The YES Alumni in Jordan like to think of different ways to volunteer, and some of them found a way through sports! After discovering their love for American football in the United States, YES alumni Taj AlRejjal and Ahmad Alkhawaldeh created a video on what playing football means to them and their journey with the sport. 

Taj AlRejjal started a football team in Jordan after coming back home from his YES year, and he teaches Jordanian youth how to play. It began as a single team and has grown into a full football league. Taj finds that coaching football helps these young athletes learn leadership and teamwork skills. He explains, “I joined my high school’s football team, and I instantly fell in love with the game. I got to see that it wasn’t just a bunch of guys hitting each other, as it’s perceived in other countries, but a game of strategy, discipline, competition, and mental prowess. It’s teamwork in its purest form.”  In 2018, Taj participated in the YES Sports for Development and Peace Workshop in Kuwait, where he joined other YES alumni to learn how sports can help communities. 

Ahmad Alkhawaldeh also plays on the team, and he shares, “I fell in the love with the game when I was in the United States, and when I had the opportunity to play in Jordan, I was really excited.” The two YES alumni expressed how the football league is their way to give back to their community.

Sports can play a huge role in a student’s YES year, and they often take their new passions back home to share with others!

Taj AlRejjal (YES 2010-2011, Jordan, placed with YFU in Port Angeles, WA)

Ahmad Alkhawaldeh (YES 2015-2016, Jordan, placed with Flag in Bluffton, IN)