Jordan Gifkins truly has been one of the mainstays of AUSFIFA.com.
Known by his PSN alias Aidanski, Gifkins has been synonymous with anything media related on AUSFIFA.com, having established himself as the site’s premier Pro Clubs journalist.
An up and coming goalkeeper on the outside, having just moved to Melbourne State League One club South Springvale, along with juggling university and work commitments, Jordan has always found time to indulge in his passion for FIFA and with AVPL Season 5 just around the corner, the co-Founder of Elite Eleven FC is raring to go as we sat down to talk with him about his journey so far and aspirations for the upcoming season.
BG: Thanks for chatting with us Jordan, how are things going for you at the moment? Still in preseason for outdoor I hear?
JG: Always a pleasure mate! Things are going very well at the moment for me in all aspects of life. Yeah because I dropped down a couple of divisions, it’s meant that preseason goes for an extra month and a half this season. The long preseason has taken its toll and it’s very hard training in 30+ degrees still but I’m loving it.
BG: You were a member of AUSFIFA Foundation club BBC Factor who finished third in the inaugural AVPL Season. What was that season like for yourself and just how different was the Pro Clubs scene back then?
JG: I remember not being able to play much that season due to soccer commitments but I used to play goalkeeper for them when I could. The clubs scene was vastly different with a lot less clubs around and the quality was not as good as it is today.
BG: You have played for some big clubs in Like no Otha and Playnation, but you decided to leave the latter and form a new club from scratch. What made you think to move on following a successful AVPL season 4?
JG: It wasn’t easy leaving Playnation but I really just wanted to give myself a crack at managing a side. I was privileged to play under top managers at BBC Factor (Kani), Like no OthA (HORCON) and Playnation (Alex) who all really helped me understand the role. I liked watching them go about it and it helps that they are all really great people.
BG: It was a difficult start to life for Elite XI, with recruitment tough in a fiercely competitive AUSFIFA player market, were there ever times where you thought you might struggle to attract the quality necessary to compete for AVPL finals?
JG: There would have been a few times where I thought this wasn’t going to work. We thought we had Homosquid for a long time but after losing him, it was a massive blow at the time as he’s a proven player and there isn’t many around. We would often trial players and they simply just wouldn’t be good enough or have the right play style to fit in with the system we had in mind. The turning point for us was Riley Mitchell. Once we signed him, we went on a very good Rivals run of 10 unbeaten matches and it breathed a new lease of life into Elite Eleven. From there, recruitment jumped and we are happy so far with the squad we have assembled.
BG: Finally you have made a name for yourself as the ‘AUSFIFA Journalist’ having put together a number of fantastic previews and pieces over the last few seasons, what made you get involved in the media side of things?
JG: It actually started before AUSFIFA was around. I used to write for ESGN regarding transfer rumours and players would get a kick out of them. I noticed nothing was really happening on AUSFIFA in regards to that sort of thing so I started writing previews and little things here and there. People really enjoyed reading them to a point where they would be disappointed when I couldn’t get one done!
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