Imagine being a professional athlete. You wake up early every morning and immediately head off to training. Following a two-hour training session, you hit the gym for a workout or attend a mandatory film session before possibly having a second training session or rehab appointment.
Half of your weekends are spent on the road, traveling to face teams miles away, and not returning until the wee hours of the morning on Sundays. And the other half are spent preparing for and playing home games, when Saturdays begin just as early as the others and are followed by recovery pool or stretching sessions the Sundays after.
And that’s just the physical work commitment involved. That doesn’t cover the community appearances, media interviews, events and engagements that come along with the job. Then, you do it all over again.
Now, imagine having the grueling schedule of an athlete while also having another job, and arguably the most important one of all—being a father.
Welcome to the world of Chattanooga Red Wolves SC players Will Dieterich and Vangjel Zguro and Red Wolves head coach Tim Hankinson.
First, there’s Dieterich, a goalkeeper for the Red Wolves. Spending the last four and a half years playing in Iceland, moving to Chattanooga has been a huge culture change.
Dieterich was signed by the Red Wolves just three days before the start of the season but could not leave Iceland until a few days later. Why? Because Dieterich and his girlfriend, Margrét, were just days away from the birth of their first child.
Theodore was born in early April and Dieterich, a first-time father, joined the team just five days later. Because of Theodore having just been born and was unable to travel, Dieterich had to leave him and Margrét behind in Iceland while he came to play for the Red Wolves.
“Luckily I had the contract with the Red Wolves done before he was born because once he was born, it was almost impossible to leave,” Dieterich said. “It was just one of those things in the football business that you have to do and sometimes you have to make sacrifices, but I don’t think I will be doing this one again.”
Finally, Margrét and baby Theodore were able to travel and joined him in Chattanooga two months later. After living on his own for the first couple months, it has certainly been an adjustment for Dieterich trying to balance being a father and a pro soccer player.
“I was there for the first three or four days so I got a small glimpse of fatherhood but then I went to live by myself for a month and a half,” Dieterich said. “It was a huge transition when they got here, but it’s something I have been longing for. People always tell you that you don’t know what it’s like until you have one and it’s true. Every day is a blessing.”
Just three months old, Theodore is not quite ready to play the game his father has made a career out of. But when he does start, Dieterich is not so sure he wants his son to follow in his footsteps.
“We’re gonna stay away from being a goalkeeper though because that’s a stressful one for the parents,” Dieterich said. “He’s already got an advantage on me because he has a European passport. But we’ll be excited if he chooses to play soccer or not.”
Then, there’s Red Wolves defender Vangjel Zguro.
A native of Pogradec, Albania, Zguro is the father to a four-year old daughter, Marianthi or “Mari” for short. Zguro only played in his native land before moving to Chattanooga to roster with the Red Wolves, so his daughter and wife, Romina, had never been out of the country until now.
“It is a big decision to up and move your family,” Zguro said. “But it’s just part of being an athlete and pursuing your dreams together.”
Playing out of Albania for the first time in his career, Zguro and Mari have in common the fact that they are both having to adapt to a new place to live. For that reason, it has been a time of bonding between the two.
“It’s been really great to experience this move together,” Zguro said. “Exploring the city, finding our own routine and making Chattanooga our family’s home has been challenging at times but it has made our family closer. Mari is adjusting well and is very happy here.”
Lastly, there is Tim Hankinson, head coach of the Red Wolves.
Hankinson is the father to five children, three being his stepchildren and two being his own. Having none of them living anywhere near Chattanooga, Hankinson has had to adjust to being a long-distance dad and head coach.
“The challenge is how to stay connected,” Hankinson said. “My wife helps with that. There are weekly calls with some of them, but they’re busy a lot with them reaching adulthood, so we can go weeks sometimes without being able to talk. Fatherhood is just a continued extension of these kids in my life.”
While Hankinson is the father to just his five children, at times it feels like he has about 20 more kids.
With the Red Wolves team coming from all across the world and not having a lot of family close by, Hankinson feels that he serves a father figure to the players at times and tries to help them out when needed.
“I think to some of them I am a father figure,” Hankinson said. “No question that when you bring guys over from other countries, the players and coaching staff are like family to them. That’s a special feeling to have that bond and relationship and it’s something you usually never lose. It’s a lifelong lasting relationship.”
Hankinson had a similar experience to Dieterich early on in his career with the birth of his first child. Hankinson missed the birth but was able to spend 10 days with his son before having to leave again and return to coach.
“That was one of the tougher things that I have ever had to do getting back on the plane after spending time with my son,” Hankinson said. “Guys might try and act tough but we’re all soft on the inside.”
All three will be celebrating Father’s Day in different ways on Sunday. While Hankinson and Zguro have experienced being a father on Father’s Day before, it will be Dieterich’s first time with that feeling.
“It kind of hit me a couple of days ago that this will be my first Father’s Day,” Dieterich said. “He (Theodore) is still kind of young but it’ll be nice just to be with him.”