Kick It Out chair Sanjay Bhandari: "We know what the data is telling us. The data is telling us there aren't enough British South Asians making it into the elite game. I don't think we need more research to demonstrate that we need to take action. What we need is action"
Monday 7 March 2022 12:06, UK
Kick it Out chair Sanjay Bhandari says the game must act now to tackle British South Asian under-representation, which "remains the single biggest statistical anomaly in English football".
Leicester midfielder Hamza Choudhury - whose mother is Bangladeshi - is the only British South Asian to feature in the Premier League this season, and is one of just four players from the community with a professional deal at a top-flight men's club.
Despite British South Asians making up around eight per cent of the population, footballers from the community make up less than 0.5 per cent of all professional players, with Bhandari telling Sky Sports News in 2020 that figure represents the biggest statistical anomaly in football.
Although the current data makes grim reading, Bhandari offered hope to those calling for more action in this space by indicating there is a growing acceptance across the game that British South Asian under-representation is now a football-wide issue.
"What we do know is that grassroots participation for boys and men and for girls and women in the British South Asian community is actually exactly where you'd expect, it correlates with national population statistics," the Kick It Out chair told Sky Sports News.
"I'm a little bit cautious when people want more data because I've had an experience where people ask for more data when they're uncomfortable with what the data is currently telling them.
"We know what the data is telling us. The data is telling us there aren't enough British South Asians making it into the elite game.
"I don't think we need more research to demonstrate that we need to take action. What we need is action. We might need some research on what are effective measures, but we need the action."
Bhandari is one of the speakers at this week's Include Summit in Birmingham, bringing together over 1,000 attendees with an overarching ambition to boost the participation of under-represented groups in sport, particularly young people.
He is speaking alongside the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion leads of the FA, Premier League and EFL on a panel exploring representation in British football on Wednesday.
Bhandari added: "The absence of British South Asians on the field remains the single biggest statistical anomaly in English football.
"Is English football doing enough? Well, there's still not enough on the pitch, and so, you know, the numbers speak for themselves, don't they?
"The numbers say we're not doing enough, but we know it's going to take a long time to resolve it. This has been a stubborn problem for 40, 50 years, and it's not. We're not going to just be able to wave a magic wand and players are just going to emerge.
"But what I suppose I have seen is a bit more of a willingness to have the conversation and an acceptance that there is a problem here and that we need to address it. Do I think football is doing enough? Not yet, but I'm hopeful that there's more work on the way."
Maz Mahmood and Derby's Kira Rai both featured on Sunday in the first West Brom Women's match to be staged at The Hawthorns.
More than 1,800 supporters turned out for the landmark game, which saw Indian drummers Bhangra Smash Up entertain fans pre-match.
The Albion Foundation had earlier put on a free Premier League Kicks session over the road from The Hawthorns at the Sandwell Academy, where Rai, Derby captain Hannah Ward, and first-team coach Kiran Singh Savage all made an appearance.
West Brom put in one of their best performances of the season to earn a 2-0 victory, denting Derby's hopes of promotion from the Women's National League Northern Premier Division.
Leigh Dugmore and Evie Gallop were on target for the home side, with Mahmood starting up front and Rai coming on for the visitors for the final half hour.
Earlier on Sunday, talented British South Asian footballers from across the country gathered for a Player Development Day to celebrate the anniversary of the PFA's Asian Inclusion Mentoring Scheme (AIMS).
The initiative was launched last year by the PFA to enhance the British South Asian player experience, offering a structured network of support for British South Asian footballers, with players passing on their knowledge gained coming through academy football and into the professional game.
More than 50 players, most of whom were joined by parents, from the foundation phase right through to the professional game, attended the AIMS event at England's national training centre at St George's Park in Staffordshire.
Coaches and other practitioners in the game were also in attendance at the event which featured a presentation on the current state of play followed by a parent-led workshop on supporting young footballers, as the players themselves gathered at St George's Park's indoor 3G pitch.
British South Asians in Football
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