Who is Jr Brown? He is a pro paintball player for Sacramento XSV but oh so much more. He is one of those behind the scene guys more than you will ever know. Running everything from the business side of the sport to BallersCafe, a popular internet forum. It is safe to say he is one of those guys with his finger on the pulse of paintball. Now living on the west coast and loving the sun and fun nature that comes along with Cali life. Mr Brown is working day in and day out to promote this sport of ours. Is there a harder working man in this sport? I think not.
Tell us a little about the history of Junior Brown and his paintball career.
Well my real name is Stephen Brown, and it was at a paintball field that I picked up the name Junior from all the guys that I played paintball with. They were a lot older than me so they just started calling me Junior one day and that was it!
Playing paintball started when I was 16 with my farther and his work friends, after that day I was hooked. I played local paintball for 4 years before being asked if I would like to play in France with a put together team from the field I played and worked at. At that event I got spotted by the London Tigers who asked me if I would like to play all the millenniums with them. I jumped at it and for a year I drove by myself from Nottingham to London to practice, which was about 5 hours each way! I think that was the start of me knowing I wanted to do this for as long as I could. After that first year, in 2002 Richmond Italia asked Pete “Robbo” Robinson to put a team together for a one off X-Ball event in America! I got the call to try out for an English team, I will never forget how it felt being picked to play for your country at the sport you love so much. After that event the same team who played for England decided to start a team called Nexus to compete it the USA NPPL and Millenniums and that’s what we did! Every weekend we played paintball and I had the best time of my life from 2002 till the end of 2005. Nexus was all I thought about every day.
In 2006 the team started looking and feeling different and that was my time to move on. I looked at what I had to do to get to the US. I was very lucky that I had made some very good friends over the years and one of them was Ledz the owner of Planet Eclipse. He helped me by letting me work for Eclipse in Rhode Island, I didn’t have a team for the time I was in RI because I had to work all the PSP and NPPL events but it started opening some doors and that helped a lot. Then at the end of my first year with Eclipse XSV had a bad time with players walking out before the event and they needed players! You could say I was at the right place at the right time. I had played against XSV for years with Nexus so Rich asked if he could roster me as an 8th and I said yes. After that event I asked Rich what I had to do to keep playing with them. He just said come to practice and play good I got talking to Gina Telford at the event who looked into moving me to CA and getting a sports visa for professional paintball. She worked it all out and I moved in with the Telfords from 2007 to now And now it’s just like my Nexus days but with a lot more to do with running the team. But I still love it and have the time of my life.
I know you moved to California in 2007, How goes the adjustment to the new atmosphere there?
I love Cali and I love the American people. Everyone is so nice and helpful. Plus the Cali girls are HOT!
You are always doing something off the field. Can you tell us what your job is off the field?
I run the off field side of XSV with Rich and put a lot of time into my west coast paintball forum www.BallersCafe.com
What was the transition like coming from Nexus to XSV?
Not that much different from Nexus of old to XSV. Both were or are ran by hard asses who work there players hard each weekend.
So, have you found your Ms. Right yet? Ya, this is a question for you ladies out there:)
HAHA I just don’t have time for a Ms. Right with paintball but I do see a lot of possible Ms Right most days living in Cali!
I do not think a lot of people know you are from Nottingham, England so what do you miss the most from home?
I don’t miss too much from England now. I do miss seeing my Mom and Dad, friends and that’s it. I have a home in America now and I’m very happy.
As you are one of the biggest promoters of younger players. Who should we keep an eye out for next season and why?
We have some outstanding young players that with time will grow into the next superstars of paintball. I could list all of our kids and say keep an eye on them but I will pick Patrick Slattery, that kid will be a big name in a few years if he keeps at it and works hard. I see him do some amazing things on the field but right now he could do a stupid move the point after! This reminds me off Nicky Cuba in 2003 when I started watching him play. Now in 2009 just look at Nicky! One of the best in our game! Rich worked with Nicky a lot back in the day and that’s what he is doing with our kids today. It takes time but its coming.
What is the craziest thing you have seen off the field in your paintball travels?
That’s a hard one to answer!! I’ve seen some crazy things over the years. From some crazy ass strippers at the London Millennium event in the WDP tent, to Oliver Lang and myself swimming drunk in a fountain in the town center of Toulouse France. Then Matty Marshal having to stop a lot of French guys from kicking my butt.
If you could offer advice to the young readers just starting to play what would it be?
Keep playing as much as you can. Work on drills that will make you better and never give up on your dream.
What is or was your favorite cartoon?
Family Guy is the best cartoon hands down! It’s funny and set in Rhode Island the first place I moved to in America.
Can you get me an original Mini, right hand drive?
HAHAHA I was just saying the other day that I would love an old school mini with a union jack flag on the roof. I would get all the chicks then!
What goes into running your paintball forum BallersCafe?
Time, time and more time!! It’s been a hard first year running the forum but things are looking good for the fastest growing west coast forum. Check it out and see how cool it is for yourself! www.BallersCafe.com
What is your favorite meal?
Whatever Gina Telford is cooking for dinner! 
But if I’m back in England its fish and chips.
What does the future hold for XSV?
Blood, sweat and tears! All part of the paintball life.
I thank you for your time. I wish more guys in the industry worked as hard as you do to promote the sport. Jr Brown is one of the most approachable men working to keep this industry afloat. He is as busy as you can get yet he still takes time to reply to emails, promote the sport and shows tons of love for his fans. He is a class act and it shows in how much respect he gets from his fellow ballers. Striving to be the best you can be and promote the sport in a positive light is what we should all strive to achieve.
Follow Jr and XSV if you are up to the task
www.BallersCafe.com
www.Extremepaintball.net
www.XSVpaintball.com
Paul Forcier
