FUTURE.
Where are you based?
I am based in Colorado, but maintain offices in Los Angeles
and Mexico City, so you can say I live on a plane.
What made you want to buy a professional soccer team?
I had always wanted to own a professional sports team
because of all you can contribute to the community and
the fans, so when the opportunity presented itself, I took it
immediately.
Did you play soccer growing up?
Yes, but never in a professional way, just in high school.
What‘s your favorite sport?
Football/soccer, for sure.
How often do you come to Houston to watch games?
As often as I can, I try to be present at most games but given
that I don’t live in Houston, sometimes I miss a few games.
How did you get into a partnership with Oscar de la Hoya?
I became a partner with Oscar when I bought a piece of his
company, Golden Boy Promotions, prior to owning the team,
so when the opportunity to buy the Houston Dynamo came
around, it made sense to have him as a partner. What was it like moving to BBVA Compass Stadium in
May 2012?
It was great to finally have a stadium that we could call
“home” and to be able to start offering our fans more and
different events.
Why do you think soccer is growing so rapidly in
popularity?
Soccer is the number one sport in the world -- it was just a
matter of time before it would penetrate the US. With the new
generation of boys and girls playing the game, it has become
the favorite millennial sport. You are now the majority owner of the Dynamo — what
do you have in store for us in 2018?
Time will tell – we are going to work very hard to make the
city of Houston very proud of the Dynamo organization.
01.25.2016
12:16pm
Photography by Wilf Thorne
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