HUMANS OF THE ISLANDS - DANIEL LEO
DANIEL LEO
PLAYER WELFARE MANAGER - PACIFIC RUGBY PLAYERS WELFARE
SAMOAN
.
Mum and Dad met in Samoa at a missionary school called Youth With A Mission (YWAM). I was born in Palmerston- NZ and throughout my childhood we moved around various Missionary bases throughout the country.
Eventually we settled in South Auckland where Mum & Dad trained missionaries of Pacific Island decent & heritage. Because of our culture and temperament, Pacific Islanders are some of the most effective missionaries in the world and it was awesome to grow up in that environment. There were games of touch in the park most evenings. I didn’t know it then but the skills I picked up then would take me a long way. Not just rugby-wise but learning to live in community with people of all backgrounds.
I went to Auckland Grammar School. Every day I would walk past the honours board with the names of all those famous international rugby players who had studied at AGS. That board allowed you to dream. But I actually struggled to make it into the second XV at school so it was a distant dream at best!
My ambition was to go into the police force. I loved rugby but was never very focussed on it and certainly never thought it’d be a career path.
Our family moved to Brisbane in 2000. I was studying and working as a security guard trying to get my experience up to join the Queensland police force. I played club rugby for Easts and then Sunnybank in the Brisbane comp and after 2 seasons I was offered a spot in the Queensland Reds Academy. I was probably as shocked as anyone.
In 2005, after 1 season as a fully-contracted Reds player Samoa came to Australia to play the Wallabies. There was an injury concern to one of the locks- Leo Lafaiali’i and Michael Jones the head coach rang me to see if I was available to cover. I joined the team and went on tour to England & Scotland later that year.
On that tour, I was spotted by English club, Wasps. Initially offered an 18 month contract, I spent 5 seasons at the club. After 4 years in France and a final 2 back in England, Im now retired and living with my wife and 2 sons just outside of London.
You're the player welfare manager for European-based Pacific players as part of Pacific Rugby Players Welfare - what inspired you to start (or join) this organisation?
Throughout my playing career I was fortunate enough to play in 2 World Cups for Samoa and had some awesome experiences along the way. But the longer I was in the setup and the more accustomed I became to professional rugby, I realised something was amiss in Samoan Rugby. Yes we were under-resourced, but much of the time management wasn’t up to scratch either. International rugby was a step down from the level many of us pro’s were used to at our clubs.
The more time passed, the more myself and other players released things weren’t going to change by themselves.
In 2015 after my retirement, myself and other senior players from the Pacific Island teams, decided to set up an independent organisation aimed at changing that narrative. Pacific Rugby Players Welfare (PRPW) was born.
Today PRPW has over 400 members- players of P.I heritage who play rugby all over the world. We support those players & their families, particularly the guys playing lower levels trying to chase the dream.
You're also producing the Oceans Apart series - can you tell us about the series & why you wanted to do this project?
Advocacy is a big part of our work, and in the past Pacific players have been criticised, even cut from the team for speaking out. It was important for us to provide a voice for them so that they didn’t have to put themselves in the firing line.
There are big issues in the game which affect the performance of Pacific teams and Tier 2 sides, things like eligibility laws and how profits are divided, utilised and accounted for. We wanted to make sure that Pacific Island players had some influence on those issues. It didn’t happen overnight, but today PRPW is one of the most influential & most respected voices on issues relating to Pacific Rugby in the sport.
As CEO of the organisation, it has been my role to ensure we are engaging with our community, pushing the issues that are most important to them, helping them adjust to living overseas while improving their working and playing conditions. Also to make sure we have the funding to be able to support our people when they are in need of it.
What has been your biggest challenge & also the most rewarding moment of your journey?
Having been in the role for 5 years now, I can say its been both difficult but rewarding. The P.I rugby community is spread all over the world which makes it a huge challenge. Many of our players and families are living in substandard conditions and we continue to fight for some sort of minimum wage to be introduced to rugby globally.
There have been many success stories along the way though. Being able to help a player receive a life-saving kidney transplant, and helping ex-players battle through unemployment and depression- you can’t put a price on that and I am blessed to be a part of those wonderful peoples journeys.
What do you love about being a Pacific Islander today?
The resilience I see in our community everyday is what makes me proudest to be a Pacific Islander. Some of the people I work with really have it tough- whether its facing serious injury, financial pressure due to the loss of a contract, the harsh European winters and distance from their loved ones, or not being able to speak the language… hundreds of us are in this situation but always turn up to the rugby clubs with a smile on our faces and love for other people. And more often than not- we are the brightest stars on the field. Rugby is lucky to have us!
.
Dan and the Pacific Rugby Players Welfare are also helping to raise funds in Europe for those affected by the measles epidemic in Samoa.
The link to the JustGiving page is here for those living in UK/Europe who would like to donate