SPOTLIGHT ON FA’S INCLUSION GOALS
‘Hungry and confident south Asian kids’ are leading change, says ex-player
WITH the aim of improving British Asian participation in football across England, the FA had launched the second phase of ‘Bringing Opportunities to Communities’ strategy in April 2019.
In an updated version of the report, which was published this month, Watford women’s footballer Rosie Kmita, Mansfield Town player Mal Benning, Aldershot Town assistant manager Anwar Uddin, presenter Seema Jaswal and FA’s head of diversity & inclusion strategic programmes, Dal Darroch, came together to discuss the continued importance of increasing Asian participation and inclusion in English football.
Although British Asians make up almost 7.5 per cent of the British population, in the 2019-2020 season, just eight players made first-team appearances across the 92 professionals clubs. There are currently 15 players on a professional contract and nine scholars within the system – which means that only 0.3 per cent of 3,700 professional footballers are from a south Asian background.
Kick It Out chair Sanjay Bhandari described this as “the single largest statistical anomaly in English football”, while the FA added that tackling Asian underrepresentation at all levels of the game remains a key priority.
Darroch said: “We know that Asian communities are the most under-represented ethnic minority group in many areas of the game, and we are passionate about and dedicated to ensuring our game is for all. We’re proud of the progress made so far, but there is more to be done. We will continue to work closely with Asian communities and our stakeholders so we can strive to make our game truly inclusive.”
The FA also recently launched a central jobs platform as part of its commitment to the Football Leadership Diversity Code. The purpose of the platform is to create greater access to roles available across English football, and to help organisations and clubs candidates.
Anwar Uddin, who played for Premier League side West Ham, said British Asian football was in a dark place for a long time but that is no longer the case.
“I signed for West Ham in 1997 – I was the first British Asian to sign for the club. At the time, I was asked why there was such a lack of representation in the game, and 22 years later, I am still asked the same question. But now I can refer to role models across the leagues and there will be more to come, which is great,” said Uddin.
“It’s been a long journey, a progressive journey. We have come from a dark place but there is a light now. The fact that you can turn on the TV and see British Asian footballers across the leagues shows there is lots happening in our community. There is a new generation of hungry and confident south Asian kids ready to use the platform to become players, managers, coaches and officials.”
British Asian girls and women playing football still seems to be taboo in communities due to cultural and religious factors, and Kmita hopes she can be a role model to young girls and their parents.
She said: “I look at myself as a role model. I want to help change the perception in parents’ eyes. I want young girls to have the confidence to speak to their parents and point to me and say British Asian girls can not only play football, but also get into coaching and media roles.”
The strategy report update the progress made in: l The FA and its culture: Making Asian inclusion a priority across the organisation, including the appointment of Rupinder Bains as FA board champion for Asian inclusion l Pathways: Raising awareness of pathways into the game, providing bursaries to coaches looking to progress their qualifications. The FA has
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diverse maintained its coaching bursary programme and, among multiple achievements, 2020 saw the first two female Asian coaches funded onto the UEFA ‘A’ licence l Grassroots football: Regular dialogue and public consultation with stakeholders from eight diverse counties across England, with the voices of local communities built into the Asian inclusion strategy; and ensuring inclusion is embedded as a priority at all levels of the game, from county FA inclusion advisory groups to governance structures, as outlined in the county FA code of governance launched in 2020 l Women and girls: Focusing on recruiting, developing and raising the profile of future leaders and role models, including the creation of an Asian Female National Advisory Group; while ensuring that more girls have an enjoyable introduction to football within schools and local clubs l Engagement: Improving engagement with Asian communities through a partnership with BritAsia TV to deliver a series of awareness campaigns; facilitating the creation of the ‘Apna England’ fan club; and bringing faith communities together through events including iftar for the Muslim community