Bank of America Stadium — Charlotte, NC
When you know, you know. That’s the immediate feeling you get when you meet Will Palaszczuk and Jessica Charman, two commentators and analysts for Charlotte FC, but fans of the game of soccer and, more importantly, folks who love their job.
A midweek night matchup at Bank of America Stadium as Charlotte FC played a critical match against Toronto, a win was needed, and I knew the passion coming from the booth would be electric. Prep work and a few pregame interviews were done, and it was time to roll.
I asked Will if this was it for him if being a play-by-play announcer was the dream. “I always wanted to be the voice for a team — this is it. “I’m tickled to death that I’m able to be associated with this team. I can do this for the rest of my life and be happy.”
With our passions and careers, we constantly reach for more and have that one dream of doing something important. Speaking with Jessica, I asked her what that was. “I would love to do commentating for Reading FC. That was the team I grew up listening to on the radio and the connection with my Dad — it would be really special to do that.”
You can tell that Jessica and Will have the passion and the spark to take this opportunity to be the voice of Charlotte FC and run with it. We all have those moments that get us to that point of being proud of where we are and, more importantly, who we are. So what was that moment for them? Will starts — “Wow. I learned very early that you don’t say no to things. There was a time in college when I was working at a TV station, and I essentially said no to something on the weekend. I was a freshman in college. And you find out really early if you say no then they stop asking. So unless you have a really good reason to say no to something you want to do, you do it.”
Jessica talks about her soccer career and what that did for her. “Getting a full ride to college and being able to play for them. I was able to win Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Showing I was combining athletics and academics and being a student-athlete meant a lot. When I say this is my dream job, there is a picture of me at my College campus that says, Future Sports Broadcaster”.
I can’t thank these two enough for letting me spend time with them to see the effort, love and passion they put into a match night. You hear the historic calls of important or incredible plays, but when you see it in person and the genuine excitement that goes into their voice, it’s magic.