Aiming For The Top

Elias Pito, Australia

Elias Pito was born in Syria, and moved to Australia as a refugee in 2015. He tells us his story of adapting to life in Australia, overcoming adversity and his dreams of making it as a professional footballer.

Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your football life?

My name is Elias Pito, I was born in Syria on January 1st 2008, and I lived there until I was five years old. The situation there was terrible, so my family decided that we needed to flee to a better place. We went to Lebanon and from there we came to Australia in May 2015. I started going to primary school that year at Our Lady’s Primary School and in 2016 I joined Upfield Soccer Club.

I have been playing football for as long as I can remember. As a kid I had a lot of talent, but I never realised I could do something with my football. I used to play it just for fun without any responsibilities or goals. When I turned 14, I was invited to trial with Melbourne Victory’s Academy to play for their U14 team. At the time I did not realise how big an opportunity it was because I played football just for fun. I tried my best to make it, but unfortunately I was unsuccessful.

A month later I was invited to trial for the Talent Identification and Development Centre (TIDC), a programme run by Football Victoria. I remember thinking ‘I have to make it’ because I failed once, and I did not want to fail again. This time I succeeded.

But then in May 2022, I fractured my left ankle. Thankfully the doctor said I would still be able to play after I recovered, but it took me out of the game for the rest of the season and I could not walk or anything. It felt like I had no life anymore. I live for football, it is the only thing I love, and it was taken away from me.

I had a lot of time because I could not do anything, so I set my mind on how I could get better. After I completed rehab on my ankle, I was told I could start playing again. I now work towards my dream every day and I do not care about anything else. For me every day is an opportunity to get better.

What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning?

Most of the photos include my family and friends, the people who I play football with, and were mostly taken on the football pitch or at home with my family.

I wanted to show that my life is based around football. Everything I do on and off the pitch is just to help my career. They are very simple photos but they demonstrate my purpose in life.

My happiest moments are when I get to play football with the people that I love every day, for example my cousin Tomas. He was born in Syria, we grew up playing football together. It brought us plenty of joy, but he also had to flee the country due to war. He and his family fled to Iraq which was a pathway for them to get to Australia.

Once he got to Australia in 2014, he also joined Our Lady’s Primary School and later on in 2016 joined Upfield Soccer Club. We share a very similar story which revolves around football. I feel very close to him knowing we went through the same things growing up and the fact that we both love the beautiful game.

What does football mean to you?

I remember in Syria I used to play a lot of football with my dad. We would play anywhere as long as we had a ball. Since I was a small kid, my dad knew that I had talent. I never really thought anything of it because I was very young, I just enjoyed it a lot. However, I now understand that I can create something amazing with my talent, but it requires a lot of hard work.

I am willing to put in the time and effort into this sport because it is very important to me. Everyone is always searching for their purpose in life, and I feel in my lifetime I need to become successful in what I love doing and that is playing football. So, football is very important to me and my community to keep moving forward and aim for the highest level of success.

How do you find playing football in Australia and with the Australian people?

In my time playing football in Australia, I have realised that the reason the sport is so beautiful is because it brings the whole world together. Australia is a very diverse country and I have played with a lot of different people that come from all around the world, and obviously some of these people are Australian people. I love them, they are so enthusiastic and down to earth. They enjoy the game just like the rest of us. Even though AFL is the main sport in Australia, there are a lot of Aussies that love playing football and they are really good too.

What ambitions do you have for the future?

My dream is to become a professional footballer, to reach the highest level that I can achieve, and to be able to make a living doing what I love. My main aim as a professional footballer would be to play for the Australian national team (The Socceroos) in a FIFA World Cup. To score a goal and celebrate in front of the fans would be a moment that I would never forget. Once again, I will work extremely hard every day to make my dreams and ambitions come true. One day I will be able to say, I made it.