Non-League and Academy football writer

Ahmed Hassan is the founder, as well as being one of the organisers, of the Somali British Champions League. A fantastic and very competitive tournament, with each edition of the tournament taking just under a year to complete. The SBCL is a quality tournament, with Somali heritage teams (from non-League and grassroots football) from all over England, as well as teams from Wales, competing in the tournament. The 2024/25 edition of the tournament has been another very interesting one, with the final (between Hilltop and FC Olympia) taking place in Bristol, next Sunday. I recently spoke to Ahmed Hassan, about some of the history of the tournament.

How did the idea of setting up the SBCL come about?

Ahmed: I’m in my mid 30s now, and I’d played football for a long time. In Somali British football you used to have these two week long tournaments that we used to play in, across London. At the time it wasn’t as organised as what we intended for the SBCL to be like. Because it was a short tournament, there wasn’t a proper player registration in place, for example.

So the initial reason for setting up the SBCL was to bring together the youth of the Somali British community, across the UK. We know how popular football is, within the Somali British community, and for youngsters across the country. There are Somali British footballers who play for teams across the various steps of non-League, some of them at steps 1 and 2. So we had the football side behind setting up the SBCL, but we also had the community cohesion side of things. And so we wanted to bring the community together.

From city to city, some of the clubs knew each other, such as the Leicester team knowing the Birmingham team, for example through a friendly match. So we thought why not have something consistent, and with these clubs willing to travel for friendlies anyway, let’s create a tournament. We wanted to make it a competitive tournament, as well as a long term tournament, rather than it being a short tournament, we wanted it to be like a league season – Champions League style.

When we initially started the SBCL, we only had the Birmingham team from outside of London, with seven teams from London. The tournament started off well, and within two to three seasons we saw that there was an amazing level of connection, and networking beyond football. One of these goals was to actually tackle these tensions between the Somali British youth across various places across the country. So when they did meet up in certain places, there was a bit of tension and unfamiliarity.

In the second season of the tournament, Leicester and Cardiff joined. And now we had teams from different cities, involved in the tournament. So there were more teams from outside of London who were competing in the tournament. And so the travelling team from a different city would host the away team, and they would take the team out for a meal. The league/tournament just grew from there, and we then had Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield joining in the resulting seasons. With Bristol joining for this season.

This is our sixth season of the SBCL, after beginning in September of 2018. The first ever winners of the tournament were Western Ballers. Following on from the first season of the tournament, we then had the covid season, and so the tournament had a break. Instead of ending that season, we just paused it and we continued it once football resumed. So by the time that Hilltop and Tower United competed in our second ever final, it took place in 2021. The second ever winners of the tournament were Hilltop. Then during the following season the winners were Cardiff Bay Warriors, with Manchester Powerhouse winning the 2023 edition of the tournament. OIR won the tournament last year, and this year the finalists are Hilltop and FC Olympia (this is their first ever final).

Could you talk me through some of your standout moments of the tournament, since its formation in 2018?

Ahmed: The standout moment for me was the first edition of the tournament. In the semi-final Western Ballers lost 7-3 at home to FC Olympia, in Birmingham. In the return leg they had to win 6-1. And they actually did it! In the final of the tournament, Western Ballers went 2-0 down, before equalising to make it 2-2 in the 89th minute. Then on penalties they missed their first two penalties, before still going on to win the tournament. That was one great moment. And it was a great memory because it was our first ever final, and we had our first ever winners. It was the way in which that win came about – the competitiveness, the organisation and coordination of the competition, and how we were able to see, in effect to how it would look like to see a team win the competition. It also set a very high bar for the seasons that would follow.

Another really good memory was the match between Cardiff Bay Warriors and Hilltop, in 2021/22. They were 5-2 down from the first leg, and then in the second leg there was an incredible response, with Cardiff Bay Warriors scoring three goals in what was probably the final two minutes of the game. So there’s been some great moments in the tournament, so far. With another one being Manchester Powerhouse’s excellent debut season in the tournament, when they went all the way to the final, and they won it by taking everyone by surprise. They had this slogan – “ We’re not here to take part. We’re here to take over ”. So to see them live up to that was very impressive.

For something that just started up as an idea, to see that first final take place was incredible. Obviously to see where the tournament is now, and to see it feature in BBC Sport and on big pages, and also to see Jack Grealish and Trent Alexander-Arnold shouting out the tournament, is amazing. There is also interest from America and Australia, with people looking to replicate the tournament in the future.

What have you made of the 2024/25 edition of the tournament, so far?

Ahmed: I think that it’s gone really, really well. Every season has seen an improvement, and this season has been no different. It’s been very, very competitive, and people always ask me what my predictions are for each edition of the tournament. For this season I said that no one is running away with it, and that’s what has happened. Every year the team that wins it struggles quite a bit during the following season.

I’m really happy for Birmingham (FC Olympia) on making their first ever final, this season. And they definitely won’t make it easy for Hilltop in the final next Sunday.

What are some of your thoughts ahead of next Sunday’s final between Hilltop and FC Olympia, in Bristol?

Ahmed: Hilltop are a very professional side who play out from the back and like keeping the ball, which recently saw them win a big tournament in Minnesota, US. But if FC Olympia, who are themselves holders of the same tournament in Australia, having won it in December, can put in a similar performance in the final, then I can see them surprising Hilltop. As I said, Hilltop are very professional in the way they perform, and they’ll show that this Sunday in their FA Cup qualifier with Deal Town. Their player Hussein controls games really well, and he is a very experienced player. If Olympia can capitalise on set-pieces in the final and also hit Hilltop on the counter, then I think they could win it. Otherwise, I can see Hilltop putting in their usual ball-playing performance and finishing their chances.

I extend gratitude to the co-founding individuals whose contribution and passion supported in laying down the foundation for the Somali British Champions League. Luqman Ibrahim, Mahmoud Derar, Abdulkarim Youssouf, Mohamed Abdelrahman, Adam Omer, Yusuf Khalaf (TT), and Yusuf Warsame (Isco) a commitment that was the driving force behind this platform.

The undeniable dedication from our media partners: The consistency and storytelling have helped take the SBCL to new heights, capturing key moments and sharing it with the world – Ba5eline, Yymedia, Somali Athlete, Afterhours, Spydashoots, Hadaltv, and Rootztv. Thanks to them for bringing this competition to life.

Finally, to every single one who has carried this league through six incredible seasons. To all committee members (past & present), club managements, and players who’ve taken part over the years with energy, dedication and commitment poured into this project. Their time, effort and passion has shaped SBCL into what it is today. This journey wouldn’t be possible without each and every one of them.