TheScore : Meet the Team – Daniel Rouse

Who are you and what do you do here at theScore?
My name is Daniel, I write on soccer. Basically, we break news quicker than anybody else and write unique features - something as light hearted as a witty listicle to something very in depth, such as looking at tactics, out-of-the-ordinary stories from around the world and stuff like that. We're trying to bring as much variety and intrigue to the user as possible. There's a lot of creative freedom.

Describe the culture of theScore in one word.
Inspiring. We have a lot of very talented, enthusiastic people here and it's infectious. You can bounce ideas off each other and also really further yourself by hearing peoples' ambitions and achievements. It's a place where you can't stay still and I love that.

Describe the relationship you have with your team.
We're a close unit. There are friendships across sports and departments, but the soccer team is very tight. We know each other very well. We go out for pints and sporting events together. I even stayed in Ecuador with my colleague Carlo's family. I look forward to coming to work.

What's something that the general public doesn't know about theScore?
Everything that users want is how we operate. We operate around their needs. We try and give them something different every single time. When we send alerts out, sometimes that goes through as many as four people to make sure it sounds good and gives them what they want in a succinct manner. That's how much consideration goes into the user. We just want to make that experience as fun and to the point as possible.

What's the best part of working downtown Toronto?
I love it. I live probably about an hours walk away and I do it here and back every single day. Just walking through downtown is fantastic; you see something new on every stroll. There are few cities where you have so many professional sports on your doorstep as well. It's absolutely perfect.

What sparked your interest in soccer?
I was born into it. I played rugby a little bit as a kid, but it was always soccer. Everyone in my family loves it. We all support Man City. I still have a season ticket at Manchester City. I've been really lucky to meet most of the athletes I really admire. My dad and my uncle would go to the pub and I'd stay in the car park and wait for the players.

Motto or personal mantra.
'You don't win and lose, you win and learn.' I really enjoy learning things. Quite often the best lessons come from the most difficult situations.

Which Toronto teams do you follow?
My favorite one to go to is Toronto Wolfpack, the rugby league team. I really like watching Toronto Maple Leaf baseball at Christie Pits Park, as well. The professional team I've seen the most are the Blue Jays. I do love baseball. It's developed into my second favorite sport since moving here in 2011.

One thing on your bucket list, you have yet to achieve.|
Writing a book. I want to write a few books. Probably non-fiction, starting with sport and branch into travel.

Hidden talent?
I became a qualified scuba diver when I was 10. On my 11 birthday I passed as an open water diver. The next day the age got moved to 12, so I think I might have been the youngest in the world to be an open water diver - at least I'll claim it.

What do you see for the next few years with the team and the company?|
Growth. Personally, on the soccer team we have the World Cup. We're building up to that, trying to get the readers every angle possible. Hopefully, more development for theScore and on a personal level. I can still improve, and this is a really good environment to do so.

Want to join theScore team? Check out the latest opportunities here!

Zach was speaking to Liana Timbol.

Photo by James Bigg