Since he has attended, staff have noticed his personal development from not just coming to sessions and socialising, but also whilst living in the UK, his communication skills have increased dramatically as well as developing into a leadership role within the group whereby he is a key communicator of messages to people whom English is not their first language.

Outside of our weekly sessions, Shawgi has supported and attended other programme related events. From a footballing perspective, he organised a team that participated in our very first Midnight Ramadan Tournament at LJMU and also organised teams at both of our annual Refugee Tournaments for Refugee week. He captained and led his team to victory in both the Ramadan and Refugee Tournaments in 2024, representing LFC Foundation excellently.

Away from a footballing context, Shawgi is also a founding member of our Refugee and Asylum Seeker Advisory Board (RASAB) which was set up in late 2023. This board is a collective meeting of various stakeholders around Liverpool who work with the Refugee and Asylum Seeker community group, meeting on a bi-monthly basis. This forum aimed to foster collaboration, build relationships, and provide a platform for feedback and concerns from both service providers and the community members they support. Shawgi attends and is a key member representing the community group themselves at the meetings.

There is no doubt that attending regular football sessions has allowed Shawgi an opportunity to develop personally and develop a stronger social circle which will support him in his day-to-day life. Consequently, this will have a ripple effect and similar benefits to various other participants in the programme. Whilst our sessions provide a safe environment for a vulnerable community group to gather collectively and engage in physical activity, it is our participants who play a massive factor in ensuring it is also a welcoming and fun environment. Shawgi is the epitome of this and is a key role model for new participants.

It has led Shawgi to pursue further opportunities within the Foundation through attending tournaments and our RASAB meetings. Additionally, he is intending to apply to be a volunteer with LFC Foundation as he supports the work we do, not just for Refugees and Asylum Seekers but for other vulnerable persons and community groups. Combined with his love for sport and football, hopefully Shawgi can be an example of a pathway for people involved in LFC Foundation programmes to support our work further.

Funds raised from this year's Legends Charity Match will go towards the LFC Foundation's health programmes, keeping people across Liverpool City Region healthy and active. With your help, we can ensure more people like Shawgi have access to free football sessions in the community. Please donate now by visiting our Just Giving page here.