Adel Chermiti – Leeds Hyde Park Sports club

“Giving back to the community, helping others and giving them that opportunity”

For Adel Chermiti volunteering was something he jumped into with both feet, using his love for football as a way to help others and make a massive difference to his community.

When Adel moved to the UK 17 years ago he hadn’t had the chance to get involved with volunteering, but living in Leeds offered this opportunity and he got engaged straight away.  He “wanted to use sport to help others”. Adel began to volunteer at lots of different sports clubs and he told me how it helped “build my confidence and get engaged with others”.

But Adel took his volunteering further, and his commitment to his community is incomparable. Seeing that there wasn’t a football club in the Hyde Park area, Adel took it upon himself to offer this opportunity to local kids, walking round the park and telling excited young football fanatics that there was a new club in their area! Crucially, this is a club with no waiting lists, so everyone gets the opportunity to play.

Adel loves seeing the impact made by the club: when the teams become competitive (the clubs women’s first team won last season’s West Yorkshire league) and when the teachers and parents of the kids he coaches come back to him and tell him about the improvements they are making off the pitch as a result of the discipline and skills taught at the club. Adel’s volunteering snowballed and became a big part of his life, as he put it, “once you help 10 kids you want to help 100, that’s why we have a policy where we don’t turn people away”.

Adel was delighted to chat with me about volunteering, he sees not only the benefits within the community but the opportunities for development that volunteers get, not only an amazing thing for your CV but something that teaches you how to face challenges whilst engaging with your community.

All of Adel’s dedication to his community feeds back to his motto:

“1 vision for community, one goal for the community, one dream for the community and one family in the community”