Kiara De Domizio takes us through her journey from her first kick at Bankstown Sports to training alongside Matildas at Sydney Olympic, signing her first professional contract with Western United, and earning a reputation as the "clutch queen" in the A-League Women.
In this episode of From First Touch to First Team, host Jan Schmidt sits down with the 24-year-old Australian winger and the show's first female guest. Kiara talks about growing up in an Italian-Australian family with no football background, idolising Cristiano Ronaldo, and playing in all-boys teams until she joined Bankstown City Lions at 13.
We move through her climb up the NPL Women's ladder at Inter Lions, MacArthur Rams, Sutherland Sharks, and five seasons at Sydney Olympic alongside Matildas internationals including Courtney Vine, Jada Wyman, Teresa Polias, and Courtney Nevin. Kiara is candid about the Sydney FC preseason chances under Ante Juric, how COVID delayed her breakthrough, the Mark Torcaso call that took her to Western United, and the FaceTime that delivered her first professional contract in the A-League Women's.
She opens up about what changes when football becomes your job, the reality that almost every female pro in Australia juggles a second job, and where the women's game is heading.
In this episode
- Growing up in an Italian-Australian family with no football background
- Idolising Cristiano Ronaldo and trying his step overs in the backyard
- Playing in all-boys teams until 13 and joining Bankstown City Lions
- The NPL Women's ladder through Inter Lions, MacArthur Rams, Sutherland Sharks, and Sydney Olympic
- Training alongside Matildas at Sydney Olympic including Courtney Vine, Jada Wyman, Teresa Polias, and Courtney Nevin
- Sydney FC preseason training under Ante Juric and how COVID delayed her breakthrough
- The Mark Torcaso call that took her to Western United
- The trial match and the FaceTime that signed her first professional contract
- Why almost every female pro in Australia juggles a second job
- Her advice for NPL Women's players when A-League stars come back