Awara Rasul is the winner for Outstanding Community Volunteer at the Cardiff Volunteer Awards 2025!
Awara has volunteered tirelessly for over 21 years, supporting people seeking sanctuary, refugees, and the wider Cardiff community. Arriving from Kurdistan in 2004 as a refugee, Awara found connection through a local football team. When the coach left, he stepped in—eventually founding and managing the Kurdish Cymru Football Club. He made it inclusive, welcoming players from across the world, including India, Africa, Iran, and Korea. The team won the Cohesion Cup three times, with the 2019 final at Cardiff City Stadium being one of Awara’s proudest moments.
Awara arranges everything—lifts, kits, pitch bookings—and calls players each week to keep them involved. He’s now studying for his FAW Football Leaders Award, aiming to set up under-12s teams to secure a future for young players.
Beyond football, Awara runs a community internet café where he provides food, hot drinks, phone charging, and advice to the homeless and new arrivals. He helps with translations, housing, job searches, and contacting family abroad. On Saturdays, he volunteers at the Kurdish school, supervising children, organising games, and cleaning the space.
Awara has supported individuals overcoming drug addiction, poor mental health, and isolation, helping them rebuild through football and community. He says, “I was helped when I came to Wales—I just want to give back.” His work creates lasting impact, improving lives now and for generations to come, and at C3SC, we’d like to offer our sincere thanks to Awara for his significant contributions throughout the years that have no doubt, inspired many people already.
If you would like to read more inspiring stories from the Cardiff Volunteer Awards 2025, please visit the webpage here.
C3SC is the umbrella charity for the voluntary sector in Cardiff. We provide information and advice to volunteers and not-for-profit groups and opportunities to network, learn and exchange ideas. Please get in touch with us – email volunteer@c3sc.org.uk if you’d like to express an interest in starting or continuing your volunteering journey – we’d be happy to help!
