Young Gun: Dominic del Rosario

Fresh from the holiday break, time for some Kaya domination as we nick your screens with a special feature on one of our youngest players. Presenting our young mate, Dominic del Rosario, who hails from Sydney. With fun footy experiences—from Kaya to the academy and the U21 Azkals, from England to Brunei—it’s time to jump into 2015 with youthful enthusiasm!

Filipino Roots

Best to start off with a mind blaster, which also serves as cool trivia on the eighteen-year-old Kaya FC player:

“My mom is full Filipino. My grandfather was half Spanish, but my dad is half as well. He is Irish, Latvian, and French. His mom was Irish, and his dad was from Latvia.”

So what does that make Dom?

Rather than complicate life, wouldn’t it be easier to just go with half Pinoy? Yes, we will go with that.

Growing up in Australia did not disconnect him from his roots, having a mom who raised him with Filipino values and exposed him to Filipino traditions.

“We do a lot of Australian things, but it was more Filipino, like the food we eat at home, celebrating with the family, and going to church every weekend.” 

Dom has been visiting the Philippines every year since childhood.

“Before I started school, I actually went to school here for a few weeks, then I went back home in Australia and started school. I grew up living in the same house as my lola and all my titas and titos. That’s why I learned how to speak Tagalog. I only came to school here when I was 4… the one before kindergarten. I would come back to the Philippines every year. Every year, we visit.”

With relatives from San Pedro, Laguna, who wouldn’t obtain Tagalog skills? With more-than-helpful titos and titas, it does not come as a surprise that he can understand the local lingo—and, of course, favor kare-kare over other less savory fares.

Give Me Five!

“I was five years old the first time I kicked the ball. It was the same age I started playing football.” 

Dominic’s best friend’s dad was his coach. However, he wasn’t too sure at that time if he wanted to go pro since he also planned on being a lawyer or physiologist. And since he liked math, we were banking on the latter.

His mom also made him try tennis, which didn’t work out, but he also dabbled in some basketball and track and field, which he quite enjoyed.

As part of the Austral Football Club, his first club, he had already laid out a string of achievements.

“My first year winning the title, I was part of U13s, and I was playing with my two best friends, and we went undefeated the whole year and won the league.”

He played for Austral Football Club for eight years before moving to Liverpool Olympic, where he played for two years.

“My best friend’s dad was the coach at Austral, and he coached me another year in my next club, which is Liverpool Olympic.”

His next club was Southwest Wanderers Football Club: “I played here for one year when I was fifteen.”

It was sometime in between these clubs that he decided that he wanted to pursue football. He was fourteen.

Aside from the clubs, it was also around this time that he brought his football skills to the varsity front. This was also his time to shine as a goalkeeper at John Edmondson High School.

“I made the team after second year of high school. I got through with luck. I tried out, but I didn’t make it. At that time, the goalkeeper was late, and my friend knows I used to play goalkeeper, so he asked me to go. So that’s how I made the team. For the first year of high school football, I played goalkeeper. I used to play goalkeeper, so I was used to it.”

School It!

“I used to tell my mom every weekend that I wanted to be a football player. I used to tell her my goal was to play for my favorite club in England, which is Arsenal,” Dom answered when asked how he broke the news to his mom.

For Dom, life wasn’t all football. There were more important things in life, like, say, school. Of course, Dom took that into consideration amid serious negotiations with his mom.

“Of course, as a Filipino mom, she wants my studies to be good, and that motivated me to do good in school and in sports. She used to tell me that if I didn’t do well in school, she wouldn’t let me play football, so that made me do good in both.”

While his heart was all for football, what fueled Dom’s dream was the support from his family. It wasn’t enough to get his mom’s okay; she was on board the whole time. He started the dream, and she kept it alive. She also made sure he did well in school—keeping priorities in check the way a parent should!

