The art, skill, and dedication to play a sport for one's career are life-long commitments, and for Head Coach of the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men's soccer team Filip (Fil) Prostran, he never imagined how much the sport would bring him. 

The 40-year-old Prostran has racked up many achievements and collected some great memories and moments along the way, but it all began unexpectedly for his family. 

Prostran comes from a Serbian family who immigrated from Croatia to Canada 45 years ago. When Prostran was only three months old, his father suddenly passed in his sleep, and for a family new to the country, this was unexpected, as they had to navigate through the grief in a completely new environment.

"My mom is a big inspiration in my life. I look up to her, having to go through that, not knowing the language, not having a job, losing your partner. Whenever I think of any challenges or struggles I have in my life, I just think about what she went through and have some perspective there," said Prostran. 

Prostran grew up in Oakville, Ont., with his mother, older brother Alex, and stepdad.

"There's an expression in Serbian that goes; if everything goes right in your life, kids will bury their parents if everything goes right. It was a really tough time, and he was a great figure in our community, it's sad. I never got to meet him either," said Prostran.

His brother also played soccer which led his mom to sign him up for a house league soccer team. From then on, there was no turning back; he had fallen completely in love with the sport.



His entire family has always had an appreciation for the sport, as it is rooted in Serbian culture. Prostran was surrounded by older brothers and cousins who shared the same interests. 

"I really identified as a younger brother my whole life, even now I'm 40 and I have kids, and I always think of myself when I'm in my family circles … I'm always that kid, always the youngest of that generation, so I'm a little brother at heart, for sure," said Prostran. 

Being the youngest, he continued to follow in their footsteps as he worked his way up through teams in Ontario, playing his best until he was around 15 when things started to change. 

I kind of fell behind the groove. I turned into a decent player, but for whatever reason, I wasn't excellent," said Prostran. 

It wasn't until a referee who worked at the sports club that Prostran worked and played in, made a phone call that changed everything, and made him realize that maybe Oakville wasn't the team for him.

"He calls this guy, Bob Graham from Woodbridge, and says, 'Hey, I've got a player for you.' Bob replies, 'I'm not interested, I've got my team.' But he insists, 'No, no, he's really good—you want him on your team.' Bob repeats, 'No, no, I have enough players.' Then he says the words that changed the course of soccer for me: 'He's Igor Prostran's cousin.' And just like that, the coach said, 'I'll take him.'"

Igor Prostran is a former professional player who now manages Serbian football.

Graham had run into the Prostran name before when he passed on Fils's cousin earlier due to his team being full, but he didn't realize the talent he had been missing out on. 

"My cousin Igor then went to the rival team of that Oakville team, Oakville winstars, and won the national title. He was the best player in the country, and Coach Bob always regretted not taking in how amazing he was," said Prostran. 

The referee's call had become pivotal in Prostran's life, as he went on to play a few years under coach Graham in Woodbridge until it was time to decide where he'd go for his university career. 

Prostran took a year off after high school to continue playing and work on his grades before applying for a school specifically in the United States. At every game, coaches would always come around, scouting for new players to add to their rosters, and eventually one piqued interest in Prostran. 

Prostran played this game as a winger despite being a centre midfielder since the recruiter was looking for a winger. As he walked over to him after, the coach was not at all what he imagined, dressed in track pants, a plaid shirt and Doc Martens.

"He had a piece of paper, a broken pencil, and a very simple coaching style. He said, 'Hey, nice to meet you. Graceland University—what you see is what you get.' I started talking to him, and that person was Dr. Ivan Joseph."

Dr. Joseph became an important person in his career later, but first, Prostran headed over to a tiny school in Southern Iowa surrounded by cornfields to play the sport he had been training for his entire life.

Prostran recalled the many memories and friends that he made during his time there, but 2006 was an especially memorable year for him as they extended their run to the national tournament. He talks about his experience in the audio clip below.

After his university career, he headed to Europe where he played professionally for a couple of teams in Serbia, Malaysia and Ireland, all of which he found to be surprising and an immersive way to experience new cultures. The big soccer culture in Ireland drew him in the most, making it his favourite international destination that he played in.

He was especially appreciative of his time back home in Serbia, as he got the chance to see family and friends, learn more about the culture, and most importantly, spend time with his Grandfather on his dad's side of the family. 

"During that time, I lived with him, so I got to connect with him for about a year before he passed. That was a unique experience and out of all the things I did in soccer in Serbia, the thing I'm most grateful for is the time because I wouldn't have gotten that otherwise."

