Conversations with Brandon Fisher

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Fisher.

Hi Brandon, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I’ve been involved with soccer since I was a child in 1st grade. My father was stationed in the UK and took up the game, which he passed on to me. When I had a chance to have a career here with the FAA, I jumped at it (my mother was from Marceline, MO). I’m not from the area, having grown up an Air Force brat and calling upstate NY home, but I’ve come to love it here in the KC area.

The short version is that I began organizing, with friends around the country, an annual full pads memorial American football game. We played that first game in 2013 in Wentzville, MO. It was merely 7 versus 7 and in the rain. We played in Watkins Glen, NY the next two years with full 11 versus 11 teams. The final memorial game was played here in Kansas City. The teams comprised players from the KC area against those I knew from around the country who flew in for it. That game was a success because some of those on the KC team were interested in continuing the game into a league. We did that the following year. That league, the Midwest Regional Football League, still operates with 6 teams in the area. I had been away from that league for several years but was still drawn to soccer. There is no better sporting event than the World Cup. I knew the KC metro area was diverse, and soccer was very popular. I searched for recreational adult leagues and found only a few games long. I’d give it a go in trying to replicate the success of the American football league but with soccer.

I am fortunate to be surrounded by great people who get the credit for advancing this soccer idea. We’ve had over 300 players sign up representing 43 different countries! Of course, being new, we have yet to be well known, so only 10 teams could get enough players signed up for full teams in our World Cup tournament, which begins on 15 April. The tournament will occur at Prairie Center Park in Olathe, KS, each Saturday until completion. Once the tournament is complete, we will begin organizing our club league. Where the national teams are based on each player’s national origins or familial heritage, the club teams will be based on the locale where each player lives. This club league will run annually. Our international teams will play in our World Cup tournament every four years to coincide with FIFA’s World Cup. We will also have smaller continental tournaments and friendlies outside World Cup years.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, but it hasn’t been tough either, as we say in the aviation industry: light chop. Again, I must credit people like Michael Nichols, Lucas Fischer, Babacar Ndoye, Abdellatif Boukhenoufa, Sourav Mukherjee, Guenel Raphael, and so many others that make this work. Finding players who sign up and stay committed has been the biggest challenge of the few struggles. We try to keep costs at a minimum to allow for the greatest participation, but we do have to collect funds to rent fields and pay referees and each player’s uniform kits. That aspect of it has caused some players to back out.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an air traffic controller at MCI. I’ve been there my whole career since 2008, minus 3 years at PHX while my mother was ill. I enjoy the job but am looking forward to something new upon retirement.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I read a lot. I have numerous biographies and books regarding the American Revolution. My family (the Fishers) started in this country in the 17th century as one of the original families of White Plains, NY. My 6th great grand aunt, Anne Fisher Miller, hosted General George Washington 3 separate times during the war. Her house still stands today in White Plains. So many things our current society takes for granted, these people dealt with daily. They are a true inspiration knowing the trials and tribulations they faced so that we can live how we do. These people are often looked at as relics without personality, but they were people like you and me. They suffered, loved, hurt, and persevered through some difficult times. So many of their stories are either not told or glossed over, not telling the whole story.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theselectleague.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theselectleaguekc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069611121077