Ahmed: My Journey With Premier League Kicks
- Ahmed began attending Premier League Kicks as a participant in 2017
- Leicester City in the Community coaches have supported him to develop his coaching skills
- He now volunteers at the weekly Premier League Kicks session at St. Matthews Cruyff Court
- Premier League Kicks offers free football sessions for those aged eight to 18-year-olds
Funded by the Premier League Charitable Fund, Premier League Kicks aims to help young people like Ahmed develop interpersonal skills by using the power of football. Attending his first session with his older brother at Moat Community College in 2017, Ahmed is still taking part five years later, now at St. Matthews Cruyff Court.
However, with the support of Leicester City in the Community’s Community Engagement coaches, he has taken the opportunity to become more involved in the sessions by volunteering where he can.
Speaking this month, Leicester City in the Community Kicks Coordinator, Ali Adnan, discussed how Ahmed has taken to being a volunteer.
“Ahmed has taken his volunteering very seriously,” Ali began. “He’s one of a kind, you don’t get many gems.
“He is someone that’s really dedicated and eager to learn – he just wants to understand coaching at a much deeper level. It’s about serving the community and making it a better place, and that’s one thing he’s definitely done.”
Ahmed started his volunteering journey in September 2021, after he was recognised as a dedicated participant by Leicester City in the Community coaches.
Through the Club's charitable arm, Ahmed has completed a coach development programme, in which he took part in a coaching course and undertaking coaching sessions.
Developing his education even further, he has also completed his BT Playmaker course, multiple FA continuing personal development courses, such as refereeing, and has also completed his Level 1 Talent Identification course.
On top of volunteering at the weekly Kicks sessions, Ahmed has offered his time and skills at various Leicester City in the Community events, including refereeing at the annual Ramadan League, the Premier League Kicks 15-Year Anniversary, and a recent Kicks tournament at LCFC Training Ground.
Ahmed went on to explain about his volunteering experience during one of his volunteering sessions at St. Matthews Cruyff Court.
“Ali and Shahbaaz (Leicester City in the Community coaches) have helped me a lot with growing as an individual,” he said. “They introduced me to volunteering and all of these opportunities, I’m grateful for that.
“Watching young people where I was five years ago having fun with their friends and leaving happy is great. Volunteering helps you with your confidence and self-esteem, it helps people like me and the community.”
Watch Ahmed discussing his volunteering journey HERE. Click HERE to find out more about Premier League Kicks.