Youth sports organizations are built upon the hard work and dedication of volunteers.  If a youth sports organization is lucky enough, it will have someone like Nizam Emamdie there to serve as a leader of the organization.  

Nizam Emamdie is a resident of St. Johns County, Florida with his wife, Lisa, and their two small children.   He currently serves as a consulting architectural project manager for the home building industry.  He is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and also holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT). When he moved to North Florida in 2007, Emamdie brought with him the love of soccer and years of experience as  coach and organizer.  For the past few years, he has been a Premier and Academy coach with Creeks Soccer. 

Emamdie volunteers a great deal of his spare time as the St. Johns Middle School Athletic Association (SJMSAA) Soccer Commissioner. He recently guided the soccer program through its regular season and end of season tournament. SJMSAA is a non-profit organization based in St. Johns County, Florida that facilities middle school sports that are not directly provided by the school district. Through his leadership, Emamdie encouraged and promoted competition and sportsmanship among both boys and girls teams throughout St. Johns County. He also worked diligently to connect with volunteers, coaches, school administrators and contacts, parents, and, yes, the student athletes. 

One of the goals this season was to increase the number of teams and playing opportunities for middle school students. SJMSAA (Soccer) accomplished this goal by forming both varsity and varsity development teams. 

As noted by Emamdie, "We were able to double the number of playing spots for children at several of the schools.  This allowed us to give playing oppportunities for some of the younger students and some other students who were on the cusp of making the varsity squad."  

Prior to the commencement of the season, Commissioner Emamdie and his team of volunteers spent months lining up coaches, uniforms, referees, field space, and teams. As noted by Emamdie, "I was honored to be nominated to serve as Commissioner and I saw it as an unified mission to provide some solid training, competition, and sportsmanship to the children attending our fine public schools.  The sport of soccer certainly serves as a great tool for teaching children the value of hard work, dedication, and respect for the game and each other."

At the end of the season tournament, Commissioner Emamdie led the the way by supervising two playing sites, by lining up referees / volunteers, and otherwise by serving as a problem solver, mentor, and ambassador  on behalf of the organization. For two full days from 6:00 a.m. through well into the evening, Commissioner Emamdie was hard at work. 

Unlike many of the volunteers associated with organizations like SJMSAA Soccer, Commissioner Emamdie did not have any children in the progam and donated his time, services, and effort at absolutely no pay whatsover.  Commissioner Emamdie stood proud of the organization at the end of the final game of the tournament and noted the following:  "The success of this season was a team effort by all involved with SJMSAA including the soccer board, additional volunteers, parents, schools, and the student athletes who represented their respective schools with great pride and sportsmanship."

The SJMSAA Soccer Board consisted of the following volunteers:  Dave Binghi Melissa Brennan, , Lori Kalbsleisch, Bridget Leirvik, Rick Plotkin, and Herb Steigelman.

The Good Deed Brigade salutes Nizam Emamdie, a worthy volunteer and leader, who did his best to make a difference.  Follow the example set by both the words and actions of Nizam Emamdie and go out in your community to do your share of good deeds.  Remember, wherever you see the Good Deed Brigade, it's all good.