The Six Yard Box - Jordan Bell
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| Photo Credit: Tormenta FC |
And who do we have for our first ever interview for the Six Yard Box? None other than Tormenta Assistant Coach Jordan Bell. I'm going to call this an exclusive interview, but I think that's only because no one else was at practice on Wednesday wanting to interview him. Nevertheless, it's a Stormwatch912 Exclusive with Jordan Bell.
Bell joined the Tormenta coaching staff in 2024, having spent time previously with One Knox under then head coach Mark McKeever. Bell previously coached under McKeever at Young Harris College. On Saturday he'll be the head man for Tormenta as Ian Cameron is unavailable as he's in Wales working on things for his Coaching License.
This interview has been edited slightly for clarity and to remove all my "uhs" and "ums." There's a reason I work with the written word and not podcasting or broadcasting.
[Stormwatch912]
Coach well, first. actually, first, let me ask you, I know you're doing head coaching duties this week. Just tell me what that's like, being Head Man in charge for Tormenta?
[Jordan Bell]
First of all I need to say thanks to Ian. Because he's been great with me in terms of really helping me develop as a coach. So, a lot of credit to him. He's mentored me a lot over the last 18 months, so he's kind of given me the opportunity. Obviously, he's got his licenses, but he's given me the confidence to come in and kind of lead the boys. But just on that, the leadership group, all the players, the support staff. They've all been so helpful this week in terms of helping me. It's been an easier transition. I think I need all credit to the players, the support staff. They've been fantastic with our leadership in terms of helping me, so it's been an easy transition.
[Stormwatch912]
What went in to your decision to come to Tormenta? When you're in leaving Knoxville to come here in 2024, what's that kind of thought process and what led you to come here?,
[Jordan Bell]
I had a great opportunity to go to Knoxville, uh, under Mark McKeever…
[Stormwatch912]
And you coached under him before.
[Jordan Bell]
Yes, I went to Knoxville, under Mark McKeever, I went, and there as a first year Pro in terms of coaching at that level, I learned a lot from him. Then my wife and I, or my wife, was having a baby, and she's from South Georgia or Georgia area. And our family lives in Tampa, so it kind of was an easier transition to move down closer to them, because obviously I don't have any family here. I'm on my own and I wanted to make her feel happy and obviously first baby on the way. So I was getting many paths away from football that made me lead down this path to Tormenta. And I've loved it ever since. I love (Co-owner) Darin (Van Tassell). He's been a great owner, he's been a great mentor along with Ian, along with all his staff, obviously Mrs. Nitra as well. I love my time here. Hopefully it's many years to come.
[Stormwatch912]
And how is the little one doing?
[Jordan Bell]
She's good. She's 11 months old, her name's Isla. For me, as a dad, obviously, my life was soccer, as soon as you go home. You're sitting on the couch for your wife. You're thinking football, but now when I've got the little one there, it's nice to escape that and actually play with her when you come in at five o'clock at night. And yeah, I just love every minute I have with her, so she's everything to me.
[Stormwatch912]
What is the least amount of sleep you've had coming into a practice or a game since you've had your daughter?
[Jordan Bell]
Yeah, yeah, I tell you what. There's been a few, definitely. In the summer months, she was born in May last year, she was up every two hours as a newborn is. My wife had a C-section, so she was struggling to get out of bed, so I was on Daddy Day Care at night time, so I was on a few coffees from the drive from Pooler to Statesboro coming in in the mornings.
[Stormwatch912]
Give you a scouting report on Jordan Bell, the player. What was he like?
[Jordan Bell]
Wow, wow, that is…I’d have liked to have read that as well. The scouting report, that's a good question. Not good at crosses. Put a ball in a box. I'd probably say I was decent shot stopper, decent with my feet. I like to play out from the back as a goalkeeper, and yeah, I was quite commanding. Leadership kind of, I'd say, but in terms of the opposition, get it where you'd put it in the box. I don't want to come for them.
