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April 25th, 2009
 (Buffalo, NY)---
In preparation for Buffalo City FC's inaugural season I Stephen Brandt sat down with the manager Mike Share for the first of our Manager Chats. Each week during the season Mike and I will sit down and talk about the match from last week, and the upcoming match. If you want to submit questions for Mike, You can contact me by email: sbrandt@buffalocityfc.com
The Pre season Manager Chat, Mike talks about why he came to Buffalo, the mission statement of the club, and a little bit about himself.
Manager Chat:
You have a unique situation here in Buffalo, you get to design a club in your own way. Talk about what made this situation so attractive to you?
 Too be honest I feel all managers get this opportunity at every club, you get brought in a club to do it in your way, but what makes the Buffalo City FC situation so attractive is that we are able to do what no other club can do which is give players in America the correct development and give them the opportunity to play in Europe and have a successful career. Players in America are good enough to play in Europe but there is no development program or system in place to help these players, to be part of this is great and I personally I feel I am best suited for this job having had the privilege of playing professional in most of the best countries in the world.
What type of things do you look for in players when you are scouting them?
We have over 30 deals with the best clubs in Europe and in the world. So we look for a wide variety of players. Every country and league has a different system and training method. As I have been very fortunate enough to have played and experienced this throughout my career, It gives me the advantage to prepare and identify what league and country the player will be best suited for. We also have some great coaches and scouts working in Europe, For example Ritchie Semple our European scout is working each day very hard to be able to help our players progress to Europe. This make my job a lot easier.
Like anyone who goes into management, they are influenced by their previous managers when they decide what type of manager they want to be. Who are some that have shaped your career (management)?
 That's a hard question, every coach or manager makes a big mark on you in a different way. As I have played in most of the big countries in Europe it has given me a insight in how different clubs do things as well as experienced different systems and methods. George Mackie and Gary Mcailister from Coventry City were great to learn off, Gary was still a great pro, you do not just win the UEFA cup with Liverpool at 35 and score the winning goal. Ron Reid at Sheffield United was a good coach, then current Ferencvaros coach Bobby Davison has had a big impact on me. I guess I have been very fortunate in my career to have met so many nice as well as great people in the game.
Who are some of the players who the sports fans of Buffalo would know?
We have many players that will make a mark on Buffalo as well as at a national level. The most obvious players that will be known to the sports fans of Buffalo will be all the UB players. It will be interesting to see which players will be good enough to play next season in Europe, I am sure they will make the Buffalo and WNY sports fans very proud.
What are your goals for the season?
They are very simple, Bring a national title back to Buffalo and see several players progress to European clubs. The club's main aim is to provide players in Buffalo as well as America the chance to have a successful career in the sport. We have the correct second to none coaching program in place to produce these local elite players that will be able to play on the world stage
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Buffalo is a tough city to bring new teams into, with that being said, what would you tell the citizens of Buffalo about this team, and why to support it?
 I agree. Especially if it is soccer. Buffalo City FC was founded in 2008 in order to provide the city of Buffalo, and Western New York the best in soccer training and development. We are committed to the Buffalo/WNY community as it shows in our name. The club was formed out of a necessity for professional soccer in the Western New York area. There are over 60,000 youth soccer players in WNY, but without a professional club to get behind, these players are left having to go elsewhere for high level soccer after they age out of their respective clubs. As a club we brings top quality soccer training modeled after the European system which has been successful since its inception. We are a European inspired club, which shows in everything that we do. The club is divided into five integral parts, (NPSL First Team, Youth Training/Academy, International Development, Youth Camps and Clinics, and Community Outreach). With all five of these components, Buffalo City FC is the pinnacle of soccer in the Western New York community and we hope that we can make the city proud of their local professional soccer club. We hope to have a strong support in 2009 season, there will be no entry fee for the games. So come out and experience a true soccer atmosphere and enjoy a free night out with the family.
Can you tell us a little about the league (NPSL) that Buffalo City plays in?
The NPSL is a minor national soccer league which was the first and only professional American soccer league in 1967. The league is perfectly suited for developing players. We hope come August that we can bring a national title back to Buffalo.
Can you tell the fans about some of the teams we are playing?
The NPSL is a national league so if we progress we will be playing against teams from California, Atlanta, Boston. We are currently in the same conference as the National Champions Pennsylvania Stoners. Our first away game will be a tough game as we are playing FC Revolution and we will also have a local derby against Erie Admirals. The Eastern Keystone Conference that we play in is the strongest in the league. If we progress then we will be playing games against some very good organizations like San Diego United, Atlanta FC, Rocket City United and MLS owned team Chicago Fire.
What drew you into playing/coaching in the states?
 I had the opportunity to continue my playing career in Europe, In August I was invited to play against Aston Villa but I have always wanted to coach and was involved in coaching already for several years. I coached with Chelsea when they come over to Spain and I was also used as a placement coach with several European clubs. A placement coach is someone who identifies players which a club is looking for.
So as I can always still play in Europe as I only have to pick up the phone. It was a very easy choice to come to Buffalo and be part of this special club and organization. I knew if I did not take this opportunity
that this chance would never materialize again. What the club is looking to achieve is something that no other clubs are capable of doing. As a players I always wanted to be the best. So it was obvious choice to join the club.
Can you tell us a little about yourself (playing career)?
Well, I have been privileged enough to have played with and against some great players, Through my career I experienced different cultures and learned several languages. I have played in England, France, Holland, Italy and Spain, and have been lucky enough to have played for good teams like AS
Monaco, Sheffield United, Coventry City and Marbella among other teams. Having played in so many different countries and systems gives me the perfect skills and tools to offer what no one is doing in America. I am confident that we will not just be successful as a club but also see several of our players go to Europe in the summer to secure deals with some of the top European clubs.
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