Eli buys into N.J. soccer squad

Eli Manning said he couldn’t pass on the opportunity to join WNBA superstar Sue Bird as part of the ownership group of the NJ/ NY Gotham FC of the National Women’s Soccer League.

Gotham FC, which is based in North Jersey, plays its home games at Red Bull Arena in Harrison. The team is 4-8-0 so far this season.

“This league and this team practice 15 minutes away from my house, they play games right here in New Jersey,” Manning said recently. “I wanted to support them, and the idea of taking my kids to a practice or a game. … I have three girls. It’s a way to get involved and find role models for my girls. You put them in different things, and you want them to find things that they’re passionate about. It creates such great life lessons and work ethic and teamwork and dedication and commitment and those type of things.

“I got to do that a little bit growing up with my dad [Archie] around the Saints, and meeting some of those players and kind of be able to look up to them, so I thought it would just be great to kind of support the local teams and to have something that’s gonna be fun to be involved in to be part of the ownership and have something that my kids just enjoy the experience of it as well.”

Manning dabbled in soccer as a boy.

“I played soccer up until fourth grade,” he said. “When I hit fifth grade, you had to make a decision between soccer and basketball. I wasn’t the greatest soccer player and I was the tallest kid, so I went with basketball.”

Now he’ll get a kick out of soccer.

“‘The message to Gotham FC is, ‘Hey, come check us out,’ ” Manning said. “These girls are tremendous athletes, they’re working really hard, they’re a great bunch of girls. Come check out a game and bring the kids. It’s a lot of fun to be a part of this.”