Interview With Dirk Jansson

CRESWELL F FC C The Official Creswell FC Magazine

www.creswellfc.com Vol. 1 No. 2 February 2010

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RED DAWG PROFILE INTERVIEW WITH

DIRK dIRK JANSSON jANSSON

Soccer is a special sport played by special people. From the grass roots level all the way up to top leagues in world.

In these various leagues are compelling stories of those that play the game. It is no different than with the players of the ADASL. We will be bringing you inside stories on the teams, players and officials of this great game. This issue centers on the team co-captain, Dirk Jansson.

We know you will enjoy these features and we hope it will not only get you to know the individual players, but we also hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to support these players as they work to play for their dreams.

We welcome feed back and take request wherever we can when it concerns these players, this league and this sport. So now, enjoy an interview with Dirk!

Interview by Andre Bomar

copyright 2010 by Images Frozen In Time Photography

Co-Captain's Log

Photograph courtesy of Khrishna Cobb

A Red Dawg With Talent To Spare

DIRK JANSSON

Dirk, thanks for sitting down with us. We have enjoyed covering the team this year and we wanted to give the fans a special insight on what goes on with an ADASL team behind the scenes. Part of that is to find out more about you as players.

It's rare to find a true native of this state but you are a real Georgian aren't you?

Well I appreciate your efforts as we want better exposure for the sport and we want the fans and sponsors to learn more about what we do in this league.

So you grew up in this area, but where did you go to college?

Yeah, I know it's rare, but, I guess I am unusual in that respect.

I went to Furman College in Greenville South Carolina.

To start off, where are you originally from?

And why did you choose Furman?

I was born in Warrner Robbins Georgia which is in central Georgia but I was raised in Alpharetta and moved to Atlanta shortly after that. I attended Centennial High School which is right here in Atlanta.

Well, when I discussed college with my parents, the most important aspect of school would be the academics.

Furman has a good reputation for this so the decision was made to attend there.

Photograph courtesy of Khrishna Cobb

Here, Dirk mixes it up with player-manager, Andy Adams, in pre-season training.

So did you have a scholarship for soccer too? Was that part of the decision for going to Furman?

Actually no. In fact, I had never intended to play soccer at Furman. However, several friends that were on the team encouraged me to "walk-on" to try out.

Now, realize that Furman had one of the top 10 college soccer programs in the nation. So it was quite a challenge, but also an attraction to play too.

Ahh, I never realized that. How did it go when you tried out?

It's funny, I started playing intramural soccer at first and some of the guys on the team were told that I might be a good addition to the team. One of them was Clint Dempsey who you know plays for Fulham in England as well as the United States national team. Based on that encouragement, I was able to play a part in the team as a walk-on freshman. It was a great experience.

Wow, that is cool that you have a connection with Clint. Do you guys still stay in touch?

Yeah we still keep in touch online and we talk a lot about soccer. He's a great guy and a good friend. He was a great encouragement to me to play. Now it's great to see the success he has had a club and International level.

What was it that got you interested in Soccer in the first place? It's unusual for kids to get interested in soccer in this country and hold that soccer to a professional level.

For me it is down to the encouragement from my parents. From an early age they had me playing soccer because they felt it was a good outlet for me.

To be honest, there are a lot of kids now opting to play soccer over other sports that were more popular in the past. My parents, and particularly my dad, has always encouraged me with soccer and to be the best that I could be at this sport and anything else I applied myself to do.

Did you have any heroes in Soccer when growing up and playing as a kid?

I really got into soccer hardcore during the 1994

Photograph courtesy of Khrishna Cobbl

Photograph courtesy of Khrishna Cobb

World Cup. Brazil is the team that most impressed me and Romario was the player that I followed during that tournament. He played the same position as me and I wanted to play with that same style. The U.S. also had a good run in that tournament compared with most years and I'd say that tournament was a big reason why I got more serious with the sport.

So you had this interest in soccer and played through college, but what brought you to Creswell FC? Association really. I played with several Creswell players on other teams before Creswell started playing in the ADASL, so there was already an association. Up until a year ago, I was living in Charlotte. When I moved back to Atlanta, Andy contacted me about the possibility of joining the club. Andy convinced me because he talked about building something special with Creswell in this league and it really did sound like the thing for me.

How have you found if for the team since you joined?

Photograph courtesy of Khrishna Cobb

It's been great. Creswell FC has a great bunch of guys and I love playing for this club. It really is a great team that I believe are only just beginning to start to gel and make something truly special in this league.

If this is just the beginning, what do you see for yourself and the team in the near future?

There are so many possibilities. It really will be up to us how far we want to take this team. To be honest, it's hard to know what form that will take for us right now. We are new in D1 and have a lot of potential.

