Brendan Keyes, the man flying the Celtic flag high in USA

The Celtic Bhoys had the opportunity to sit down with Brendan Keyes, the owner of Celtic FC America and talk about his incredible journey in football.

It is hard enough to even make it in football. So it is incredible how many roles Brendan Keyes has had in the game over the past several decades. Born in Ireland, he began his career as a youth in his homeland for Stella Maris FC and Home Farm FC.

Soon though he would find himself in the United States of America, playing for the Houston Eagles. Later he would also go on to feature for the Houston Hurricanes in the 1990s.

Keyes would continue to be a prominent figure in the game even when his playing career was over. After dipping his feet in management, he would go on to add another feather to his cap by becoming a team owner and went on to become the founder of the Texas Premier Soccer League. It goes without saying that there are not many aspects of football that he is not familiar with. On top of all this, he grew up as a Celtic fan and currently owns as well as coaches, Celtic FC America.

We had the opportunity of getting to interview the man earlier and talk a bit about his incredible journey from a youth player in Ireland to a team owner in the United States.

Although you are Irish, the majority of your footballing career has been spent in the United States. How did that come about?

Brendan Keyes: I grew up playing ball in Ballymun on the North side of Dublin in Ireland. As a young kid I always dreamed of going to America but not for football reasons. I grew up like most kids who were good footballers dreaming of playing for the team I supported, in my case the famous Glasgow Celtic.

I went over as a kid to a few clubs in the UK as a wee lad but it never materialised for whatever reason. I played with top youth clubs in Ireland and had a short stint in England with Leyton Orient who played in 2nd division at the time, they didn’t sign me. My good mate Barry Silkman who played for Manchester City and then Leyton Orient was there at the time, he’s a big time agent now and we talk often.

I decided time was running out for me, so plan B, America here I come, I’ve no regrets. In fact quite the opposite, I got capped with Texas select team, remember Texas is bigger than most countries and of course I played pro here with a few teams. I have a fantastic family here and I love Texas. Life turned out very good for me.

What led you to form Celtic FC America?

It’s important to tell the story the same way every time out of respect for my 2 friends who have since passed away so I have taken this answer from Celtic FC America’s official website:

"Keyes explained how Celtic FC America got started in Houston. Houston has had a couple Celtic teams, Celtic Bhoys, who are still going be at a much lower level, and Houston Celtic. Both in HFA, a fantastic league in Houston. Three men, Jimmy Hunter, Bill Denike, and Pete Sullivan, originally started this team. The reason Keyes believes it is important to tell the story is Jimmy and Bill have both passed away. Two great guys and he wants to keep the team going in their memories.Keyes said “Pete lives in Virginia Beach today and we still talk often, in fact he just visited me a few months ago.  We actually met up with Bill who sadly passed away a few weeks after our meeting.  These three friends asked me to play with the new Houston Celtic team in HFA Premier League. They already had a Celtic team in the lower level. They wanted a top level team because the top league had a Rangers team and so you know the history.  At the time, I was playing pro with the Houston Hurricanes FC in USL. It was agreed I would be loaned out in the off season. The bhoys wanted me to sign, as I was a huge Celtic supporter, Irish, and also one of the top players in Houston. The first season we played Rangers in the Semi-Final Cup, we won 3-2 and I scored two goals that night, I will never forget Bill, Pete, Jimmy and his dad, Jimmy Sr jumping all over me when I scored the winner. It was a great moment and memories I’ll carry with me forever. R.I.P. bhoys, we are still going strong.”So, here you have it a little bit of the history from how it all started.  I thank you all from the bottom of my heart and thank God every day for allowing me to do what I love – Football."

Over the years, you’ve had many roles – player, coach, general manager, team owner. How difficult was it to make that transition?

BK: It was a natural progression for me. It felt like the right way to go especially here in America where Soccer is not the main sport, you have to wear many hats and know how to run a club from top to bottom. It’s hard but very rewarding in the sense of pride not financially.

The global pandemic has wreaked havoc in all fields. What is it like to run a team right now when no sports are being played except for the top divisions?

BK: Great question and the answer is a simple one, it’s the hardest time in my life for my mental state. I understand it’s much worse for some families losing loved one’s but for me it’s taken my love, football away, it’s all I’ve done since I was a child, 35 years here in America and before that a player in Ireland. A lot of teams at Semi-pro level have folded because of the virus. I’m hanging in by a thread and I pray we can come back next year to win another Texas Championship.

There is no doubt that the United States can be one of the biggest markets for football in the world. Why do you think that the game has not exploded in the country yet?

BK: It has grown a lot over the last 30 odd years but I feel it’a slowed or maybe reached a crossroads. Not reaching the last World Cup really hurt the growth here. Another reason and the main one for me is Americans have their own sports – NFL, Baseball, Basketball and even Hockey.  So Soccer is not their main sport like most countries around the world.

You have made it a point to give opportunities to players from around the globe. Which countries do you think have the potential to be global footballing giants in the future?

BK: I’ve said this before in an interview, India has the potential to be huge in football if they set up the right structure, it must be done correctly from grassroots up. Having the right personnel in charge at the top is so important. The continent of Africa, in many countries. They for me have the most potential, they are natural athletes. You must have all components of the game to make it to the top, I feel in the next 30 years India will make a World Cup and a team from Africa will win it sooner rather than later.

Some of your favourite Celtic Park memories?

BK: Every time you go to Celtic Park is special but I guess the top two would be taking my son for the first time to see an Old Firm game. He loved it. I didn’t enjoy the score we drew 1-1 and just a couple years ago my wife and I went again vs Rangers.

My best memory though was away from Celtic Park in the UEFA Cup final in Seville Vs Porto because I went with my father, brothers, sister and about 20 great mates, some no longer with us. The whole experience was amazing. The Celtic supporters are the best, we lost 3-2 that day but you could never tell with how our fans are. We had well over 100,000 fans in Seville and no arrests, was fantastic, a club like no other.

We would like to thank Brendan Keyes for taking the time to talk with us. And of course, thank you for flying the Celtic flag high in the United States of America.