Christa Mann had her career plan all mapped out — graduate from Georgia State University and work in journalism, preferably as a sports broadcaster.

She already had worked toward building up her experience in the broadcasting field, having worked as a sideline reporter for college basketball broadcasts, a game-day assistant for the Atlanta Falcons and an intern at WXIA TV.

Her plans were put on hold, though, when she received a unique, unexpected offer.

During Mann’s senior year as a soccer standout at Georgia State last season, Gareth O’Sullivan, head coach of Afturelding in Mosfellsbaer, Iceland, a professional soccer team that plays in the women’s premier league called the Landsbankadeild, began inquiring about Mann, a 2004 McIntosh graduate.

“[Gareth O’Sullivan] coached for a while in the U.S. and has many soccer contacts [in the U.S.],” Mann said. “I believe he contacted a coach outside of [the Colonial Athletic Association] who we had recently played in a televised game. [O’Sullivan] asked that coach about center-backs, and that coach mentioned my name and my school. [O’Sullivan] asked a few other coaches in the region about me, and then realized that he had coached me on the State Select Amateur team the summer before my freshman year. After the conclusion of our season, he came to Atlanta, took me to dinner and explained what playing overseas would be like and what to expect.

“He asked if I was interested, and then all of my international papers came in the mail sometime around early spring. That’s really when I realized that I was going to do this.”

Prolonging her soccer career was a dream come true for Mann, who has spent most of her life playing soccer, though she still had to decide whether she wanted to delay her plans to work in broadcasting.

“My first thoughts were about journalism, as strange as that may sound,” Mann said. “I was thinking about how great it would be to continue to play a sport that I’ve been playing for over 14 years ... but I had to consider whether I would be hurting my chances to begin my career in the competitive world of TV. Once I made the decision that soccer was what I wanted to pursue over journalism, I knew that I would just throw myself into it and enjoy the opportunity. I enjoy traveling and experiencing new cultures, and have learned to assimilate into other cultures through studying abroad and from being a ‘Peachtree City Delta kid.’”

Once she made her decision to play overseas, Mann became the first Georgia State women’s soccer player to sign a paid deal with a professional club.

Mann was excited, but she didn’t have much time to prepare for Iceland.

She graduated from Georgia State with a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications-journalism with a minor in Spanish on Saturday, May 10, 2008. Mann flew to Iceland the next day, had her first practice with Afturelding on that Monday and played in her first international contest as a professional on that Tuesday.

Mann has started and played every minute of all 11 games Afturelding has played this season. She has helped Afturelding record the most clean sheats (shutouts) in the league with seven, and is a key reason her team is ranked second in the league with the least goals against with 11.

She has made a significant impact while adjusting to the vast differences between the way soccer is played in the United States and Iceland.

“The forwards here do more work on the ball and use their footwork a lot more than we do in the U.S.,” Mann said. “In America, I am used to defending a lot of physically strong players who use their size, strength and speed. Here they like to run at the defense and play through balls and don’t really combine much. In the U.S., the game is a lot about combination play between midfield and the forwards.”

There are other considerable differences between the United States and Iceland, according to Mann.

“It is much more expensive here for everything,” Mann said. “[We] went for Italian food one day and were expecting the overflowing bowls of pasta. When we arrived, we were so surprised at the sight of a flat bowl with a medium serving of food. Life is much slower, and towns have much fewer people. In the town I live in [Mosfellsbaer], there are probably only 1,000 people, if that many.”

Mann is fully enjoying the memorable experience of playing professional soccer away from her home country.

“So far this experience has been absolutely incredible,” Mann said. “Every day I learn something new about myself, about life, about this country and really just about the world in general.”

As for her future plans, Mann still has her heart set on a sports broadcasting career.

“I never thought I would play professional soccer, so I prepared for a career in broadcasting with an emphasis on sports,” Mann said. “My aspirations are to one day become an anchor for a major sports network or to be an analyst for women’s college soccer. My experience in Iceland has reinforced my love for the game, and I’m not sure that I’m ready to give it up quite yet. ... I would love the opportunity to do something similar to Kara Lawson and Heather Mitts [professional athletes who double as professional sports broadcasters].

“It would be an absolute dream both [to] play professionally at home and to work in front of the camera.”

To read more about Mann’s daily life in Iceland, including her soccer career, check out her blog at http://christamann.blog.com.

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