Ryan Brand
Ryan Brand is a paintball coach, former professional player and co-founder of Project Paintball. He played professionally for San Antonio X-Factor before becoming the team's coach in 2011. His coaching career includes X-Factor's 2019 NXL season championship.[1][2]
Playing career
[edit]Brand began playing paintball in 1997 and entered competitive play in 2003. He was an original member of the BKIT movement and became a professional player with San Antonio X-Factor in 2006.[1]
He later participated in mechanical ten-player competition with Infamous. At the inaugural ICPL ten-player event, held at Chicago Badlandz on 1 and 2 June 2019, Brand and Archie Montemayor joined an Infamous roster combining current players, former members and guests. The team finished second.[3]
Coaching career
[edit]Brand began coaching X-Factor in 2011.[1] A contemporary preseason interview confirmed his coaching role ahead of the 2013 season.[4]
In 2019, X-Factor won the NXL Philadelphia Open and Chicago event before securing the overall NXL season title. The team finished three points ahead of Russian Legion in the season standings.[2]
An NXL retrospective credited Brand's tactical planning as an important part of the Chicago victory, where X-Factor completed the tournament with seven wins and no losses.[2]
Brand continued coaching X-Factor in subsequent seasons. The team's official roster for the 2025 NXL Tampa Bay Open lists him as a coach.[5]
Project Paintball
[edit]In 2019, Brand and his longtime teammate Archie Montemayor founded Project Paintball. The company specialises in limited-production paintball equipment and clothing, including customised markers and playing accessories.[6]
Recognition
[edit]Brand received the Coach of the Year award at the Summit Awards presented in 2025.[7]
See also
[edit]- San Antonio X-Factor
- Archie Montemayor
- Project Paintball
- Infamous (paintball team)
- International Classic Paintball League
References
[edit]- Fun Five Interview with Ryan Brand. Paintball Nerd, 2 January 2023.
- A History of the NXL Chicago Champions. National Xball League, 9 September 2021.
- The First ICPL 10 Man Mechanical Event. Infamous Paintball, 20 June 2019.
- San Antonio X-Factor, Coach Ryan Brand, 2013 Preseason Update. Social Paintball, 15 February 2013.
- San Antonio X-Factor at NXL Tampa Bay Open 2025. PBLeagues.
- PROJECT official website. Project Paintball.
- 2025 Summit Award Winners, Best Paintball Players of the Year. Iconic Paintball, 26 June 2025.