We all bleed crimson, but Josh Dimit and the generations before him may have more red running through their veins than most.
Undoubtedly they are Shepparton Soccer Club personified.
Josh, 20, is the fourth generation of Dimit to suit up for the Reds after his dad Michael, grandfather Chris and great-grandfather George.
The latest Dimit to wear the badge has staked his claim to be the greatest, winning the Bendigo Amateur Soccer League division two best-and-fairest and top goal-scorer gongs.
He also helped the Reds gain promotion by winning the minor premiership.
It was a season soaked with personal accolades for Dimit, but the most precious achievement was aiding his beloved Shepparton back to the promised land.
“I’ve had a lot of history with the club, it’s a Macedonian club, so I felt the responsibility to get them back to where they were,” Dimit said.
“I know when Suns came around a lot of our players moved over there.
“We had a lot of quality players that moved up like Brandon (Giaccherini), even James Nieuwenhuizen; a lot of the Suns players that are there now were from us.
“COVID hit and we had to pull out of all the seniors ― but we’re coming back up now, hopefully we can do a lot in div one with some new players.”
Dimit is an anomaly in an ageing Reds squad.
While most in the side have 10, 20, even 30 years of experience playing senior football, Shepparton’s main goal threat is a young bull amongst older cattle.
Not that it’s a bad thing.
“I’m kind of used to the boys and that dynamic,” Dimit said.
“I’ve always been pushed up a level since I was young. I didn’t really think too much about it.
“We had a very experienced squad with players like Johnny Davkovski and Donny Stojanovski, they’re in their 40s and everyone else is pretty much 30.
“We came into it with the right mentality, the coach drilled into us every game that we can’t underestimate any team.
“So if it’s the bottom we have to put up the same fight and every game was a do-or-die game.”
Many of Dimit’s teammates in 2023 shared the pitch with him during his breakout year of senior football four years ago.
He found it challenging adjusting to match pace and “getting into game mode” in 2019, but the older Reds settled him in just fine.
Then, it was about readying the green talent for war.
Now, it is about priming him for success ― and there was no shortage of helping hands.
Dimit credited fellow attacker Dhiya Al Mugotir for providing assists and surrendering penalty duties to allow him to reach his 24-goal target.
He also thanked Troy Kennedy for his wisdom in helping him win all there is to win in division two.
After all, we may not see Dimit in a red shirt next season.
“I’m definitely excited for the club, but I don’t know if I’ll be playing,” he said.
“If I can make myself available, since I’ve got uni, we’ll see what happens.”
Dimit is studying aviation at RMIT University at Point Cook, meaning the ferrying to and from Melbourne, Bendigo and Shepparton may be a tough ask.
However, his goal was always to reach great heights.
Whether in the figurative sense on the football pitch or the literal sense as a pilot, the 20-year-old is angling towards the latter with adult life taking hold.
“I’ve always had the dream of either being a soccer player or a pilot,” he said.
“I’m keeping them both open I guess, but I’m pushing more so to be a pilot.”
While his flight path has changed and Shepparton Soccer Club may not be the destination, Dimit can sign off knowing he’s given his all for the Reds.
Bar a stint at Goulburn Valley Suns in 2021, the versatile Red has been a loyal servant much like the Dimits to come before him.
For more than half-a-century, his older kin represented the badge proudly, with great-grandfather George playing for the club when it was known as Lemnos.
His son followed suit, of course.
And it was here, watching Chris, that Josh first saw the mighty Reds in action, and from that moment on he knew it was the club for him.
Dimit has forged countless memories with the Shepparton crest over his heart in the years since.
Consecutive grand final wins in the Goulburn North East Football Association rank highest for the rusted-on Red, beating Shepparton South back-to-back in 2015 and 2016.
Dimit scored in both and felt especially touched in the 2016 decider as he slotted the winning goal, wheeling away alongside his teammates to share the moment with his grandfather in the stands.
However, with the highs come the lows.
Dimit recalled a shaky start to the recent season where Shepparton lost 6-1 to Golden City. The goalkeeper didn’t even turn up.
It caused a temporary fissure among the playing group, but soon the side banded together and the Reds went on a 14-game unbeaten streak to win the minor premiership and secure division one football for the first time since 2019.
So, whether Dimit laces up next season or buries his nose in the books instead, one thing is clear ― he has done the family name proud and carried the torch of tradition excellently.