Mohammed Saad Honoured with 2026 London Sports Volunteer Recognition Award

We're proud to share that Mohammed Saad — co-founder, Director, and Vice-Captain of Challengers Cricket Club — has been named a recipient of the 2026 London Sports Volunteer Recognition Award, presented by the City of London and London Sports Council.

A reception in their honour

Saad joins 24 recipients from across London's sporting community — basketball, hockey, soccer, baseball, ringette, water polo, ultimate, and more — at a special reception on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, from 5–8pm at The Grove, Western Fair District.

On the field — a wicket-keeper who plays for the team

Saad is a Wicket-Keeper Batsman and Vice-Captain of the LPL T30 squad. Behind the stumps for every match, his focus has never been personal milestones — it's the rhythm and tempo of the whole team. The kind of cricketer who notices when a younger player is struggling at the crease and walks down the pitch to settle them, rather than waiting for the over to end.

It's the same instinct that runs through everything he does at the club — whether it's recruiting newcomers, building the C3H portal, calling sponsors, or making sure the kit bag is at the ground on match day.

“I'm not here to chase personal numbers. I'm here to see every player on this team succeed — that's what cricket is, and that's what Challengers is.”

Mohammed Saad — Wicket-Keeper Batsman & Director, Challengers Cricket Club

What this means for Challengers

Since incorporating as a Canada Not-for-Profit Corporation in November 2025, Challengers has built — almost entirely on volunteer time — the infrastructure of a serious community club:

• ✅ Two competitive league entries (LCL T30 + LPL T30) for the 2026 season
• ✅ Approved status with Google for Nonprofits, Google Ad Grants, YouTube Nonprofit Program, TechSoup, and Goodstack
• ✅ Confirmed sponsor partners across Platinum, Gold, and Community tiers
• ✅ The C3H players' portal — squad selection, field editor, training reflections, match replays
• ✅ Community partnerships including Curry Culture Bistro

Saad has been the engine behind much of this infrastructure. The award is recognition of the hours behind the scenes that volunteer-led grassroots sport always quietly demands.

A shared award

This recognition belongs to the wider Challengers community — every player who showed up to training in cold London mornings, every sponsor who took the call, every newcomer who found a place in our changing rooms. Saad will accept it on behalf of all of us.

Thank you to the City of London, the London Sports Council, and Executive Director Dave DeKelver for seeing grassroots newcomer cricket and choosing to recognize it.

Photos and a follow-up post will be published after the May 5 ceremony. Stay tuned to challengerscc.ca/blog.