Ivan Joseph wasn't only a great coach to Prostran at university, but since he was the Director of Athletics at Ryerson University, he decided to bring in Prostran as an assistant coach to the men's soccer team.

"I wasn't getting paid much in my first couple of years, It was like $500 here, $1000 there. I was paying for everything, just volunteering, but it's something I really wanted to do, and I loved it, so I just started hanging around the team and coaching and one thing led to another."

Prostran began as an assistant coach in 2013 and was given the head coach position in 2015, and the rest is history. The Bold has qualified for playoffs for all nine seasons under his coaching, has claimed a bronze and silver OUA medal and recorded many achievements throughout the years.

Coaching at TMU hasn't just been rewarding on the field, but in many other ways as well. Many years ago, Dan Berger, the Manager at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, set up a co-ed soccer team that included coaches, alumni and staff, but like any team, sometimes a sub is needed. 

"Her name was Hilda, and she started playing and she was an incredible player. She played at Seneca and was in the Seneca Hall of Fame… And she only played with us once then we didn't see her," said Prostran. 

Right around the time for the finals, the co-ed team was down a player and Prostran set out to recruit the talented Hilda to join them for one last match. 

"She comes to this final after we beg her after I beg her to come. What happens five minutes into the game? She tears her ACL…long story short… that's the girl I married."

After spending hours on hours together after her injury, it was clear that their meeting was destined to happen. Years later they have two beautiful boys, a three-year-old and a one-year-old, and are now expecting their third child later this year. 

"When we first met as a couple that was getting to know each other, we were joking around about kids' names and she said the name Milan... And I said, that's incredible that you say that, because my father, who passed his name, was Milan…and she had no idea my father had passed that time or that was his name. It's just a name she always wanted and It was an amazing coincidence that we named our first son, Milan."

Their second child is named Matteo, and now this family will prepare for their third child, which isn't an easy task for any parent. Prostran and Hilda are always on the move, taking care of their children, going to every doctor's appointment, and working.

"It is by far the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. The hardest thing is you go from spending all this time with your wife like Hilda. I love Hilda…now it's hard to even talk to each other…we get one hour a night together and we watch Gilmore Girls or Grey's Anatomy," Prostan explained. 

Despite the runny noses, busy schedules, and long days, Prostran loves being a father and husband, feeling truly blessed.

"On Father's Day, I just found myself driving from practice or a game and I had a three-year-old and a one-year-old…I just remembered this was the same situation my dad was in, and then he passed. Imagine leaving my wife with two kids, it just really hit me," said Prostran. 

Prostran has always tried to lead by example, especially on the field, and he continues to relate to his experiences and be himself in front of his players. 

He's even gotten the opportunity to travel to Columbia to watch the Atlético Nacional team for a few weeks thanks to their head coach who had tried out for Prostran. To make this experience even better, Prostran tried something he had never done before at the age of 32.

"I had never tried a cup of coffee, not one sip. During my last couple of days there, that coach found out through his daughter that I never tried it, and he said  "Hey, up on that mountain is my favourite coffee place in MedellÍn, will you have your first cup of coffee with me? So I thought, sure, there's no better time than in Colombia in MedellÍn," said Prostran.

Throughout all of his time abroad, and facing new adventures and adversity, he has found his calling as a coach. 

"The thing I've learned the most is whatever knowledge you have, whatever experience you have, just be that. I've been the head coach for 10 years, that's where I need to be. I need to be a guy who's learned quite a bit, been to Nationals, been ranked, had successes, had some tough failures, had some good games, had some tough ones. I need to be that coach." he explained.

He has always hoped to make the field a comfortable and inviting place for his players to be, and regardless of the pay or the hours on the job, he has enjoyed all the moments in games and practices, the good and the bad. 

"I always say when we're warming up and kicking a ball around. If I see someone in the dumps or just going through the motions, I would say this should be your favourite two hours of the day, if it isn't you're in the wrong place, that's how I approach it and that's kind of my philosophy," said Prostran. 

Moving forward, Prostran has his hands full as he's coaching three teams in the offseason, alongside raising a family, but he wouldn't have it any other way. 

"I have such a passion for it; I wake up thinking about it, and because it's not the pros, I'm the GM, the recruiting guy, the tour guy—I get to choose the players and coach them. It's so much more hands-on, and it's unique in that respect that I get to do so much."