'I'm dribbling a football from Elland Road to Wembley to help children in Leeds access sports'
A Leeds football coach is dribbling a ball 200 miles to London - all in the name of youth sport.
Adel Chermiti, founder of Leeds Hyde Park FC, is embarking on a solo challenge from Elland Road to Wembley Stadium to raise funds for his grassroots football club and its youth programmes.
Adel, who has been involved in charity work since moving to England in 2006, founded the non-profit football club in 2017. He hopes the funds raised will improve facilities and access to sport for children - especially girls - in the Hyde Park and Woodhouse area.
He told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “[The goal is] to help more local kids and improve our facilities and services while we play football.
“Kids come to us wanting to play, and if we don’t have the resources or coaches, we have to turn them away.
“We want to give them the opportunity now, rather than waiting and applying for funding. So I thought this might be a good idea to raise enough money to do that.”
Setting off alone, Adel hopes word of mouth will inspire others to join him - even if only for a short stretch of the journey.
“It’s a really unique and mad idea - and if people want to join and be part of the journey, happy days!
“My wife kindly planned the route to avoid the motorway and make sure it’s safe. When I’m going uphill or near a road, the football has to be tied to my feet so it doesn’t roll away or down a hill.”
Over the 200-mile trip, Adel is aiming to raise £1,000 per mile. “It’s essential, and it’s a lifeline,” he said. “We do so much in the community, but we don’t shout about it.
“We sponsor loads of kids within the club - last year, almost 50 percent were sponsored.”
Adel will set off from Leeds United’s stadium on August 20 and aims to arrive in the capital on August 31.