Friday 30 December 2016 16:53, UK
QPR academy coach Manisha Tailor has been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours list.
Tailor, who holds the UEFA B coaching licence, hails from Finchley in north London and has been recognised for her services to football and diversity, having spent more than 15 years coaching across communities.
Former Brentford scout Tailor won plaudits for the Community Development Centre she set up yards from Wembley Stadium at the Swaminarayan Hindu school, which feeds into the FA's anti-discrimination plan.
The qualified primary school headteacher - winner of the Woman in Football accolade at the 2013 Asian Football Awards - also runs weekly football sessions at Ryman Premier League club Wingate and Finchley in conjunction with Barnet Voice for Mental Health.
"To be honoured by the Queen and be the recipient of such a prestigious honour is something that I will cherish always," Tailor told Sky Sports.
"I am both humbled and grateful and will always be indebted to the beautiful game.
"Furthermore, I want to continue to use the power of sport to challenge perceptions of mental health and help create greater diversity."
Tailor met QPR technical director Chris Ramsey when they were both speakers at a coaching conference at St George's Park in 2014 before she went on to complete her UEFA B Licence.
The pair have kept in touch ever since, and after a period of shadowing Ramsey, Tailor was offered the chance to become a permanent member of the QPR academy coaching staff.
"There are many people I will thank personally for providing me with the support and much-needed guidance to help me progress in football," she added.
"Chris is of course one of them and he has been a huge influence, especially in helping me gain access to an academy environment.
"But Chris also comes from a teaching background so he has the unbelievable capacity to scaffold and break down learning. In terms of my growth and development as a coach, watching Chris at work has been great."
