Many congratulations to Mo Omar (HATS Training Instructor) and his Western Ballers team mates, who after already securing the Islington Mid-Week League Division 2 title, made the 2020 / 2021 season a truly vintage one with a 5-1 Cup Final triumph, beating the Islington Mid-Week Premier League Champions in the “Tom Keane Trophy Final.”
Many of you won’t know, but Western Ballers FC is more – way more, than just a football team (although they do that pretty well 😊): they are what you would describe as a ‘Community supporting Social Enterprise’, using the medium of football to focus on developing, connecting and protecting young people who are in potential danger of committing or falling victim to serious youth violence.
They run a number of sports, mentoring and personal development initiatives in communities across West London (mainly Hammersmith & Fulham), coaching football to under 8’s, under 10’s, under 12’s, under 18’s and a First XI team. Their focus is youth and particularly those who are constantly dealing with the dangers of gun and knife crime.
Recent increases in violence can be clearly attributed to criminal factors such as: gang related feuds, drugs or postcode wars and Western Ballers FC know that that the involvement of today’s youth in these damaging activities, can be avoided through working together with – local authorities, community leaders and volunteers dedicated to trying to make a real difference.
Mo and his team mates through Western Ballers FC, serve as a medium to provide youngsters with a competitive, fun and value adding programme and environment. They provide young people with the chance to connect through sport, destroy postcode feuds by bringing them together, try to avoid them spending time in gangs and help them stay clear from drugs: they also run a number of workshops targeted at personal development, career conversations and mentoring schemes.
So, as you can see Western Ballers FC are more – way more than just a football club, they are a team of dedicated individuals who are constantly striving to make sure the next generation have all the tools necessary to be successful in the future.
Huge congratulations to you Mo – your teammates and all of the other associates that work with you and undertake this potentially ‘life changing’ work, volunteering large swathes of their own time to help those who need it most. A great team effort from all involved – your many colleagues at HATS are thrilled (and incredibly proud) of you and your teammates / associates and everything that you achieve!! Oh, and well done again on the football 😊!
To find out more about the exceptional work that Western Ballers FC do, visit their Instagram at @westernballersfc or their Twitter at @WesternBallers.
