In this very special episode of YSS ; Dinah and Michael are joined by DC Freedman (Author of the popular Jamie Johnson children's series) The three of them discuss the origins of the series, DC"s writing career, and how he's become and advocate for literacy in the youth soccer community. Featured Links Official website DC Freedman Guest Information GUEST NAME: DC Freedman GUEST BIO: Soccer has been a massive part of my life since I went to my first game, around the age of three. In fact, I'm lying! I didn't like that first game too much. But my dad took me back the next week and from then on, it was pretty much game over. Soccer was my thing. I loved playing the game – I still do – but when it finally dawned on me that I might not be quite good enough to be a professional I set my mind on trying to work out if I could still be a part of the game somehow. It seemed to me that the next best thing to playing the game was watching it so my new ambition was to become a soccer journalist. I started early. My first ever published work of soccer writing was a letter that I sent into Shoot! magazine when I was 13! Then, while I was still at school, I did lots and lots of work experience at different, newspapers, TV and radio stations. Those experiences gave me the taste of what it was like to be involved in soccer and the confidence to believe I could go on and achieve it. My really big break came when, just after I left college, I got offered a job at The Football Association (the group that manages not only England's National Soccer Team, but organized soccer throughout the country). It was a dream come true for me, just as it would be for any soccer fan. Imagine going into work everyday at the organization which actually 'runs' soccer. I had to pinch myself everyday that I sat at my desk. Within two years I was travelling to the 2002 World Cup, which was held in South Korea and Japan. As The Football Association's Editor, it was my job to interview all of the England players and report on their matches. As someone who had grown up watching the likes of David Beckham and Michael Owen, to be living and working with them, day in and day out was a truly unbeatable experience. As a journalist too, mixing with and getting to know the best football writers in the country was a great education. As time went on, and my confidence grew, I ended up getting to know almost all the players that played for the Three Lions. Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Theo Walcott and Rio Ferdinand were all kind enough to let me interview them, sometimes on several occasions as I set up The England National Team's first ever in-house TV channel. And it wasn't just the England National Team either. I wrote the FA Cup Final programs too, which meant coming face-to-face with some of the top club managers and their players. As Manchester United were the most successful team in the country I worked closely with them over a number of years and there's no doubt that three of my all-time favorite interviews were those that I conducted with Roy Keane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Sir Alex Ferguson. Since I left The Football Association in 2007 to concentrate on my writing, I've still kept all my contacts in the game and have done as much freelance work as I can. Working as an Editor with the Premier League and FIFA over the last couple of years has kept me up-to-date with everything that's happening in the game, including giving me the opportunity to interview Lionel Messi in 2009. I realize I've been really lucky but I also know that there's nothing special about me. These jobs are out there. The difficult part is working out what it is that you really want to do. Once you know that, it's about doing everything you can to achieve it. Guest Links WEBSITE: www.dcfreedman.com TWITTER: @DCFreedman FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/JamieJohnson11 INSTAGRAM: DC Freedman Guest Promotions Jamie Johnson Soccer Series