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”.
