HAFH: Makedonia

Football in Australia was built by the communities who brought the game with them. They carried their clubs, their colours and their stories halfway around the world, and made a home for them here. Home Away From Home is Umbro Australia's series celebrating those communities, and the bond between football, family and heritage that still shapes the game today. The next chapter belongs to Macedonian Australia.

Tom and Maja Markovski, father and daughter.

For HAFH: Makedonia, we turned the camera on the Markovski family, a name stitched into the history of Australian football. At the heart of it is a father and daughter: NSL hero Tom, and Maja. The generation that made the name, and the generation carrying it.

Parked alongside them is the only Zastava Yugo ever delivered to Australia, a one-of-one prototype shipped to Melbourne in 1987 that's now one of the rarest cars in the country. It's a little piece of Eastern Europe that made the trip and never left, and a perfect fit for HAFH: Makedonia. Thanks to its owner, Danijel, for bringing it along.

The Makedonia jersey takes its cues from the red and yellow of the Macedonian flag, set against an off-white base with a tonal pattern inspired by traditional Macedonian rugs. Red and yellow trims the collar and cuffs, a lion sits at the heart of the crest and MAKEDONIA runs across the front, finished with a Home Away From Home Collection badge on the sleeve.

HAFH: Makedonia is also a campaign within a campaign. We followed football photographer Aleks as he did what he does best: shooting heroes of the game who just happen to be Macedonian.

Aleks, in front of the camera this time.

For many Macedonian Australians, football has always been more than a game. It's where family gathers, where tradition is kept alive, and where a piece of home comes with you wherever you go. HAFH: Makedonia is for the ones who made the name, and for everyone still carrying it.

Tom, through Aleks's lens.

Maja, through Aleks's lens.

The Makedonia jersey is available now online, as part of Umbro's Home Away From Home collection.