For a special training session, West Ham United and Luton Town gathered in east London to highlight the excellent work the two Premier League teams are doing to interact with South Asian communities.
The Hammers and Hatters collaborated to highlight the role they are playing in their respective communities to interact with a community that is notably underrepresented in football ahead of Saturday’s top-flight match at London Stadium.
The Boroughs of Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets, Barking & Dagenham, Havering, and Luton, along with the two east London areas, together house over 400,000 individuals of South Asian descent, encompassing countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives, and Nepal.
Thousands of people love football.
At the forefront of the group was West Ham United Academy Coach Neal Akhtar, along with Emerging Hammers Volunteer Coaches Yasmin Hussain and Joynal Hussain, Volunteer Coaches Adnan Ihtirum Syed-Hussain and Pharrell Ferguson, and West Ham Academy Link Mentor Rashid Abba.
The presence of former defender Anton Ferdinand and Irons first-team players Angelo Ogbonna and Freddie Potts, who gave coaching advice and encouragement throughout the hour-long session, inspired the kids.
The Premier League’s South Asian Action Plan is being advanced by both West Ham United and Luton Town, with recent data from the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) indicating improvements in the region.
The quantity of male South Asian football players in professional leagues
Ogbonna said: “I really wanted to get involved with this work because it is always important to give something back. “It has been a pleasure to work with all the kids here, to help them to play football and to help instil in them the positive values that sport brings on and off the pitch. “The community we are reaching out to here is a significant part of our community in East London and that is something that is really important to everyone at our Club.” Potts added: “Some of the boys here have really impressed me a lot. Some of them are really technical and have got really good skills. They are better than I was at ten years old!” Academy Link Mentor Abba.
