Former Liverpool forward Simran Jhamat joins Coventry United; Jhamat played at Bristol City last season and could line up against her old side on the opening day of the Championship season; Kira Rai vows to return stronger after being sidelined for Derby County's opener with a knee injury
Thursday 18 August 2022 08:56, UK
Simran Jhamat has completed a return to Coventry United for the 2022/23 FA Women's Championship season.
Sky Sports News exclusively revealed Jhamat was set to make an emotional return back to Coventry United, where she had a six-month spell back in 2020.
Sikh-Punjabi attacker Jhamat joins as a free agent after deciding to leave Bristol City Women at the end of the last campaign.
Jhamat became the first South Asian Heritage player in Bristol City Women's history when she moved to the club last year.
And the 21-year-old now looks set to make her debut against her former club when they visit the Butts Park Arena to play Coventry United in their Championship opener on Sunday.
"I am so excited to have joined Coventry United and can't wait for the weekend opener against Bristol City," Jhamat said.
Jhamat hails from Walsall and was spotted playing for local club Sporting Khalsa at junior level, before being snapped up by Aston Villa's Girls' Centre of Excellence where she spent seven seasons before joining Liverpool in 2017.
She spent a year at Leicester City, followed by a spell at Coventry United, before moving South to Lewes ahead of joining Bristol City for the 2021/22 season.
Jhamat has earned international recognition across different England youth age groups and became the first Punjabi girl to score at competitive level for England's U17s when she netted in a 6-0 Euro qualifying win against Slovakia.
Kira Rai has been ruled out of Derby County Women's season-opener at home to Burnley with a knee injury.
Rai has looked sharp in pre-season but had to come off in last weekend's friendly against Cardiff City when she fell awkwardly and an opposing player landed on her knee.
Initial scans proved inconclusive with the injury requiring further assessment.
Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports News, Rai said: "Let's see how it goes over the next few days and let's see when I am going to be able to get back onto the pitch in a Derby County shirt.
"Naturally, it's disappointing to miss the big kick-off to the new season but when I'm back, I'm going to be better, and I'm going to be stronger - and I'm determined to play my part to try and help Derby get promoted to the FA Women's Championship."
Rai, who turned 23 last month, is a product of the Derby County academy, initially joining the club as an U10s player after starting out at her local club Burton Albion. The attacking midfielder signed a one-year contract extension last month.
The Burton-born Sikh-Punjabi attacker is an active supporter of the Sky Sports and Sporting Equals partnership, featuring in the TV advert to announce the groundbreaking development for British South Asians in Football earlier this year.
The glaring lack of ethnic diversity at the elite end of the women's game was brought sharply into focus during the Women's Euros, with England fielding an all-white starting XI in all six of their matches at the tournament.
Sky Sports recognised and began taking steps to address the lack of diversity in the women's game back in 2020 as part of its £30m commitment to tackle systemic racism and make a difference in communities across the UK.
Sky Sports has worked with dozens of current and former players from diverse ethnic backgrounds, and has tried to give them a platform to share their stories to try and capture the imagination to inspire the next generation of female footballers.
Talent has been identified and signposted directly to the Football Association and clubs as part of Sky Sports' unprecedented commitment to British South Asians in Football, which has also seen us devote a section of our website to raising awareness about South Asians in The Game, and create a dedicated rolling blog.
A number of elite and elite-potential female players and their families have also been supported with mentoring and access to off-field developmental opportunities.
Earlier this year, Sky Sports also partnered with the country's largest sports race equality charity, Sporting Equals, which has seen us support participation across the country, including devising the 'Seeing Is Believing' event for century-old west London sports club Indian Gymkhana.
For more stories, features and videos, visit our groundbreaking South Asians in Football page on skysports.com and South Asians in the Game blog and stay tuned to Sky Sports News and our Sky Sports digital platforms.
