Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters surprised youngsters at West Ham United's Emerging Hammers session as part of their visit to London for the Premier League Next Generation Cup.
Kerala and fellow Indian side Bengaluru FC both have U21 teams in the country for the tournament - also featuring youth sides from West Ham, Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Nottingham Forest - after securing qualification through last season's inaugural Reliance Foundation Development League held in Goa.
Kerala were beaten by Tottenham in their Next Gen London semi-final on Wednesday, with West Ham, who defeated Crystal Palace 4-3 in their own semi-final, going on to defeat Spurs 8-0 in the final on Saturday. Kerala were beaten 4-1 by Crystal Palace in the third-place play-off.
In between their two matches, Blasters players mingled with aspiring footballers at the Emerging Hammers weekly session, based at Frenford Clubs in the London Borough of Redbridge, on Friday evening, exchanging knowledge and experiences with players and coaches.
The squad were also given a talent identification masterclass by West Ham Academy Link Mentor Rashid Abba during the Premier League-led visit, before an on-pitch demonstration by U12-U14 lead phase coach Luke Smith.
Proud to support #WestHam #PremierLeague & #KeralaBlasters youngsters at a brilliant Emerging Hammers session ⚒️⚽️
— Dev Trehan (@DevTrehan) July 30, 2022
➕️ Mark Hughes & Anwar Uddin MBE help open centre next to Valley Parade ⚽️🏴🇮🇳🏴🇧🇩🐯⚒️https://t.co/NyU7kwjNB4#KBFC 🟡 #YennumYellow ⚒️ #COYI 🇮🇳#IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/WsAjgdagTT
West Ham's Emerging Hammers model has become a blueprint for clubs across the country when it comes to talent identification and the development of players, coaches and scouts from diverse ethnic communities.
Abba, who was appointed to the Link Mentor Role in September last year to strengthen the Academy and West Ham United Foundation's relationship with the local South Asian community, told Sky Sports ambassador Dev Trahan: "It was great to welcome potential Kerala Blasters first-team players to Emerging Hammers.
"It was fantastic to share some of our knowledge and learn from their experiences, and it was great for the youngsters who found their visit truly inspiring."
West Ham Recruitment Manager Shane O'Gorman added: "We are immensely proud of Emerging Hammers, which identifies and nurtures untapped talent and potential reflective of the communities we serve. We are committed to growing its scope and impact."
More than 325,000 South Asians (Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi) live in the London Boroughs of Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets, Barking and Dagenham and Havering, and many of them are football lovers.
However, the ethnic group is significantly underrepresented across football, so, in line with the Club’s commitment to equality and diversity, the role of Academy Link Mentor has been created to provide opportunities and pathways for male and female players and coaches from South Asian backgrounds.
Abba, who began his career as a coach in Football in the Community Programme, Academy coach and talent scout with Leicester City over 30 years ago, has great experience of working with the local community as West Ham United Foundation’s Employability Manager, took on the role.
A recognisable and popular figure across east London and beyond, the work being done by Abba and his team is strengthening links between the Club and its community with regular events for coaches and players across the local area.
To find out more about the Academy Link Mentor’s role and how West Ham United is working with the South Asian communities of east London, email [email protected]
