Every Thursday we put the spotlight on the people involved with goalball – from players, officials, coaches, supporters and more.
This week we caught up with Hamza Azam.
What club do you play for or coach?
I play for the newly formed Bradford Goalball Club – we are looking forward to making our debut in the Region A competition later this month.
How did you discover goalball?
I first started playing goalball when I went to New College Worcester (NCW) in 2015 to do my A’Levels. I played in a number of tournaments including the Goalball Marathon in 2017 which was great fun! I trained with West Yorkshire last season and also played in an Intermediate tournament for Kirklees.
Is there a particular song, artist or genre that you listen to before a tournament to get in the mood? Or anything you’re loving at the moment?
I like Grime and Rap – my favourite artist is Drake.
Do you have any pre-game superstitions or rituals?
I just make sure that I have a good warm up.
Do you have a favourite post-match meal?
McDonalds as it is quick and easy!
Which goalball player do you admire the most and why?
Naqib Ahmed. We played together at NCW and I learnt so much from him. He was in the GB talent squad at the time and really helped me to develop my skills.
Outside of goalball, what other hobbies/sports do you do?
I have a daughter who is 9 months old so she keeps me busy! I like playing other sports such as cricket and tennis. I also like going to the gym.
Finally, what place, anywhere in the world, is on your bucket list to visit and why?
I would like to go to Canada because when I was at NCW there were a number of Canadian gap year students there who were all so friendly and nice. I would definitely want to go in the summer though, not in the winter when it is really cold!
To check out the rest of the articles from our ‘Featured Thursday’ series please use the following link Goalball UK – Featured Thursday.