What we need to do right now is concentrate on the task that faces us right now. We are in a tough league that requires commitment. In order to be successful, we will need to work hard and continue to pull together as a team. But I think anything is possible for us.

It's good to hear that because I know that we all want success at thsi level and we also want to raise the level of awareness about this team and this league so that with added support, this league can grow and prosper and also help soccer at the grass roots.

Photograph courtesy of Khrishna Cobb

Absolutely! I really believe that this team and this league is only going to get better. We hope that the fans find it entertaining and a good value for the entire family. We really do want to reach out and be the best that we can this year and on into the future.

So what instrument(s) do you play?

OK, so we know a little more about your history with soccer, but now I want to switch gears a bit and talk about another talent I heard that you possess. What about your music? What is the story behind that?

How would you describe your music?

Well, for music, there wasn't really much of a choice.

I come from a very musical family. My Mom has taught piano for many years. My dad as well comes from a long background in music. My brother and sister and I have always sung together for all different things. Everyone in the family can play at least one instrument. Music is very ingrained in our family and it's a big part of my life.

Although there's loads of talent in the family as it concerns music, I may not be the most talented of the bunch in my family which is funny as I am the only one pursuing music as a profession. (laughs)

Primarily piano, but I do play guitar as well. When I'm writing and performing, it's mostly on piano though I am using the guitar more and more of late.

I'd say if I had to describe it to someone that hasn't heard it before it would be more of an R&B flavor, maybe Nick Lachey formally of 98 degrees would be the sort of genre that would give you and idea of the type of music I play and perform. I'm not saying I'm in his league or anything, but that is the type of music that you could say would describe mine.

What is your ambition with music?

It's similar to the soccer outlook. I want to craft my talent with music as best as I can and go as far as I can with it. This is something that I really enjoy and I love to express myself with my music. I'm right now talking to Hidden Treasures Records about some promotion and performances but I am keeping it open as for the direction to take with music.

Photograph courtesy of Khrishna Cobb

What about the music so far? What has been the reaction?

Music, like sport, can be a challenge. I have gotten good results so far, but there is much work to do.

Unfortunately, the music industry has a tendency to try to label you and confine you creatively. But I don't want to be caged into one type of music. I want to explore many genres of music instead of limiting myself.

One of the ways to do this is to produce my own work with the technology available to us. This is something that was not available several years ago.

But the Internet has really opened up some opportunities to market yourself.

Yes, I've noticed that with some artist that have become popular without even signing a recording contract with a major label. Is that your approach?

Most definitely. But I don't think its all or nothing.

What I mean by that is that there are a lot of options available. Some of them can include the help that a record label can have for a musician\entertainer, but there is now the option to do a lot of work and promotion on your own. I intend to explore it all.

Yeah I guess even the social nets are an outlet?

Yes, with MySpace, and like websites are great avenues for expression and promotion. As time goes by, there will be more that I am sure I will be able to use.

What about collaboration. Do you create with others or are you part of a musical group?

I do have a couple of guys I have worked with but nothing we have established on a regular group. but for now, I am a solo act with the freedom that comes with that. But I may explore more collaboration soon.

Photograph courtesy of Khrishna Cobb

So it looks as if music is your main professional goal, but what about your soccer goals? Would you like to go into coaching or anything like that after your playing days?

Again, I would not exclude any opportunity with soccer and coaching is something that is definitely a possibility after my playing days. I'd love to stay in the sport long after my playing days are done.

I know that Creswell will be looking into doing youth camps and I guess you would like to be included in that as well?

Exactly, that is just the type of things we would like to do even now to help grow the interest at grass roots level. So this is definitely the direction I want to go with soccer as well as music.

Is there anything else you would like to add as we bring our discussion to a close?

I'd like to thank you and the fans for your support. It really does mean a lot to us and it is a motivation to our play on the field. I'd only like to ask that the fans

Photograph courtesy of Khrishna Cobb

continue their wonderful support and bring the family out to games for mutual fun and excitement.

We are looking forward to better and better things for the team, league and the fans for the rest of this season and beyond.

Well, I'd like to thank you again for taking the time out of your schedule to answer a few questions and tell us about your history and about your activities with soccer and music. We look forward to talking to you and other players in this format throughout the season and into the net one.

Thank you for the interest and I'll see you out there on the field!

Photograph courtesy of Khrishna Cobb

Photograph courtesy of Khrishna Cobb

Photograph courtesy of Khrishna Cobb

Photograph courtesy of Khrishna Cobb

Creswell FC Magazine We would like to thank all the fans and sponsors for their continued support. It is our hope that by providing these insights on the players and officials of the league, we can encourage more support for the team and the league for a wonderful competition.

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