William Klein

One of my earliest ever memories is sneaking out of my cradle upstairs and waddling down to join my father watching soccer on TV. While most kids my age were busy with “nap time,” I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen and certainly was not thinking about going back to sleep. Needless to say, I did not take many naps when I was young. Instead, I spent my afternoons falling in love with the beautiful game. As soon as I could fit into a pair of cleats and shin guards, I was out on the field kicking a ball.

Every fall and spring from that day on, I joined a team and had the time of my life. Multiple practices a week with games on the weekend were things that I constantly looked forward to. Eventually, I joined a club closer to home and even got to play with my dad as my coach. Talk about a full circle moment. As I grew older, soccer remained a constant in my life. I played for my middle and high school teams, as well as more competitive club teams. Though the intensity of these environments didn’t fully capture the same joy as my early years, I still greatly enjoyed them nonetheless.

Additionally, my love for the game isn’t limited to just playing. I coached my younger brother’s team a couple winters which taught me a lot of valuable lessons. Even my first ever job was becoming a US Soccer certified referee and gaining yet another perspective to the game. I hope to remain involved with the sport at UGA by watching games and playing intramural soccer.