Dream like Tailor ‘to achieve goal of diversity in football’
QPR COMMUNITY CAPTAIN MANISHA WOULD LIKE HER NEW BOOK TO ‘FACILITATE ACCESS’
INSPIRATIONAL football coach Manisha Tailor hopes her new book will encourage young British Asians to forge careers in the game.
Tailor, the assistant head of academy coaching at Queens Park Rangers (QPR), is the only south Asian to hold such a position in the English professional game.
Her book, Dream Like Me: South Asian Football Trailblazers, profiles 42 pioneering Asian men and women in the game – from players to coaches, referees, board members, administrators, sports scientists, and medical staff.
Tailor, 41, said her desire to write the book came from seeing a lack of Asian representation in the game as well as from her time working as a teacher.
“I worked in various schools, with different cultural demographics and always wondered why there were few texts, supported by illustrations, of people from diverse communities; texts that represented the children we had in our school,” Tailor told Eastern Eye.
“When I moved to working in football, I found that although things had improved, there remained a lack of representation from the south Asian community across all levels of the game, despite it being one of the largest ethnic minority groups in the UK.”
Tailor felt the message that “football is for everyone” needed to be instilled into people’s minds from a young age. She recalled “falling in love with football” aged eight, but said there were no avenues for her to play as her secondary school had little interest in a girls’ team.
“While my parents were supportive of me playing football at school, there was much taboo around me entering a team outside of a school environment. My parents didn’t see any Indian girls playing football, and perhaps this lack of visibility and opportunity contributed to me even thinking that pursuing a playing career was not viable,” she said.
“This book contains a variety of narratives as so many work in different roles within the world of football. It will compel parents and women to dream and believe there is a space for them in the game.
“It highlights the challenges different individuals have faced and the strategies they used to overcome setbacks. There is an emphasis on signature strengths that have helped those featured to be the best possible version of themselves.
“This is something children and adults can both reflect upon.”
Those profiled in the book include Millie Chandarana, who currently plays for Blackburn Rovers. She talks about how football provided her with an opportunity to travel, and how when she found herself in Italy, she learned a new language and adapted to the culture.
Sports broadcaster Bela Shah shares her story of making the move into media from being a contract lawyer, and reveals how to use transferable skills.
International footballer Neil Taylor, who also played in the Premier League, is a mentor for the PFA’s [Professional Footballers’ Association] Asian Inclusion Mentoring scheme. In the book, he discusses the importance of parental support and dealing with rejection.
“Young people need to see people like them in order to believe dreams are possible. I would like this book to start conversations about overcoming adversity, using role models within the industry,” said Taylor.
Up until 2011, Tailor was deputy headteacher at a primary school in Uxbridge, Middlesex. She left her career in education to help care for her twin brother, who was unwell.
Her first book was a teaching resource to provide lesson plans on mental health. She has continued that work with this book, which she said is “underpinned by stories of resilience and positive mental health”.
“I would like to open conversations about mental health, using the lessons for good mental health and questions for thinking. This should encourage families to explore and share their beliefs about representation in elite sport, career pathways and mental health,” Tailor said.
While she admitted progress has been added, Tailor added that “much more needs to be done to ensure there is access to opportunities for girls from diverse communities”.
According to PFA data, 0.45 per cent of all professional footballers are from a south Asian background. But for south Asian women, it drops to just 0.3 per cent in the top division of football.
“Currently, the talent pathway and the demographic make-up of the England women’s team is not truly reflective of our England, an England that is multicultural. We must do better as a fraternity in ensuring we do not lose a pool of talent because players cannot simply get to the sessions or games,” Tailor said.
“When I asked [the Football Association] for data – I understand certain data
is protected, and it’s challenging to actually fully understand how many south Asian females we have in the elite pathway – whether that is the pathway to the Women’s Super League or to England,” she added. Tailor admitted she had a “bumpy road” and faced challenges navigating through a male-dominated environment.
As a teacher, she said she liaised with external agencies to use football as a tool for supporting children in literacy and numeracy. She met former England international Rachel Yankey, who encouraged her to pursue
a passion for football coaching by taking her badges and volunteering at the grassroots levels.
Tailor met her mentor and QPR’s head of coaching, Chris Ramsey, at a diversity and equality event at St George’s Park in 2014.
“He was quite honest in saying there weren’t any available roles at QPR, but he allowed me to observe and volunteer at the Academy,” she said. “I used to get in at 10am, watch all the different age groups, watch the gym sessions, and then go in for the schoolboys sessions in the evenings.
“That was three times a week for four months, so about 180 hours in total.”
In 2016, Tailor got a part-time job with the U9s, while earning money outside football by supply teaching and tutoring. After being put on the Premier League’s Elite Coach Apprenticeship Scheme (ECAS) and completing the UEFA A Licence, she became QPR’s assistant head of coaching in 2021.
She has also set up her own business, Swaggarlicious, which uses ‘the power of football and education to engage with diverse groups and organisations’ through coaching and well-being programmes.
In 2017, she was awarded an MBE for services to football and diversity in sport.
Last Friday (30), Tailor was recognised for her work by being named as QPR’s community captain, an accolade given to more than 100 members of the public who have made an “outstanding contribution” to their club and local community, as part of the Premier League’s 30th anniversary celebrations.
Ramsey, who presented Tailor with the community captain award, said: “I am so pleased for Manisha. She came in and learnt all about the club and our philosophy and completed her badges to become a better coach. She has shown that if you put your mind to something and work hard, you will succeed.
“She also found time to work in the local community and we are all very proud of her and the positive attention she has brought to the club.
“When you have leadership like we have at the club in terms of the board, Lee Hoos (CEO) and Les Ferdinand (director of football), who champion people who work hard and don’t put barriers in their way, it shows what can be achieved.
“We are seen as a model of diversity which means a lot to us as a football club.”
Tailor said, “I am very proud, but this award isn’t just for me, it is reflective of what the club does as a whole. QPR ensures there is opportunity for all and I am definitely an example of that.
“If it wasn’t for the support of Chris and Alex Carroll (academy director) I would not be in the position that I am now. The support they have given will always live with me.”