Image: Mark Avellino
Evan Karavitis is a footballer who has experienced the highs and lows of football. For Karavitis, the journey came to an end this year, but it has definitely been a wild ride.
From as young as four years old, Evan had one thing on his mind, and that was football. Growing up in a family of Greek heritage, the footballing roots were strong for the Karavitis family. He explains how he fell in love with the game from a very young age and how his brother John also had an influence on him beginning his footballing career.
“I was watching my brother play and I basically just said to my dad, I want to have a go at this game,” he says.
“I was four years old at the time, I wasn’t the best player at the beginning, but my love for the game grew and that improved me as a player tremendously.”
Karavitis began his footballing career at Brunswick City Leonidas and also ended it there. Brunswick is a club that he holds very close to his heart and he is thankful for the many years he spent playing there.
At Brunswick City, Karavitis was a standout player in the junior system and was constantly testing himself in the older age groups. He then moved to Thomastown Devils, where he was identified to play for the state team.
Through the state program he excelled and won a Weinstein Medal for best NTC player, and was later chosen to represent Australia at national youth level in the under-16 and under-17 teams. He worked under the guidance of current Australia manager Ange Postecoglou, taking away a lot from such experiences that don’t come around every day.
“Playing for Australia showed me how hard you have to work to become a professional footballer. People don’t realise how much hard work it takes to make it professionally,” he says.
“I never ended up playing professional football, and with the amount of work I put in, I probably thought it was enough. That was the biggest thing I took away from being involved in a setup like that – it takes a lot of hard work.
“The message for young kids out there who have aspirations of making it: it takes a lot of hard work.”
During Karavitis’s time with the Australian youth setup, the dynamic midfielder sparked interest from English Premier League powerhouse Everton. The Merseyside club invited him for a two-week trial.
“The technical director of Football Federation Victoria approached me and my dad, he told us that he had a scout that wanted to speak to me.
“Ray Hall was the youth football director at Everton, once we found out they were interested the feeling was very surreal.
“You don’t really believe it at first, but then we sat down and actually met Ray, he was a really nice man and offered me a spot in the youth setup.”
Karavitis was one of Australia’s biggest prospects, but turned down the offer on the advice of Postecoglou and at the age of 18 signed with South Melbourne. Although still a teenager, his move to South Melbourne came with great expectations.
“When I joined South Melbourne, obviously there was a huge expectation on me because of what I had achieved. I think not only being able to play with really good players, but good people also really matured me as a player.
“I got to play with the likes of Paul Trimboli, Dean Anastasiadis and Vaughan Coveny – they were some of the big names you could say. They taught me how to be a good person in football, they were the right mentors to have as a player.”
Karavitis also went on to play for the likes of Richmond SC, Fawkner Blues, Western Suburbs and Pascoe Vale in the National Premier Leagues, and ended his career back at Brunswick City this year.
The 29-year-old believes the future holds good things for his boyhood club – a club where former juniors George Mells and Theo Markelis also had high-profile youth careers overseas – which has improved drastically under senior coach George Karkaletsis this season.
“From the last two to three seasons, Brunswick as a club was really underachieving. It’s a club that should never have been in that position after its great history in the state leagues.
“George has come back and the club has done extremely well. They have exceeded expectations this year. Before the season we sat down as a leadership group and set realistic goals that would improve the club from a senior perspective.
“I know George really well and I know he’d be looking to do even better next year, that’s the type of person he is. He has the backing of the club and it’s only up from here.”
Karavitis is a player who went from the local football ground in Brunswick to a Australian national youth setup. Having worked under the likes of Ange Postecoglou and Ernie Merrick, and being offered a youth contract at Everton and playing alongside NSL greats such as Paul Trimboli and Dean Anastasiadis, he can take fond memories from the sport after hanging his boots.