Dagens intervju i BIP Stars💥 är med tvåan i poängligan i Elitserien, Matt Aubrey från Australien. Matt spelar sin andra säsong i Sverige och har båda säsongerna har han representerat Floby VK.
Who is Matthew Aubrey?
– I’m from Brisbane, Australia. I’m 24 years old. I started playing volleyball at school when I was 15. Before I switched to volleyball full-time, I also played basketball and rugby. Before starting my professional career in Sweden, I studied and played volleyball in Canada for 4 years
Why did you choose to play for Floby and the Swedish Elitserien?
– Honestly, I think it was more Floby chose me. I didn’t have a lot of options as I was looking for my first professional contract. However, I liked the idea of the challenge Floby provided being a part of a team returning to the Elitserien after an extended absence and trying to make a big impact on the league. I also spoke to other Australians who have played in Sweden, and I heard nothing but good remarks about the league which helped with my decision to play for Floby
How did you get in contact with your current agent?
– It was one of the coaches I had back in Australia that got me in contact with Tony as I had decided that I didn’t want to return to Canada and wanted to start my professional volleyball career
You have now been in Sweden for 1,5 years. What are your experience and thoughts about Sweden as country?
– I really enjoy living in Sweden, I have tried to spend a lot of time getting out and exploring this country as I love travelling and want to make the most it my time here. I really like the Swedish culture and the way of life here
And what are your thoughts about the Swedish Elitserien?
– The Swedish Elitserien is a good competitive league. All the teams are pretty equal this season with the exception of the top two teams, so it makes it good for competitive matches which can be both fun and frustrating. There are a lot of good players in this league which raises the quality of the game and requires you to play your best volleyball every match
Are there any specific things or food that you are missing from Australia?
– Probably the weather, especially this time of year as I see on social media everyone at home outside enjoying the warm sunny weather whilst its freezing cold and snowing here
What is the best with Sweden?
– The best thing about Sweden would have to be the people. I don’t think I have ever had a bad interaction with anyone during my time here. Everyone is so nice and go out of their way to help you
And of course, what is the best with Floby?
– The best thing about Floby would definitely be my teammates. They are a super nice bunch of people. Everyone I have meet in Floby have been really welcoming and friendly which is great because it is such a small town
Are there any things that really impressed or surprised you about Sweden?
– The thing that surprised me about Sweden was everyone’s doubts in their English ability. Whenever I meet someone for the first time, they always claim that they can’t speak English, yet they can understand everything I say perfectly
What are your goals with your volleyball?
– My goals with volleyball are to continue to develop my game both physically and mentally so that I can be a real well rounded strong opposite. My goal is to play in some of the top volleyball leagues such as Italy and Poland and that I can continue to play for the national team so that I can achieve my life goal of going to the Olympics
You played with the Australian National Team last season, which has a big program and is a very good National Team. What did you learn from last summer and what are the things you are working on to improve?
– I learnt a lot in my short time with the national team last summer. The main thing I learnt was that you need to be confident and mentally strong, and you need to turn adversity into opportunity. You must make the most of every opportunity you get as you never know if you will get that opportunity again. I am working on improving my consistency and my all-round volleyball game. I know what to expect with the national team now, so it is now about showing up and proving to everyone why I deserve to be there
What are the goals this season with Floby?
– The goal this season with Floby is that we want to be in the Top 6 at the end of the regular season. I believe that this is something that we can achieve as we had a strong first half just missing out on qualifying for GP. Personally, my goal for this season was to improve my consistency from match to match compared to last season and be a dominate player in the league
What are your plans for the Summer of 2022?
– I don’t have any concrete plans for the summer yet, but I hope to be involved with the national team and the Volleyball Nations League again. I will probably head back to Australia at some point also, but I haven’t thought that far ahead yet
Thank you Matt and good luck in the Spring Season with Floby
Matt’s Player Profile with Bring It Promotions: http://bringitusa.com/player/matt-aubrey/
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