Mat Hall, a volunteer at Sanctuary in Chichester, brings his background in global travel and enthusiasm for sports to our community. Raised in Croydon, Mat developed a strong interest in sports from a young age, playing football and hockey, cross country running and competing in decathlons. Then, after leaving school, driven by a desire to explore, he embarked on extensive backpacking adventures across Australia, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.

His career journey led him to Audley Travel, where he designs bespoke wildlife and adventure trips, and it was this role that deepened his appreciation for global cultures and community service. In 2018, alongside his partner Harriet, Mat cycled from London to Istanbul, before the couple decided to settle in Chichester.

Moving to Chichester after the birth of their two daughters, Mat and Harriet became active in supporting local refugee families with Sanctuary in Chichester. Mat’s journey from a globe-trotter to a key community volunteer is making a significant impact at Sanctuary and in the lives of refugees integrating into the community, especially through his work with Nations United football. Here, in two parts (or a post of two halves!), is Mat in his own words:

Nations United

Not knowing what to expect on day one at Nations United, I arrived with a few balls and about 20-odd players, eager to start. This was back in September 2023 and I’ve been up at Chichester University pitch nearly every Thursday since, come rain or shine, as the players rely on me for seemingly their only hour in the week of pure joy and relaxation. I struggled to handle the 30+ players and that’s when I asked Mike to get involved too, which really helped. 

Earlier in 2024, neighbours and SiC members Heather Williams and Ben Self, also joined to help on Thursday when they can, which has relieved some of the pressure further. It has been particularly nice to have Heather here, as many of the players would not have necessarily had a woman involved in sport with them. 

We are so tight on time, as Mike and I both leave work early on a Thursday to get to the uni with all the kit, then I have nursery pick up straight after an hour’s playing time, so it is all about being as efficient as possible with our hour on the pitch – so getting a warm up done, quick drill, then arranging teams (the hardest part!) as quickly as possible so we can play for 45 minutes or so. 

The uni thankfully gives us a free hour each week and with the help of SiC funds we originally invested in some more bibs and balls. More recently, as of this summer, Mike managed to use a contact at KitLocker to arrange sponsorship of a full kit with more balls – if you haven’t seen it, have a look at the photos on SiC’s Instagram! It is a beautiful kit and the players take huge pride in wearing it! This month I also arranged a fundraiser at work and had friends and family donate, and as of mid-December, I have raised just over £1,000 which is incredibly helpful. It has meant every player now has a pair of astros to wear and I’ve also bought plenty of rain jackets, gloves and various bits of warm weather clothing.

Providing consistency has been one of our biggest successes and something I am really proud of. In the summer of 2024, numbers dropped off a cliff as many families moved out of the hotel to be rehoused all over the UK, and we had half a dozen or so players leave us to play competitive team football for Wittering United (after I escorted around 10 of them to preseason training throughout the summer). We turned up at Nations United for a month or so with just one or two players attending, but kept the faith (just about!) that numbers would return.

Click here for the second half!