[Stormwatch912]
What made you decide to be a goalkeeper?
[Jordan Bell]
That's a good question. Yeah, when I was younger in Scotland, I felt like, if I just let everybody run around and I'll just shout at them and tell them where to go and what to do. I can just stand at the goal. I thought that was a smart decision, and then I realized the ball was going to be smashed at my face from 10 yards away. I love diving around in the dirt in Scotland. It obviously rains a lot. There's lots of parks, so I used to just jump around and go. I loved it.
[Stormwatch912]
You did well, well, enough to play in the US Open Cup. Just tell me about that experience, and saving a penalty kick? Just that feeling of what it's like to stop a penalty kick.
[Jordan Bell]
Yeah, you're showing my age. Now that was a few years ago, and that was 2018, 2019, was my last usl2 season at Des Moines, we played St Louis in the open cup, uh penalties. But then in 2018, we played Nashville when I was at Mississippi, Brilla, and I think that's what you're referring to that penalty that I saved. Just sheer luck. Just dive to one side and hope you can make the save, but yeah, there's a good moment for me, but we lost the game overall. So not, not best pleased.
[Stormwatch912]
If I were to take five penalty kicks against you, how many would you save?
[Jordan Bell]
Zero!
[Stormwatch912]
Fair enough. (Note: I don’t believe him. On my best day, I might make one.) When you go home to Scotland, what do you miss most about Statesboro and South Georgia?
[Jordan Bell]
That's a good question. Uh, what I miss most, definitely Miss Jolene, who's in there, who makes the food for us every day. I think she's a heartbeat at the club, along with Reggie, the other support staff that's out there. But yeah, I missed Jolene’s cooking, definitely, when I go home. And then the coffee shops in Statesboro, I do enjoy a coffee. I'm a little Barista at heart..
[Stormwatch912]
I checked, the average high temperature in Scotland for July is like 66. Here. It is a lot more than that here. How is that transition? What is that feeling like? So have you gotten used to it yet?
[Jordan Bell]
Well, yeah, no, never. It's hot. But in Scotland, we have two weeks of sunshine in the summer, and like you said, it probably gets up to high 60s low 70s, and that's equivalent to 100 degrees over here. So people are taking days off work, but over here I've done Mississippi in terms of roasting in the summer. I've done, obviously, south Georgia, roasting in the summer. I don’t know how the boys run about, personally, because I'm standing there sweating, and I'm just shouting at them. So fair, play to them for running about.
[Stormwatch912]
And tell me, and I know it might be a little bit harder with a young one, what is your guilty pleasure TV show? When you get home and you want to relax, you're forgetting about football. You just wanted to sit and relax.
[Jordan Bell]
There's a few there. Right now, I'm in to American Idol. Okay, right now, my wife and I are watching that. So, that's our guilty pleasures. Just sitting. Having dinner, we've got the little one in a playpen and I'll get five minutes to listen to that.
[Stormwatch912]
What about your daughter? Does she have a favorite TV show?
[Jordan Bell]
Yes there's a few. There's Miss Rachel. That's on all the time. And then, Bluey. That's the two that I've got on repeat.
[Stormwatch912]
How do you feel about those two?
[Jordan Bell]
I do like Bluey. I’m not going to lie. Bluey I can get into in the mornings.
[Stormwatch912]
One last thing going back to your daughter being a dad. What is the thing that surprised you the most that you did not expect about being a dad now?
[Jordan Bell]
Good question. I just honestly, like I told you, my life was soccer, right? So before I had my daughter, I found it hard to switch off, and that probably affected my wife at times. But now, when I come home, I think I've got a better work-life balance. Now, I've got my daughter. I can look at in my whole things of football go away. My whole thoughts. And now I have Eryn, my wife also have my daughter, we’re able to go for walks at night time, so I'd probably say to biggest thing I'm surprised at is just like I'm able to switch off from football and give them my whole attention to those guys because they deserve it.
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