British South Asians possess the ability to thrive at football, and anyone who doubts this fact is either blind or ignorant. Sporting Equals and Sky Sports have taken steps towards showing this through an unprecedented timeline which shows their journey within English football today.
Luthra joined Arbour Park FC from Cardiff City last season on loan, and made history as the first British South Asian to compete in both divisions of English football. Fans traveled all the way from South Wales to Arbour Park just to support him; many left feeling satisfied as their favourite 6ft 5in Punjabi goalkeeper made crucial saves during a thrilling season at Arbour Park.
Goalkeeper Simran Luthra
After making history by becoming the first British South Asian manager in senior Scottish football last year, Iftikar is back on the frontline this week as the Preston-born former Fort William goalkeeper took charge of Pakistan U19s.
He offers a unique viewpoint on how far South Asian players have come in the game; yet, according to him, much work remains to be done.
Though fewer than one percent of English academy players come from South Asian backgrounds, according to him the Professional Footballers' Association Asian Inclusion Mentoring Scheme has already shown some promise of change.
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Sporting Equals and Sky Sports have collaborated on an unprecedented timeline that showcases the community's journey in contemporary English football. Kira Rai, Mariam Mahmood and Simran Jhamat feature prominently within this exhibition alongside others; each has been instrumental in showing that there is indeed a path to success within women's football that takes passion and dedication into account.
Defender Harmanpreet Singh
Sporting Equals and Sky Sports recently unveiled a first-of-its-kind timeline and display to highlight South Asian heritage players in modern English football, including Kira Rai from Derby County Women. Since then she has continued her success.
Rai scored both goals for India Rebels during their 5-0 thumping of Liverpool Feds, along with Niamh Deasy and Maria Timms, to lead them to victory. Her performance followed on from her role in an earlier classification match against Stourbridge where India earned 25 penalty corners, thanks largely to Rai.
Harmanpreet made an instantaneous step up into senior camp after impressing with his drag flicks at junior camps, quickly being elevated into senior side. Since then he has become India's go-to player from penalty corners. He was instrumental in their victory at Sultan Azlan Shah Cup; and although their Olympic campaign did not go as expected; Harmanpreet continues his excellent form and hopes to maintain it during this tournament.
Midfielder Siddharth Jadhav
Although English kids are playing football at record levels, only 1% of academy players in England come from South Asian heritage. That's why Riz Rehman from the Professional Footballers' Association's Player Inclusion Executive Riz Rehman has been working to raise this percentage through their Aims campaign.
Rehman created his foundation to provide support and guidance to current professional players from South Asian backgrounds who are trying to advance in their careers. Rehman notes he hopes these players are supported by their clubs – something which was lacking when he himself was an academy player.
Kira Rai, one of three South Asian players included in a pioneering timeline and display depicting their journey in modern women's football, followed up her stellar performance against Liverpool Feds by helping Derby County claim an impressive 7-1 win against Stourbridge at Dom Amott Arena. Kira was responsible for setting up Niamh Deasy's goal.
Goalkeeper Rohan Singh
Rohan Singh has over two decades of work experience across banking, healthcare, entrepreneurship and philanthropy. He holds an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler and two certifications: Coursera's “Managing Big Data with MySQL” and Bloomberg Marketing Concepts from Bloomberg LP.
A new initiative from the Premier League aims to increase representation of players of South Asian heritage in England's professional game. Modelled on EPPP – which fostered talent like Reece James and Phil Foden – but focused specifically on those from an Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi background.
Kira Rai is another newcomer to our list after scoring the inaugural British South Asian goal in senior women's football for Apollon FC – adding another goal during their 3-0 victory against Stourbridge at Dom Amott Arena. Her impressive qualifying campaign earned her plenty of praise as many expect her to qualify for World Cup 2016.
