Community 1v1: Hakeem Badri

Community 1v1 is a new series on the website. It is a space where we ask eight simple questions to people across the football community and they share us about themselves and their work in football community.

This week we have Hakeem Badri. Those who are involved with the amateur and social leagues across Selangor will know who he is. Enjoy reading his story!

1.Tell us about yourself? 

My name is Hakeem, 29 years old from Subang Jaya. I am currently working as a Marketing Executive and playing in the FAS Super League with Teleflow FC.

I have been playing in the league since 2009, starting my journey with PNSB FC before playing for Anak Kalumpang (now known as Teleflow FC).

2.Why are you so passionate about sports?

I think  it started out just like most of the young kids during my time, growing up watching football and I fell in love with the energy and love of the game. I then went to boarding school where I was lucky to be introduced to other sports like basketball, rugby, hockey and other sports. Sports has given me the platform to shape me to the person I am today and has given me the opportunity to meet awesome people. There are lessons to learn from all the sports that I have played competitively or even with just friends for fun. For that, I can never see myself not playing sports.

However, football is something that has stuck with ever since I started playing.

3.Is there a coach or an athlete that you look up to as a role model and why?

I know this can be a surprise, but my role model growing up was Darren Fletcher! I grew up in Subang Jaya and have seen so many good talents around me growing up who were way better than me (most of them are still better than me!). But I believe that regardless of my talent, I know I can contribute to my team every time I play even if that means I am not the best in the team. Seeing the skinny, scrawny guy like Fletcher but was still able to be a vital part of a winning Manchester United side at that time really has been an inspiration. 

It really resonated with me well, to just focus on working hard and give my everything for the benefit of the people around me. 

Growing up supporting Selangor, there were just too many great players that I watched and wanted to follow their footsteps and one day wear the iconic Merah Kuning jersey. The likes  of Nizaruddin Yusof  and S. Veenod have been my favourites for the past years. In short, humble, hardworking players have been the kind of players that I watched and learned most on the pitch.

4.Describe your major highlights and achievements in the past?

It has been a blessing for me to play the game I love regardless of the level of competition. But playing in the Selangor Champions League in every season since its establishment is an achievement for me. I haven't won any, but I am not taking anything for granted and will give my best when being called upon. 

However, being in the BUCS (British University and College Sports) Futsal League representing the University of Manchester is a probably the highlight of my journey so far and is something I will always be grateful for. I got to experience travelling across the UK and playing in different places while I  played against the best talents in the country. On top of that, I have made friends with people from all around the world and that is something that I will always remember.

5.What does your daily routine look like?

Now that I have a baby girl, most of it has been spent with her!

But I always try my best to keep myself fit by working out in the morning before going to work and evening after  work to keep myself fit and healthy to play football (and to chase my daughter around the house!)

Now that we can play football again, I probably need to put in extra work to keep doing well for the season soon to be continued.

6.What are your preferred pre-game, locker room, and post game routines?

Now that I am older, I like getting prepared. So my pre-game consists of a light workout to get my body ready and try to get my meals early before the game. I try not to do much in the locker room, take my time to prepare for the match. I always knew how I would perform based on how I carry myself before the game, so I prefer not to talk or do anything extra so I can focus on getting my mindset right before every match.

Post game routine will mostly be going home and spending my time with family, enjoying my wife's cooking. I think that is very important as I have spent so much time with football, I would always make the time with my loved ones as well.

7.Are there any short term goals you’d like to accomplish in the next few months?

At the moment, I am very much interested in contributing back to the community. A few of my friends and I have been coordinating football training sessions in Subang Jaya for men and women with Subang Royals CF (IG:@subangroyals). The main goal is to create a platform where you can train and play football while engaging with the community especially for women. We are currently focusing on helping more women to be involved in football, with a healthy, collaborative and positive environment for all of our participants especially in the Subang Jaya area.

While football will be the main activity, we are planning to have more volunteering and community based programs in the future. I am very much looking forward to seeing the progress of this initiative and I believe it will help empower women, especially in the local football scene.

8. Where do you see yourself in five - ten years time?

Obviously, I would  love to keep playing in years to come. The game is so dear to me that I have never thought of going away from it. 

But of course, I would love to participate more in the development of the grassroot football scene in Selangor, and contribute to something bigger than myself as well. There are so many opportunities for growth in our football, and I have always been interested in the leadership developments within our community. It would be great to have that role in the future and it is something that I always have my eyes on.

Hopefully I will be able to steadily transition myself towards that direction moving forward.