Staff spotlight: Adel’s epic journey for community football

Adel Chermiti, a familiar face from the University’s catering team, is taking on an extraordinary challenge.

Adel is dribbling a football all the way from Leeds to Wembley Stadium to raise funds for Leeds Hyde Park FC — a grassroots club he’s volunteered at for nearly 20 years.

The 11-day journey, which kicked off from Elland Road on 20 August, aims to raise money to improve facilities and ensure every child in the community has access to sport. Over half of the club’s young players take part for free, and girls’ football has been offered at no cost for the past three years.

Adel’s dedication goes beyond the pitch. He’s been training daily and has even devised five different ball-and-string setups to keep the football safely tethered during the walk. Rain, blisters and navigation challenges won’t stop him!

You can support Adel’s journey via his GoFundMe page and follow his progress on Facebook and Instagram.