Anwar Uddin’s name is legendary in East London.
For six years, the defender captained Dagenham and Redbridge and helped the side to remarkably reach promotion to League One.
Born in Stepney, Tower Hamlets, Uddin played over 150 games for the Daggers during his time with the side, and he became the first British Asian to captain a Football League club during his time at Victoria Road.
Uddin was also a part of West Ham United’s legendary FA Youth Cup winning side in 1999, having joined the Irons at the age of twelve.
“My journey into football was quite unconventional really, it was through the school system,” Uddin explained. “I really enjoyed football during my youth, it was all I ever wanted to do. I played on the streets with my friends and family, and I also played for my school team.
“We weren’t very good, but I was the best player and I ended up playing at a district level for Tower Hamlets. I did very well there, I played a year up with Ledley King and Ashley Cole, and I ended up being offered London and England trials despite playing a year up in the district team.
“It was when I went to the England trials and they found out I was in the U12s and not in the U13s - that’s when all the professional clubs started to knock on the door. It was a bit crazy, because I had the pick of pretty much every club at the age of twelve.”
It was his involvement in a tournament with the young Hammers, in Ireland, that saw Uddin eventually decide the Hammers was the place for him.
“I played with West Ham in a tournament in Ireland and we ended up winning the tournament. The rest is history as they say! I had a great bond with the boys, and I knew the level of the West Ham United Academy. I knew that if I wanted to be the best, I would have to go up against the best, which that is exactly the reason that I joined West Ham.
“As you get a bit older, a lot of people say that you should go to lower league clubs to get more game time, but I have to say that my experience at West Ham was absolutely amazing. The youth team was so good, we won the Youth Cup, we won the League and the Academy League Cup.
“We travelled all over the world, playing against some incredible teams and we beat everyone. All these experiences are fantastic, training with some of the best players in my age group, like Joe Cole, every day, being in first team and reserve squads, it was just amazing.”
Uddin faced tough competition for places during his time at West Ham, with the centre-back struggling to break into the senior side.
The defender watched on as his former youth teammates either got their chance, and staked a claim in the first team, or opted for pastures new. Eventually, he himself decided he had no other option but to pursue a new chapter.
“It was a real disappointment for me,” Uddin reflected. “It felt like right club, wrong time. The first team were really strong at that point, they finished fifth in the league in the season I was trying to break through, and I was competing with the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Stuart Pearce, Ian Pearce, and Steve Potts for my place in the team.
“These players are absolute legends, and there were a number of other defenders in the squad at that time too.
“Despite the competition for places at West Ham, I was still playing for the reserve team, and I also broke into the first team squad, so I was doing really well. But as you start to get a little bit older, I realised that I needed to go and play football.”
Uddin left the Hammers in 2002 and signed for Sheffield Wednesday, who were looking to secure promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
However, Uddin’s career path took a turn when ITV Digital collapsed, meaning that the club couldn’t afford to keep him as financial difficulties struck.
“I signed for Sheffield Wednesday which was a move I was really pleased with; they are a huge club and they had just been relegated from the Premier League. Unfortunately, they had a number of financial difficulties, with the collapse of ITV Digital, which meant everyone’s contract became null and void, so I signed for Bristol Rovers.”
While Uddn had always harboured ambitions of remaining with West Ham and perhaps even representing England, the defender went on to enjoy a stellar playing career.
“Joining Rovers was the start of a great career for me in the EFL, which led to around 400 appearances at that level. It was great to then come back home and to play for Dagenham and Redbridge too, I played over 150 games for them, and I captained the side as we managed to get promoted from the National League to League One.
“I think that kind of achievement is unheard of and may never happen again, to captain a side from the National League to League One. For a team like Dagenham to be playing in the same league as Brighton and Charlton was unthinkable, but we did it.
“The dream was to make it with West Ham and to play for England, but I had some bad injuries at key moments during my career. On the other hand, though, to win Leagues with Dagenham and to lift the playoff trophy at Wembley was incredible and I am very proud of that. I have made some fantastic memories.”
Uddin holds two unique firsts in his career. He was the first Bangladeshi to play professional football in England and the first British Asian to captain a football club in the top four divisions of English football.
During his career, Uddin was just one of only five professional British Asians playing in the Football League and Premiership and, while the former Hammer is delighted to have acted as a role model, suggests more needs to be done to increase Asian representation in English football.
“That’s going to be my legacy,” Uddin evaluated. “To be someone that was the first to do anything is obviously a massive achievement and I was the first British Asian to play at Wembley and to sign a Premier League contract, alongside being the first British Asian to captain a Football League club.
“All these things, I was the first to do and West Ham gave me the platform and the education to go on and achieve what I did.
“To be honest, I have been disappointed with the lack of Asian representation in football, not just on the pitch, but off the pitch as well, whether it’s in management or club staff. I wanted to be that role model, to show that no matter what background you come from, you can do it.
“I also wanted to represent British Asians in a positive way and I would like to think that I have left a positive impression on people, I really hope to see an increase in representation in the next few years.”
Since retiring from football, Uddin has stepped into coaching, and has managed Glebe and Ware. Uddin also does a lot of work for the Football Supporters’ Federation, to continue the fight for inclusivity.
Such was his campaign and efforts, Uddin was awarded with an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2022.
He said: “When you think about the demographic and how many British Asian communities there are, compared to the representation in football, it doesn’t add up, and hopefully I am in a position now where I can do something about it. I now work for the Football Supporters’ Federation, and we are the democratic voice for football fans.
“We do loads of work with the West Ham United Supporter’s Trust and Pride Of Irons. All we want to do is to make football as inclusive as possible, and ultimately, we want to get as many people into football as possible. East London has a huge Asian community, and my aim is to connect the community to the football clubs.
“Football has given me a fantastic life. Even now, I coach. I have managed in non-league and I am currently an assistant manager at Aldershot Town. I was recently awarded with an MBE, so I have had so many great experiences because of football.
“I just want everyone to have that opportunity to embrace the game, whether that’s becoming a player, a coach, or a fan.”
