Rodgers, who is leading the visiting English Premier League team during its pre-season tour, is forever indebted to Australia after a life-changing event in Perth some years ago.

Rodgers’ daughter Mischa, 17, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was four.

Her diagnosis occurred while the family visited Perth to attend a relative’s wedding about 13 years ago.

Rodgers said he wasn't aware of the drastic change the disease would make to Mischa’s life.

"We never really knew anything about Type 1 diabetes," Rodgers said.

"We knew of diabetes but never understood the impact it makes on your life - we never knew how serious Type 1 diabetes was."

Rodgers met with Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) representatives this week to share information about the disease.

The JDRF is a non-profit organisation that aims to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes and its complications, supporting research efforts.

Rodgers said it was a frightening time in his family's life when Mischa was diagnosed, but the awareness it gave him was invaluable.

"It scares you at the beginning but you're mindful that you've got to get your head around what's best for your child," Rodgers said.

"The whole process has given us a real awareness and now working in sport, I meet people who've got diabetes and I'm much more aware of it and what they're going through."

Rodgers' daughter has five injections a day and follows a strict routine, which includes eating at specific times of the day.

He said Mischa’s resolve and management of the autoimmune disease had blown him away.  

"Mischa manages herself very well and has incredible depth of knowledge on the subject," Rodgers said.

"She never gets bored, never gets lazy and understands the importance of learning more about her condition because it is a part of her life."

More than 120,000 Australians have Type 1 diabetes, with six new cases diagnosed every day. It is the nation’s leading cause of chronic kidney disease.

This article first appeared in the Herald Sun