'Connecting Communities' is a research project - funded by the Premier League Fan's Fund - which engages directly with South Asian communities through focus groups, surveys and community events to understand cultural needs, potential barriers to participation in football, and to inform the design of future programmes that meet the specific needs and interests of the community.
In partnership with the Premier League Fans Fund, Brentford FC CST has undertaken a series of new initiatives to increase engagement with South Asian communities through physical activity and football engagement.
Asian and British Asian communities constitute a significant proportion of the local population around Brentford. Hounslow is represented by 36.7% Asian or Asian British residents and Ealing by 30.3% Asian or Asian British residents.
Local Need
Although the Trust operates in a culturally diverse area, an underlying disparity in sports participation exists across the country. According to Sport England’s Active Lives survey only 40.8% of Pakistani women and 45.7% of Indian women engage in at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week, compared to 60.9% of White British women and 65.3% of White British men.
In response, the Trust has carried out direct community consultation and active listening to identify any cultural needs within the South Asian community, understand potential barriers to engagement in football, and learn how we can tailor our sporting provision accordingly.
Increased Opportunity
In June, the Trust partnered with Lampton Leisure, who operate leisure services in the London Borough of Hounslow, and The Positive Movement Project to provide various sessions for 11 to 15-year-olds with South Asian heritage.
The ‘Free to Be Me’ initiative has been created to help young people get more physically active and reduce childhood obesity rates across the borough. The sessions, which run across three sites, are free to attend and include a range of sports targeted at different groups and abilities, including a football class designed to inspire girls of South Asian heritage.
The initiative also forms part of Lampton Leisure’s ongoing commitment to improving access to health and wellbeing services for all communities across Hounslow.
Talent ID
Following the launch of the ‘Free to Be Me’ programme the Trust held a South Asian Talent ID Festival at Gunnersbury Park in July.
With over 70 players in attendance and coaches from the Trust’s Football Development programmes, the festival was both a celebration and opportunity for some of the best South Asian players in west London to showcase their skills.
The festival also reiterates the Trust and Brentford FC’s commitment to progressing the Premier League's South Asian Action Plan, which aim to address the underrepresentation of British south Asian players within the academy system.
Representation in the Professional Game
According to The Professional Footballers' Association, the number of south Asian men's professional footballers in England and Wales has risen for the second year in a row.
During the 2023-24 football season there were 22 professional players with south Asian heritage aged 17 or over in England's top four leagues this season, which is a 29 per cent rise from the 17 players in 2022-23.
The overall percentage of south Asian professional players however remains low in England and Wales. There are around 5,000 professional footballers in the UK, with less than one per cent with South Asian heritage.
This compares with 9.3 per cent of the overall UK population, who identify as Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh.
Have Your Say
We are looking to engage with the South Asian community in local London Boroughs in order to build understanding and stronger links between the Trust, Brentford FC and local community groups.