Lambertseter Kings
Haidar Almahmoud came to Norway as a refugee from conflict and war in Syria in December 2014. In 2021, he attended the leadership training at the King Institute where he was inspired to dream (“I have a dream”) in relation to his own life and how he could contribute in the society.
As a passionate footballer and football enthusiast, he began to dream of creating a football team for boys from the same background as himself. Haidar came to Norway as a refugee from conflict and war in Syria in December 2014. He recruited a team of players – all from Syria (17-25) – and played football on pitches all around. After a while, he realized that the whole dream had not come true, because he dreamed of playing “real” matches with “real” kits. Together with the King Institute, Bydel St. Hanshaugen, DNT and Lambertseter Football Club, the dream was fully realized in November 2021. The team is today called Lambertseter Kings and is an integral part of the football club’s top level and plays weekly matches in the 9th division. The attendance is so great that the team has become two teams and players from Lambertseter Kings also contribute to the first team, some of the players have become coaches in the club and referees in the league game in younger classes.
Haidar is now employed as an intern at the King Institute, where he works with the team, but also with other exciting projects. Haidar’s story is an example of how daring to dream can open new paths in life for oneself and for others.
MENTIONS OF LAMBERTSETER KINGS
P3-AKSJONEN
The NRK P3-AKSJONEN has interviewed the guys on the training field in connection with the TV action. Haidar, Mustafa and Samer are interviewed together with trainer Espen.
MENTIONS OF LAMBERTSETER KINGS
REDD BARNA MAGAZINE
In the Redd Barna magazine you can read about the journey of Haidar, Moodi and Imam, and how football and unity have been important to them in the integration process in Norway.
LAMBERTSETER sports association website
Here you can read more about how the Lambertseter King’s project is now part of a close collaboration between the King Institute and the sports association in the work to create inclusion and diversity.
For those interested in following the team:
Follow the Lambertseter Kings teams at fotball.no. In addition, you can follow our players on our own team page:
The team is a collaborative project between the King Institute and Lambertseter Sports Association. Espen Dorg is the team’s head coach.
In the first two years, the team has received support from the following partners:
- Zuccarellostiftelsen
- Nordstrand bydel
- Lotteri og stiftelsestilsynet, integrerings- og mangfoldsmidler
- PAF Foundation
- Gjensidigestiftelsen
Thank you for your cooperation!