Hackney People
Amir Laksari
Amir Laksari, a founder of Hackney Sparrows Wheelchair Basketball Club, isn’t keen on taking the spotlight.
Before a training session, the man who has spent 20 years helping to provide disabled people in the borough with sporting opportunities says: “You should be speaking to the people who come here every week. They’re incredible.”
But Amir’s story is amazing by anyone’s standards. Born in Iran, the youngest of nine children, his life changed dramatically when he contracted polio at the age of two and was left wheelchair bound.
At 21, he came to London as a political refugee and had to abandon his career as an architect, despite having completed three years of a degree in Turkey. Working day and night from 1986-89, he gained two degrees and a postgraduate qualification, to become a maths and computing teacher at Hackney Community College, where the Sparrows also train.
Amir first got involved with the team when he was approached by founding member, Leroy Dobson. Amir initially suspected he was making a bad joke.
“This man came up to me in the street and asked if I wanted to try basketball. I wondered at first if he was bullying me because of my disability. But I tried it and loved it,” he said.
The club’s name has more to it than just a reference to its East End location, as Amir explains:
“Everyone else was calling their club Tigers or Rhinos. But we chose Sparrows, which was about us working together and using little powers collectively, to have a positive impact on the players, their families and communities.”
And the Sparrows’ ethos has always been firmly inclusive. “We encourage people of all ages, cultures and abilities to join us,” Amir explains. “We’ve campaigned for integration. Non-disabled people are equally welcome. No one is ever left on the sideline.
“We’ve also always made sure we have a good laugh.”
To Amir’s delight, the club’s popularity quickly grew, and with this, came success. “Through word of mouth people came from all over. We moved up to first division and toured the world, winning over 50 tournaments. Some of our players went on to represent Britain, like Ade Adepitan. It was great fun and we made friends everywhere we went.”
Things just got better and better for the Sparrows, and even led Amir to find the love of his life. It was at a tournament in Poland that he met his Russian wife, with whom he now has three daughters.
But then a double blow fell. International fixtures were cancelled because of financial problems, and Amir developed severe post-polio syndrome. “I was thinking about giving up altogether, but then a turning point came. We got some new funding, with help from the Council’s 2012 team. Then the Paralympic handover events last summer helped put us back on the map.
“It is a passion. I want to keep it alive.”
Curriculum Vitae
- 1987 Club founded
- 1988 Joined GB Wheelchair Basketball League
- 1989 Won third division
- 1991 Won second division
- 1992/5 Winner at the National Games for Disabled People
- 1992-99 Winner of league junior championships
- 1993-4 Set up second & third Hackney Sparrows teams
- 1995 Winner of integrated development league
- 1996 Four teams in four divisions (highest possible)
- 1997-2006 Second & third teams win league
- 1998 Winner of British National Cup
- 2006 Back to one team due to financial difficulties
- 2009 Organised tournament to include first-time players and newcomers
- 2009 Aiming to establish new juniors and development team
More information
For more details, or to sponsor the Sparrows, call Amir on: 07956 469 744 or visit: www.hackneysparrows.moonfruit.com
Page updated: 13 May 2009