It was in 2018 when Uzair, a gifted footballer and the now-serving captain of Team Eighteen, caught the attention of Tarek Hamdy at a football tournament being held at the sports complex. Impressed by the performance of the young athlete, Tarek approached Uzair and expressed his keen desire to recruit him for Team Eighteen. A futsal team operating under Eighteen’s CSR wing, Team Eighteen aims to uplift talented individuals with a passion for football by supporting them academically, financially and contributing to their character-building. Team Eighteen holds the status of being the pioneer of a corporate football culture in Pakistan.
After becoming part of Team Eighteen, Uzair’s skill and dedication continued to impress those around him. Yet, it was the young player’s strength of character and dynamism as an individual that proved him worthy of becoming the captain of the team. To hold the captaincy, Eighteen evaluated Uzair not merely as a sportsman but as an individual whose personal traits would make him an effective team leader. Over the years, Team Eighteen has played against many local teams in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad and won several games, making it a well-known team in the football community of Pakistan.
Eighteen gave Uzair a full ride tuition scholarship for the remaining two years of his undergraduate degree. After his graduation in mechanical engineering in 2020, Eighteen hired Uzair as a Management Trainee Officer (MTO) to help him gain valuable work experience. Working with qualified professionals, Uzair learned the tricks of digital media marketing and added new skills to his resume.
Since 2018 and now, things have changed in major ways for Uzair and he is now packing to go to Canada to pursue a Masters degree in Project Management. Emotional support and words of advice can often be of greater value than financial backing and Tarek Hamdy ensured that Uzair gets the best possible counselling for his academic and sports career. With the promise of Eighteen’s complete support till after graduation, Uzair was advised by the CEO to apply to Canada for higher education; a multicultural student destination and a land of opportunities. Being a student in Canada, Uzair will come one step closer to his dream of playing football on an international platform. He will try out for football trials in both Canada and the neighboring USA all the while studying for his degree. Needless to say, residing in that part of the world will give him access to the best coaching, facilities, and training equipment.
Speaking to Uzair, one can gauge that this likeable and ambitious boy, who is now recognized in Pakistan’s football community, has not let the recognition get to his head. His three-year association with Eighteen has taken Uzair’s football career to new heights and helped him bring his goals to fruition. Uzair has flexible options for a post-graduate career: Eighteen will assist him in exploring job opportunities in Canada while also giving him the option to work for Eighteen. Football and engineering, Uzair’s incredible dedication to whatever he does in life is precisely why Tarek Hamdy placed his faith in him.
Uzair is not the only futsal player to have received such support from Eighteen. Each player, in one way or another, has been the beneficiary of Eighteen’s support whether it’s through access to resources or personal grooming.
Futsal, like other sports, has the capacity to bring together people from a diverse range of cultures and backgrounds and unite them through their talent and love for the game. Therefore, a girls’ futsal team may very well be in the works at Eighteen so that women with a passion for football can also have a platform to pursue their interest.
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