“Football was all my mom. She’d go to every game. She’d take me to every training. It was all my mom. I thank my mom for where I am now. Full credit to my mom. All the other coaches I’ve had have taught me everything—I mean, I had the same coach for eight years—but my mom is the one who supported me all the way. She has kept me going.”

Up and at Dom

“I play everywhere on the field, but I’d like to think myself as a winger, either left or right. At Kaya [present], I’m a left back. Growing up, I played on the wing or midfield. I started off as striker, then I went goalkeeper, then I went winger, then left back.”

If you thought Australia was crazy royal fun, wait till you hear about the rest of Dominic’s training and camp adventures. These surely beat crocodile hunting or singing at the Opera House (both of which we forgot to ask Dom) in a more athletic sense, and hearing words like Manchester and Sheffield alone were drool-worthy already.

When Dom was fifteen, he was part of World Football Club in Sydney. This was his academy, and it opened doors for Dom, who was more than ready to experience playing football elsewhere.

“In a span of two years, I went to Europe two times with the academy. The first time I went, I was there for two weeks. We had six games against English teams, and that was my big break. I had six scouts ask about me, but only three asked to trial, and that brings us to the second trip, when I tried out for three weeks. There was no luck then.”

Despite not signing with any English club during his stint with World Football Club, Dom’s proudest moment to this day is still with the academy: “When I played against Sheffield United in England and I had three of the coaches come up to me and say I had a good game.”

Full of hope and promise, he still couldn’t get enough of his firsthand European experience and went back to Europe for another three months.

“During my third trip, which didn’t involve the academy, I had a tryout with three clubs, and I stayed in England for three months. I was really close to signing, but my passport was an issue. I was on trial with Blackpool and Manchester City Shadow Squad at the same. I’d be training five times a week. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with Blackpool. Tuesday and Thursday with City. City’s Shadow Squad is different from the actual academy. Shadow Squad is more of a trialist team. They just get players from all over the world and trial them. If they’re good enough, they offer them a contract for their academy.”

In those three months, Dom’s mom was with him all the way, providing him with all the support he needed to fulfill his dreams.

“My mom was with me at that time for three months. We were renting a little place in England. She hired a car and would take me to every training. She just watched me train every day. I really thank my mom for everything she’s done.”

Before Dom left England, another opportunity was knocking on his door, but we all know fate brought him somewhere else.

“Just before I left to go back home, I got offered to be assessed by Blackburn, but I didn’t take it at that time. They wanted to see me train, but I was leaving England to go back home. I was turning sixteen then.”

Kaya First

Dom’s first club in the country is Kaya FC. The U21 national Philippine football team (Azkals), well, that would come at a later time.

He moved to the Philippines after he signed his contract with Kaya FC in September 2013, inducting him as no. 14.

To be clear about the timelines, his first stint would have been with the U19 Azkals, but with the usual passport setback and Facebook along the way, the wonders of social media led him to Kaya FC, where former Kaya head coach David Perković invited him to play for the team.

“I didn’t know who he was then, and our mutual friend was my coach at that time. He messaged me about the league here. But my first experience in Philippine football was Holy Week of 2013. I had one training session with Stallion. I was just trying to keep my fitness, and I asked to train with them.”

So from a Stallion session to PM’ing David, next thing Dom knew, he was signing the Kaya contract by August 2013.

“He messaged mid-2013, and he watched my training session back home in Australia. He was home for a week, and he said he liked me and brought me over. Then Paul and Justin for a few months were talking to my mom and me. I came in August, and that’s when I signed my contract with Kaya. I was just sixteen when I joined. My first training session was in September.” 

Living alone, after his mom left, was tough for sure, but we all know football is more than a game. It’s life.

“Being in that professional atmosphere. After coming here and training with the players, it really felt professional. It wasn’t a difficult decision because football has always been my number one.”

Motivation is something you get the most of at Kaya FC, and it’s a character-building trait that builds its team rapport.

