Dario, 39, was born in Croatia – the home country of his parents – when it was part of Yugoslavia, but moved to Australia a year later when Rado played for Queensland Lions.
He followed his father’s path, becoming a player and representing Australia, before moving into coaching.
Asked about the role of football in his life, Dario added: “From a young age it was probably with dad, everything was with him. When he was playing, I was watching.
“A lot of the time I’d be on the back fields with the kids. We were in a Croatian community club, so were always together.
“We would play early in the day with the juniors and then we’d head off to wherever the first team were playing. Those are all my memories, just following dad around.
“It was something I loved to do. Mum and dad both sacrificed a lot to help me travel. I never felt like I missed out.”
For Dario, moving into coaching was “natural” and he asked to join Rado as an assistant at Melbourne City to learn the ropes.
In 2022, his father moved across to the men’s side so Dario took charge of the women’s team before joining Brighton two years later.
During his time in the WSL, he has impressed in helping Albion close the gap to the top four.
“[My dad] influenced what we’re doing and some ideas that we were working on together, even when I was his assistant [in Melbourne],” said Dario.
“I try to live day by day, try to improve myself, try to improve the team and give them as much as I possibly can.
“Now I’m enjoying it [in a different way]. I went to my son’s training this week. It was a beautiful afternoon.
“It’s a moment to disconnect even though you’re not disconnecting from football totally. Family gives that nice perspective away from the game.”
