The Football Association has launched its first strategy for supporting south Asians in English football, as it seeks to confront the “overt racism, often in mainstream places” that keeps players away.
“Build, connect, support” is the name of the plan that looks to provide solid foundations for making football a more welcoming and inclusive place for Britain’s largest single ethnic minority. It starts from a strong base, with the number of south Asian players at the grassroots level now over-indexing compared to share of the national population. However, research commissioned in support of the strategy – which interviewed parents, young players, coaches and associations – found a pervasive fear of abuse and a sense that the national sport was “not for us”.
“More south Asian people are playing, coaching and refereeing within the game and continuing to grow these participation levels remains a strategic priority for our organisation,” the strategy document says. “We must embrace the unique diversity of our country and continue to use football as a force for good. We know there is more to be done to make the game more accessible for diverse communities on and off the pitch.”
The FA had previously included south Asians as part of a broader “Asian inclusion plan”. The newly focused strategy centres on putting in place infrastructure and practices that can help eliminate the negative experiences of south Asian players. One of the key findings in the research was a “perceived reluctance to make [the] game more accommodating to key south Asian groups, and [an] endurance of overt racism, often in mainstream spaces”. Another was that grassroots football “is not accommodating of faith-based practices and dress, which reinforces the perception of ‘not for us’”.
In response to these experiences, the FA says it will work on creating “cultural and religious sensitivity” and “supportive and welcoming environments”, while “normalising visibility and representation”. It will look to do so via a number of educational programmes, coaching schemes and a “grassroots parent support network”.
The continued absence of south Asian players from the professional game is a problem the FA cannot confront as it falls outside the governing body’s areas of direct influence. There were 22 professional male players with south Asian heritage in England’s top four leagues last season, something Sanjay Bhandari, the chair of Kick It Out, has described as “the single largest statistical anomaly in English football”.
“We recognise that when it comes to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), not everything is within our remit or reach – or our control,” the FA say in the strategy document. “However, at the FA, our commitment to creating a game free from discrimination is as strong as ever.”