“Coach always put in a good word. I think the one player who really motivates everyone a lot is Chris [Greatwich]. He always seems to know what to say at the right time to get everyone motivated for the game.”

Being with the team and training with them are the highlights of being a Kaya FC player for Dominic. He may have joined many teams and activities, but with Kaya, everyone is close, and it’s one team that does feel like a team.

And one thing about teams is that they love to give nicknames!

“It started with [former Kaya player] Fabien Lewis. Because I’m Australian, they asked me what a baby kangaroo is called, so everyone started calling me Joey. Even now, everyone calls me Joey. But the funniest was [former Kaya player] Eddie. He would put in his Cali thing and call me Baby K. Joey is stuck with me now. Everyone calls me Joey. Fabien started it all.”

Academy Coach

“I love football, and back home, I used to coach nursery. I coached a few times. I asked Chris if I could coach, and he told me to come down one day, and ever since then, I’ve been coaching.”

Dom’s passion for football doesn’t end with just the playing part. He also does his fair share of chores or, rather, helping out at Kaya FC Academy, where it takes a lot of patience and weekend mornings to get the little ones in shape! 

“Right now, I’m teaching the girls, and it’s fun, and they’re quite good, but U10s is my preferred group. I coached them in the Chelsea Cup, and they were really good. We won!” Coach Dom proudly narrated of this feat.

All right, then, Coach. Quiz time!

What do you think are prime traits necessary for a midfielder?

Dom: “Touch, vision, and distribution.”

How about a left back?

Dom: “Touch is very important. Left back right now is more of a wingback, so they’re really fit, and at times, they need to be solid. Not the biggest player, but cannot be pushed around.”

What would you say are the parts of your game that you have to work on more?

Dom: “My physicality. I really need to work on my defending and my positioning when I defend.”

All right, you pass!

Dom’s experiences on the field while training or just listening to sound advice from more experienced players enabled him to better his game and overall perspective of the game. In being able to apply all these at the academy, amazingly, he has improved his game as well—having the strategic outlook of a coach.

As exemplified by Dom, you’re never too young to achieve anything and, in his case, coach!

“If you know the game well and you really listen to the older coaches and take their advice, you can become a coach at a young age too.”

He takes this coaching stint further up a notch with words that come from the sensibilities of youth.

“If football is what you really want, always work hard. Don’t ever stop. You will get there.”

To the Dom Pound

It was the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy in July 2014 that got Dom on the Azkals’ radar, especially after having participated as part of the U21 team.

“In July, we went to Singapore for a training camp, and then I got selected for the team that will participate in the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy. It all started because I tried out in February 2014.”

On the overall experience:

“With the squad that we had, I think we could have done a lot better. We really did outplay teams. Finishing was a struggle for us. Our only problem was that we had so many chances when we could have scored. We’d get one or two a game, but we couldn’t. The training camp before the tournament was a little too short, and not everyone was available at that time.”

As heartbreaking as it may have seemed for the newbie U21 Azkal, the entire Brunei experience was certainly no defeat. In fact, it was during the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy where he debuted as a member of the U21 national team and showed his Pinoy pride.

“Having my first start for my country and getting my first assist. This was when I went to Brunei with the U21 during the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy Cup. There’s no better feeling than winning the game with your country.”

Also, having enjoyed this national competition with Kaya mates Ken and OJ made the experience all the merrier. For U21, he also came across one of his closest friends, John Kanayama, whom he knew from back home.

Saving the best for last, let’s not forget the once-popular Ice Bucket Challenge, so for a bit of #TbT, here’s one from Dom:

“Funniest moment was when there were about six of us, and we did the Ice Bucket Challenge in Brunei. It was funny, and it was really cold. With Kaya, every session’s got something funny.”

The Real Dom Under 

“The national anthem was always a struggle for me. I know the first two lines. That’s about it. But everything else culture-wise is Filipino. I’m used to eating with my hands. I love Filipino food. The language is not a problem for me. I understand it very well. Speaking-wise, I sound funny, but I can still speak it when I need to.”

