Cam Rodriguez’s first game for Lord’s Football Academy Kochi in the 2022-2023 Hero Indian Women’s League could not have gone any better.
Just two days after she landed in India, the former UAAP standout scored a hat-trick with goals in the 53rd, 62nd, and 90+3 minutes to lead her new side to a resounding 4-0 win against Celtic Queens.
Rodriguez was awarded the Player of the Match award for her efforts. The recognition came with a performance bonus of ₹15,000, which amounts to roughly ₱10,000. Not bad for her first official match with her club.
“I believe it was because I was put in a good position to score and attack by my coach,” said the 2022 AFF Women’s Championship gold medalist. “We adjusted our tactics at halftime to be at a better advantage in numbers during the attack.
“My teammates also worked hard to defend and bring the ball up. It helped a lot that the team staff and my teammates have been very supportive and warm to me too. This made me want to contribute more to the team,” she added.
“On a personal level, I focused on building my good moments and playing to my strengths in attack. Even when I scored my first goal, my focus was on the next play, trying to score again, giving my teammates good passes, and supporting them. I built on the good habits I know I have, and thankfully I contributed three goals to my team.”
Lord’s FA Kochi is a club based in Kerala, India. It is a new side in the IWL. It qualified for the top-flight league by winning the 2022 Kerala Women’s League by beating the 2022 IWL winners Gokulam Kerala FC in the final.
Rodriguez always had ambitions to play professional football abroad. After much perseverance and discernment, all roads led her to India for the time being as she signed a short-term contract with Lord’s FA Kochi until the end of the league.
“I’ve been wanting to be a professional footballer for a while now. It was the next progression in my football career, especially after we qualified for the FIFA World Cup,” said the 31st Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist.
“In the past six months, I reached out to multiple agents and agencies to gauge their interest in working together. Somehow, everything aligned a few weeks ago. I reconnected with an agent, and a couple of days after, he helped me secure this playing opportunity in India. I am working with Marcos Ruano of Wingmen Sports.”
Adjusting to working in a new organization is always difficult. There are standards to uphold and people to connect with. Everything else becomes harder when one moves to a different country and must adapt to its culture, language, and customs.
While it is still early days, Rodriguez is hopeful that the warm welcome afforded to her is a sign of things to come. There will be more matches to come, and a positive atmosphere will no doubt help her achieve her objectives with Lord’s FA Kochi.
“From day one, the staff and my teammates have been friendly and supportive of me. I’m lucky to be in a good environment where people believe in me and what I can do. They were all very happy for me at the end of the match and gave me a very big group hug,” she said.
“I want more girls like me from back home to know that a professional football career is possible should they choose it. With persistence, courage, and hard work, it is possible.
“I want to help my club reach new heights. I have a wealth of experience behind me and values that can help the team win. I want to give back their same level of commitment and trust in me,” she added.
Rodriguez’s intervention allowed Lord’s FA Kochi to lead Group B of the IWL with three points and a superior goal difference of +4. Despite her incredible debut, she is not letting herself get carried away.
She and her teammates from Lord’s FA Kochi will look to build up momentum by getting a positive result against Sethu FC in Madurai.
“I would like to keep being positive on the ball and continue my scoring form in the next match. We are encouraged to do this as a team and I am looking forward to playing on Sunday,” she said.
“Our next game is on April 30, 4:30 p.m. local time, 7:00 p.m. Philippine time. I’m happy that it will be livestreamed! Anyone who wants to support me and Lord’s FA can visit the Indian Football YouTube channel during game time and the link will be posted there.”
