- 2022 Spotlight #2
Personal Statement
My name is Immanuel Kirya. I am a 5`11 tall, 160 pound right-back. I was born in Uganda, but moved to the United Kingdom when I was three years old. I spent the majority of my childhood in Coventry, an industrial city in the West Midlands region of the UK, which is where I developed my love for soccer. I started playing for a club at Sunday league level when I was 7 years old, and I went on to play for Coventry City’s junior premier league team at 10 years old. I played at Coventry for 3 years, until I moved to Bergen, Norway when I was 13 years old. I played for one of the best 2004 teams in Norway called FK Fyllingsdalen, where I was able to participate in multiple elite tournaments across Europe. We won the Dana Cup in 2017, as well as the Spar Nord Elite Cup in 2019. I started playing for the men's team of FK Fyllingsdalen who play in the Norsk Tipping-ligaen when I was 16. However, I recently moved to Åsane 2 who play in the BA-ligaen 4. Div. menn.
Moving to Bergen, Norway, from England has been one of the things that has shaped my life because while it was a huge challenge, it also helped me to mature. Moving countries aged 13 was not easy, as I had lived in England for 10 years and saw it as my home. I knew the move would be very tough - moving to a completely different environment, having to learn a new language, and making new friends. I was quite apprehensive, but soccer made everything easier. My soccer team-mates have been a source of stability and reliable friendships for the past five years. Soccer has helped me to feel welcome in Norway and to integrate into society more easily.
I go to a school that has a large focus on soccer. I train with my school in the morning three times a week before school, and then I have training four times a week with my club in the evening. I play a match on the weekend. This schedule is very tiring, but it also helps me to stay organized and disciplined as a student athlete. To be able to keep up with my tight schedule, I work hard to maintain my fitness and try my best to make sure I get enough sleep each day, so that I have enough energy throughout the day.
I have great initiative and have taken responsibility for my development as an athlete since I was a young boy. As an international student, my mother did not have a good understanding of how sports activities worked. She tried her best but did not always find appropriate teams for me to play with. I have always taken the initiative, using my schoolmates and playmates as contacts, to find myself an appropriate team that would help me to develop my soccer skills.
My strongest position is right-back, however I am comfortable with both feet and have no problem playing at left-back. I have also been able to play as a defensive midfielder and center back when asked to in the past. I am a very hard worker, and always try to give 100% both in training and on the pitch. I believe my strongest attribute is my crossing, I also have a good range of passing. Moreover, I have an easy-going and friendly personality and get along well with people from different cultural backgrounds. I value team-spirit highly and believe that good relationships on and off-pitch lead to team success.
I want to compete in the US, because I believe it is the best way for me to continue to play football at a high level as well as giving me the opportunity to study for a college degree. It would be a wonderful achievement if I could go on to play professional soccer as this has always been my dream. I have always aimed to balance the athletic and academic aspects of my life, and I believe the US offers the best of both worlds, an opportunity I would not have in Europe, where moving on to higher education often means a significant reduction in sporting activities.
On the academic side, it has been quite challenging having to learn all my subjects in Norwegian at High School level; nonetheless I have managed to achieve above-average grades in many subjects. This has helped me to realize that I can achieve anything if I put in the effort. Nonetheless, studying in the US gives me the opportunity to study in English, which I consider my first language, again, but I also believe it would be an exciting new challenge. I would preferably like to study on the west coast or east coast because of their world-class universities with a welcoming attitude towards international students. The west coast also has great diversity and good weather. However I am open to going anywhere, as my main hope is to keep improving in both football and in my studies. My top two choices for a major are business and economics, as Math is my strongest subject and I have always had an interest in entrepreneurship. The US is famous for its innovative and creative culture, and I believe it would be the best place to study these subjects.