Being in the Philippines every year, Dom is considered a local resident. Why, he isn’t even bothered by the weather or traffic anymore! While it has been established that he likes to eat—and eat a lot is what we mean by that—what he still bought with his first paycheck is a pair of shoes!

Growing up as an only child only enabled him to share his early football experiences with a wider group—his teammates, best friends, and new mates—whether through training, playing around the neighborhood, or just watching football on the tube.

“I used to love watching Patrick Vieira play in the midfield when I watched Arsenal. Even Robert Pirès played good on the midfield. Growing up, my idol was Beckham. I really love Beckham playing in the midfield. Beckham was my idol. I’ll be honest—I supported United before. I just followed Beckham—that’s why I have a Real Madrid jersey.”

Apart from the local coaching support, Dom’s mom, Chastine, also made sure she was there every step of the way. So even if Dom has left footprints all over Sydney and England and left some traces in Brunei, a big chunk of his heart always takes him to the Philippines.

“I’ve always liked the Philippines. Growing up in Australia, that’s home for me, but I love the Philippines.”

Dom first found his place at Kaya and, later, the U21 Azkals. His football trails have led him through so many camps, challenges, and teams, but he didn’t give up on his dream.

For those who are just beginning their journey, learn from the guy who’s been halfway across the world chasing the big football dream:

“Never give up. No matter how many people try to say I’m not good enough or anything, I always try to prove them wrong. It makes me work even harder. If someone tells me I can’t do this, but if I know I can, then I work on it so I can do it. I think it’s just hard work overall.”

And look where it brought him. Welcome home, Dominic!

TRIVIA

Rather than engage Dom with some “G’day, cobbler, how ’bout some ripper tucker over at the pub?” talk, we best get down to some serious Jedi business, and that’ll get him talking. He ain’t some Stormtrooper, but he’ll surely troop to the nearest Spanish restaurant or any place where there’s loads of tucker. And when that happens, please spare him the Filipino time to give him more time to tell you about his amazing outback trivia … besides those that we’ve covered below:

Best mates in football?

For Kaya, Kenny and OJ. For U21, one of my closest friends is John Kanayama. I know him from back home. We always hang around here.

If I gave you the chance to live the life of a football star for a day, who would it be and why?

I’d have to choose David Beckham because his wife is stunning. Victoria Beckham is amazing.

If you were to change one thing in your entire career, what would it be?

My main position.

Do you see yourself pursuing other more serious careers in the industry like match reporting or being a full-time recruiter?

I wouldn’t mind being a match reporter one day. I’d prefer to be more of a sports management type of thing.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a football player?

Advantages: I really don’t know. Actually, waking up every morning to go to training. I love football. Playing football every day is an advantage.

Disadvantages: There’s a lot of competition in the world for football. 

If you could change one rule in football, what would it be?

There’s nothing you can really change. It’s a tough question.

Favorite player?

Thierry Henry.

Favorite team?

 Arsenal. 

Favorite subject?

Math. I found it so easy! 

Favorite video game?

FIFA.

Hobby?

Eating.

Movie?

Star Wars films.

TV program?

How I Met Your Mother.

Singer or band?

Chris Brown.

Actor?

Liam Neeson.

Actress?

Selena Gomez.

Filipino food?

Kare-kare.

Favorite food?

Spanish food. 

Away from football, what do you like to do? What are your hobbies?

I like trying different foods. I eat a lot. 

You’re a foodie?

Yes.

Do you know how to cook?

I used to think I was a chef. I used to do cooking class at school. One of my subjects I selected was cooking. I really like food.

Best advice you have given and been given?

“Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard enough.”

Describe yourself in five words. 

I don’t even know. Can I ring someone? I’ll get back to you on that one.

Follow Dominic del Rosario on Twitter: @_delr0sario