No ‘me’ in Thai team, but there is a Dee

By Chris McAsey

Making the transition to Australian football can be challenging for athletes who have specialised in one sport, particularly if that sport prioritises elite skills in one area.

Perhaps that’s why Thai multi-sport athlete Dee Makris looks like such a natural on the footy field. Dee did most of her schooling in America, where her parents encouraged her to try out different sports.

‘I grew up playing everything,’ she says. ‘I played basketball, soccer, volleyball – whatever my parents could get me out of the house to do, basically!’

‘I’m a big believer now that younger players shouldn’t specialise early. I think playing multiple sports really helped me because you develop a range of skills and you’re able to adapt quicker.’

Dee’s kicking, overhead marking, ball handling and ability to break tackles made her a standout on field at the Asia Cup in Vietnam and Asian Championships in Thailand. She was selected in the All Asian team after both competitions.

Not a bad record for someone who only took the sport up two years ago, when a co-worker invited her to join training at the Thailand Tigers.

‘I had no idea what I was doing or what the rules were,’ Dee says. ‘That was just before the Indochina Cup, maybe two years ago.’

‘But leading up to the Asia Cup last year, we started to understand more about the rules and team structure.’

An emphasis on team play and physicality are the aspects of footy that appeal most to Dee.

‘The more I start to understand how, as a team, the sport is supposed to work, it’s a lot of fun,’ she says.

‘We were the underdogs in the Asia Cup after losing the first match against Cambodia, but we really came together as a team in the final.’

’It also combines things I think I’m pretty good at. The kicking and marking and for me, the physicality is really fun, a little bit more so than soccer.’

Dee is grateful to her mother for making sure she kept in touch with her Thai background while she was in school.

‘Every summer I came to Thailand,’ she says. ‘My mum wanted to make sure I knew my Thai family and understood the culture and my Thai roots.’

‘That’s what I’m really thankful for.’