UDDIN’S HISTORIC FA COUNCIL ROLE
Pioneering British-Bangladeshi keen to improve sport’s inclusion
WEST HAM academy graduate and Fans for Diversity chief Anwar Uddin is set to become the first British Asian to join the FA Council.
The 39-year-old, who is Aldershot assistant boss, is the first British-Bangladeshi to play professionally in England.
Last month, the Football Association (FA) advertised seven council roles, and after the completion of the interview process, Uddin will become one of the Council’s new members.
The FA Council acts as a vital advisory body to both the FA Board and FA staff, as well as providing direct input to the work of the organisation through specific groups.
Council members contribute by providing first-hand knowledge and experience to help to inform plans, priorities and programmes.
“Delighted to be joining The National Council as the National Game & Communities Rep. Looking forward to the challenge ahead, it’s an absolute privilege,” Uddin said on Twitter.
As campaign manager of the Football Supporters Association’s Fans for Diversity campaign, Uddin promotes inclusion in football.
He has also worked with the Show Racism the Red Card charity, Kick It Out and the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA).
Uddin, whose father hails from Sylhet in Bangladesh, has been an advocate for British Asian footballers for many years. He has openly spoken about the barriers they face in making it in the game.
“There is a barrier that Asian kids face that others don’t,” he said.
“And [because you don’t see many players who look like you], it’s almost as if you feel like you don’t belong. It’s almost as if ‘should I be here? Am I cheating? Am I supposed to be here?’
“That’s a hidden sort of barrier that Asian kids face, that they shouldn’t have to face, because let’s face it, it’s hard enough [to make it] as it is.”
But he is confident that things are slowly changing and his appointment to the FA Council is another step in the right direction.
“Things are now in place for the future,” he said. “People are talking about Asians in football and there are academies and facilities to encourage Asians in football.
“The opportunities are in place, so the challenge is for the next crop of Asian players to come through in what is an unforgiving industry. A lot of it is now down to the individuals, and of course their parents.”
Uddin will bring his experience in the game to the Council. He
came through the ranks at West Ham and captained the club at U18 level during their famous FA Youth Cup-winning campaign in 1999.
He went on to play for Bristol Rovers before joining Dagenham & Redbridge in 2004 where he made more than 200 appearances across six seasons.
Uddin became the first British Asian to captain a league side during his time with Dagenham & Redbridge. He also lifted the trophy at Wembley when the Daggers clinched promotion to League One with a 3-2 win over Rotherham in the 2010 League Two play-off final.
That summer he joined his former boss John Still at Barnet, before going on to become interim assistant manager to Giuliano Grazioli when Still left. It was a first for someone from Britain’s south Asian community to be a first league coach.
Uddin had stints at nonLeague Sutton United and Eastbourne Borough, and managed non-League sides Sporting Bengal United and Ware. In his role as assistant manager at Conference side Aldershot, Uddin is the most senior British Asian
coach in English football.