We celebrated South Asian Heritage Month by bringing together teams, players, coaches, match officials and fans from across the South Asian community at St. George’s Park for the inaugural South Asian Shield.
In keeping with the year’s theme of Unity in Diversity, members of the South Asian community gathered to network and celebrate their contributions to the game at the gathering on Saturday 4 July.
As part of the day, pre-season friendly matches took place between four established football clubs of South Asian heritage that operate within Steps 4 and 5 of the English football pyramid. Sporting Khalsa FC met Panjab United Gravesend, whilst Sporting Bengal and Albion Sports Bradford also faced off at St. George’s Park, the home of England’s national football teams.
As well as the pre-season friendlies, the day also included an exhibition match featuring representatives of South Asian football club fan groups, Indus Rangers and Monsoon FC, delivered in collaboration with the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA).
An educational and celebratory conference and drop-in session took place to bring the day together, which included a special appearance from former England international Emile Heskey who provided his perspective on South Asians in the game. Current and former South Asian players Adnan Ahmed, Otis Khan and Mal Benning, alongside journalist Dev Trehan, reflected on how the game has evolved.
Our Community of Practice (CoP) Ambassadors in the professional game – Ami Kaur (Wolverhampton Wanderers FC), Zoe Shackleton and Umar Ahmed (Huddersfield Town FC), and Phil McQuillen and Dan Rodrigues (Birmingham City FC) – shared an overview of the work they are doing in some of the most populous South Asian areas.
The FSA reflected on the exhibition game and partner KICKSTATS awarded prizes to some of the players, before Nayim Ahmed of Sporting Bengal provided a short update on how the club has progressed and its plans for the future.
Dal Darroch, FA Head of Diversity & Inclusion Strategic Programmes, said: “Our equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, A Game Free From Discrimination, continues our focus on increasing football participation across all communities – and this event encapsulates what we’re looking to do.
“Bringing together such a wide range of people from the South Asian community has been brilliant, and the opportunity for everyone to connect, network, learn and share their ideas for increasing participation within their respective communities has been invaluable.
“We’ve had an excellent turnout, and watched some great games of football, too, and we’re looking forward to seeing the impact the day has on the community.”
Nilesh Chauhan, The FSA’s Fans For Diversity Campaign Manager, added: “At Fans for Diversity, we know the power of representation, and The FA South Asian Shield was a shining example of that. The event was flawlessly put together, creating a space where South Asian fans supporter groups could not only connect and network but also actively share ideas for increasing participation within our communities.
“Witnessing everyone come together to break down barriers and enjoy the football, including the fantastic supporter group Fans For Diversity match, served as a powerful reminder that the game truly belongs to everyone. It was an honour to be part of such a well-executed day.”
Following the success of our Faith & Football Series, we will soon launch a new ‘Faith Fund’ to invest in locally-led faith, intersectional and community initiatives across the country. Open to County FAs, grassroots and semi-professional clubs, leagues, and faith organisations, the fund will support programmes that create meaningful, measurable community impact. Look out for more information soon.
