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For a lot of refugees, sport performs a key function when adjusting to a brand new life in Australia.
Key factors:
- Eisa Azizi began taking part in soccer when he was seven in Iran and solely grew to become a futsal goalie 5 years in the past in his new dwelling, Hobart
- He was chosen to symbolize Australia on the Futsal World Championship in Barcelona
- The 19-year-old went on to win the Golden Glove for finest goalkeeper of the match
That is confirmed all too true for one teenager who arrived from Iran six years in the past unable to talk English however with a love of soccer.
In that brief time, Eisa Azizi’s expertise has turned heads from Tasmania to Barcelona.
“I used to play soccer on the road, I began taking part in soccer once I was seven,” he mentioned.
“I got here right here in 2016 and I began taking part in futsal right here.”
Eisa began out as a striker and solely started taking up the reins as goalie after arriving in Hobart when his brother Mokhfr requested him to play for his crew.
“He was saying ‘no I can not maintain it, I can not make it, I am scared to face in entrance of the ball’,” Mokhfr mentioned.
“Then we informed him to ‘keep, that is okay, when you’re scared, second time you are scared, after which you’re going to get it, you’re going to get used to it, you’ll grow to be higher’.
“He grew to become a lot, a lot better after two weeks, three weeks.
“One factor I’ve present in him, it was that he is very, very courageous.”
It did not take lengthy for the youthful brother to show the tables.
“A few years in the past I used to be a lot better than him, however for the time being as soon as he performed for the opposite groups and as soon as, he performed towards us, it’s totally exhausting for us to make a purpose,” Mokhfr mentioned.
“He makes me nervous once I go in entrance of the goalkeeper.”
Eisa’s abilities as a goalkeeper grew over time when he performed domestically with pals within the Afghanistan crew.
Hungry to take his recreation to the following degree, he sought a possibility with Futsal Tasmania.
“He got here via an e mail that he was eager to get entangled with the rep groups and so we received him onto the primary couple of coaching classes and yeah, he hasn’t stopped,” mentioned state growth coach Romeo Frediani.
“After I first noticed him, he was fairly uncooked, however he is gained a whole lot of expertise in such a brief period of time and he is improved heaps.
“He is like a sponge, so he’ll choose up the whole lot which you can educate him.”
Eisa’s dedication to the game exhibits, taking part in 4 video games on a Sunday, and coaching each second day to hone his expertise.
“I used to coach independently right here with my mate,” he mentioned.
Eisa shortly developed and was chosen to play at Futsal Australia’s nationwide match in Queensland final yr.
After turning heads there, he was chosen to play for Australia on the Futsal World Championship at Barcelona in September.
“I used to be actually pleased, once they first referred to as me and mentioned, ‘you’ve got been chosen to symbolize Australia’,” mentioned Eisa.
“The coach was from Queensland, so he had a couple of gamers in Queensland, so he was coaching with them however I used to be the one one from Tassie.”
Australia discovered success in Barcelona, profitable the Beneath 21 Division and coming third within the Open Division.
The 19-year-old made his mark on the world stage, being named the match’s finest goalkeeper.
“After I went to Spain, I used to be considering of profitable one thing to convey dwelling to Australia. Once they referred to as my identify to get the Golden Glove I used to be shocked.”
Sport linking outdated life with new
Whereas Eisa’s futsal achievements are outstanding, they’re much more spectacular towards his private backdrop as a refugee.
The Azizi household fled from war-torn Afghanistan to Iran round 30 years in the past and made it to Australia simply six years in the past together with his mom and 4 siblings.
Now soccer is linking Eisa’s outdated life with the brand new.
“In Iran he was taking part in within the streets. His future in futsal wasn’t fairly good, however in Australia it is a lot lighter,” mentioned his mom Hanifa.
Requested about how she felt watching her son play, she smiled.
“I used to be so pleased to see him going up step-by-step. I need that Eisa turns into the most effective goalkeeper in futsal,” she mentioned.
“If Eisa is being with the opposite folks with the totally different nations, I feel he’s going to develop up extra.”
With Eisa’s futsal journey solely simply starting there are excessive hopes for a younger man in a brand new land.
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