West Ham United have staged two Emerging Talent Festivals for football players of South Asian heritage this month as part of the Club’s wider approach to address and promote underrepresentation within the professional game.
With more than 325,000 South Asians living in the London Boroughs of Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets, Barking and Dagenham & Havering, and many of them being football lovers, it makes perfect sense for the Hammers to forge strong links with its local South Asian communities.
Indeed, West Ham were one of the first Clubs to support the Premier League’s South Asian Action Plan in 2022, and set up Emerging Hammers in the heart of east London to provide access opportunities and elite pathways for local players of South Asian heritage.
A year earlier, in 2021, the Club became the first in the Premier League to recruit an Academy Link Mentor, helping to further facilitate opportunities and pathways for players, coaches and scouts from South Asian backgrounds, appointing the experienced and popular Rashid Abba - who has worked in Community, Academy and Recruitment departments for over three decades - to the role.
Abba and his team have since hosted a number of workshops for South Asian coaches and scouts, and training sessions for grassroots clubs with South Asian players, and played a leading role in the Premier League’s aforementioned South Asian Action Plan.
The Club continues to work on a model of sustainable engagement with its local South Asian communities, by organising Emerging Hammers Talent Festivals, Player ID Games and Academy Coaching and Scouting CPDs (Continuing Professional Development courses), building relationships and trust, raising awareness and inspiring positive change.
The two Emerging Talent Festivals during June were staged for this season’s Under-10s and Under-11s age groups at Frenford Football Club in Ilford. The festivals were designed to identify promising players at both levels, who have subsequently been invited to represent West Ham at a National Premier League Emerging Talent Festival on 4 August 2024 at Loughborough University, where 28 teams will compete in four age groups. Last year, six players were signed to academies following the national event.
Speaking at West Ham United’s Emerging Talent Festivals, Abba explained the concept.
He said: “We are looking to identify players with the potential to be part of our Emerging Talent programme, and potentially even trial at the Academy of Football if they have the ability to compete in an elite environment.
“This is a great opportunity to champion players from the local community and to give them opportunities and pathways to progress into the professional Academy system.
“From these Under-10s and Under-11s groups, we are looking to invite 24 players to the Academy at Chadwell Heath to receive masterclass coaching sessions from our lead phase coaches on 13 July, before we look ahead to the National Premier League Emerging Talent Festival in August in Loughborough.
“A lot of this work is really about engaging the players, coaches and parents. We have fantastic partnerships with clubs like Frenford, and that helps because it gives us genuine reach and impact in the community.
“While we are always looking to widen the net, a key part of these festivals is to give players the opportunity to showcase their talent and potential, to play grassroots clubs and enjoy plenty of game time in a fun and competitive environment. Then there’s also the exciting opportunity to go on and represent West Ham in the National Finals as part of the Premier League South Asian Action Plan.”
Frenford Football Club Head of Youth Football Neal Akhtar praised the partnership with the Hammers in helping reach the local community, explaining the real growth and impact it has had.
Akhtar said: “We have seen a lot of South Asian players come through here.
“These events with West Ham United make sure we are not missing out on finding any young players from our local grassroots teams and from our local area. That is important because we seldom get scouts out here.
“Ten years ago, this work was a struggle and there weren’t many teams that looked like us. Now that has all changed.
“It is so positive because there is a really strong desire for players from South Asian communities to play football beyond just participation, and to get players pushed up into the professional game. The work with West Ham United makes this all possible.”
