Kickit Pro-Trainer Series: Grace Tanda "Never give up on yourself"

"To jump right into it, after playing with Swedish side Östersunds FK U19 team in 2011, I was finally given the opportunity to play for Östersunds FK B-team. This was a huge step forward in my career because I was able to score 12 goals and 20 assists in Division 4 at a young age. 

Fast forward to right before the start of the 2014 season, I was recruited to play for Division 2 side, IFK Östersund. I was happy with my progress but I was still hungry for more. I played only half a season with IFK Östersunds before being sold to back to Östersunds FK who were now in the 2nd highest league in Sweden, Superettan. This was a huge jump in my career because I was finally considered a professional footballer.

I made my debut in Superettan on October 25th, 2014. A month later, I finally received my first start. It took me only a few games before scoring my 1st Superettan goal in a 2-2 match against Ängelholms FF.

Unfortunately, I was not favored by the Östersunds FK Manager at the time, so my time there was limited. Although it was heartbreaking to be loaned out to a lower division, I never gave up.

After 4 seasons playing Division 1-2, I was finally given the opportunity to play professional football in Southeast Asia in Vietnam. In January 2019 I signed for SHB Da Nang in the V-League 1 where I finally found the success I was looking for. Prior to Coronavirus, I managed to score 4 goals and 3 assists in 9 matches for my new team.

My career is far from over and my journey has just begun. If I have learned anything from my time in Sweden, it's that when no one believes in you, you need to believe in yourself. If I can leave any sort of advice for the younger generation, it is that you can never doubt yourself. As long as you never give up, you will always be in the race!"

You can follow Grace's Professional Football career on Instagram: @Gracetanda

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