{{short description|English sports presenter}} '''Ross Fletcher''' is an English sports presenter and commentator known for his work with BBC Radio and Seattle Sounders FC. From 2021 to 2024, he hosted Root Sports Northwest's coverage of Seattle Kraken ice hockey games.
==Career==
===BBC=== Fletcher had a passion for radio at a young age and at 14 years old, he was the runner-up in a competition for aspiring broadcasters hosted by Garth Crooks's ''Go'' program on the original Radio 5.<ref name="Fleming 2010">{{cite book|last=Fleming|first=Carole|title=The Radio Handbook|url=https://archive.org/details/radiohandbook00caro|url-access=limited|year=2010|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=978-0-415-44508-5|pages=[https://archive.org/details/radiohandbook00caro/page/n183 171]–175|edition=3rd}}</ref> He gained experience at BBC Radio Derby between the ages of 16 and 18 on an unpaid basis. Fletcher began reading sports bulletins for the station while attending the University of Sheffield. He eventually earned his own program doing sports and music on Saturdays. At the age of 22, Fletcher became the voice of Derby County for BBC Radio Derby.<ref name="Seattle_announcement">{{cite news |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sounders/2017202849_sounders11.html |title=Sounders hire announcers Ross Fletcher, Kasey Keller |first=Joshua |last=Mayers |date=January 10, 2012 |newspaper=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 21, 2012}}</ref> He also spent 5 years reporting for BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra.<ref name="SPNW 10-01-2012">{{cite news|last=SPNW Staff|title=Ross Fletcher Becomes 'Voice of the Sounders'|url=http://sounders.sportspressnw.com/2012/01/10/ross-fletcher-becomes-voice-of-the-sounders/|accessdate=January 21, 2012|publisher=Sportspress Northwest|date=January 10, 2012}}</ref>
===Major League Soccer=== Beginning in 2012, Fletcher replaced Arlo White as the play-by-play voice of Seattle Sounders FC for local English radio and television broadcasts. He worked alongside former Seattle goalkeeper and color commentator Kasey Keller on the broadcasts.<ref name="Seattle_announcement"/>
On 22 October 2015, it was announced that he and the club would part ways at the end of the 2015 season.<ref>{{cite news |date=October 22, 2015 |title=Broadcaster Ross Fletcher bids farewell to Sounders FC faithful |url=http://www.soundersfc.com/post/2015/10/22/broadcaster-ross-fletcher-bids-farewell-sounders-fc-faithful |publisher=Seattle Sounders FC |accessdate=December 12, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Penz |first=Matt |date=October 22, 2015 |title=Seattle Sounders broadcaster Ross Fletcher to leave club at the end of this season |url=http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/sounders/seattle-sounders-broadcaster-ross-fletcher-to-leave-the-club-at-the-end-of-this-season/ |newspaper=The Seattle Times |accessdate=December 12, 2015}}</ref> He called his last match for the club, a playoff series against FC Dallas that ended in a penalty shootout, on 8 November 2015.<ref>{{cite news |last=Oshan |first=Jeremiah |date=November 8, 2015 |title=Classy as ever, Ross Fletcher tweets his goodbye message |url=http://www.sounderatheart.com/2015/11/8/9695116/classy-as-ever-ross-fletcher-tweets-his-goodbye-message |work=SounderAtHeart.com |publisher=SB Nation |accessdate=December 12, 2015}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=December 2015}}
===Seattle Kraken===
Fletcher joined Root Sports Northwest in 2021 to host pre-game and post-game coverage of Seattle Kraken broadcasts for the team's inaugural National Hockey League season.<ref>{{cite news |last=Condor |first=Bob |date=September 26, 2021 |title=Stars of Spokane |url=https://www.nhl.com/kraken/news/observations-from-spokane-preseason-game-vancouver-canucks/c-326364532 |work=NHL.com |publisher=National Hockey League |accessdate=January 10, 2022}}</ref>
Fletcher left Root Sports in 2024, after it lost the rights to Kraken games. He joined Herd Freed Hartz, a Seattle-based recruiting firm, as an executive recruiter.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fletcher |first=Ross |date=2024-05-30 |title=Why I joined Herd Freed Hartz |url=https://herdfreedhartz.com/why-i-joined-herd-freed-hartz/ |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=Herd Freed Hartz |language=en-US}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Ross}} Category:Seattle Sounders FC Category:English football commentators Category:English sports broadcasters Category:Alumni of the University of Sheffield Category:People from Loughborough Category:Living people Category:Major League Soccer broadcasters Category:Year of birth missing (living people)