Arsenal target increased South Asian participation in football with Hale End academy event

Arsenal have launched a scheme aimed at boosting the participation of South Asian communities in football. The ‘Emerging Strong, Young, South Asian Gunners’ event took place at the Gunners' Hale End academy on Saturday.

Children from London and the surrounding areas at pre-academy (between the ages of seven and eight) and foundation phase (nine to eleven-year-olds) ages were invited to come and show their talents at the same academy which has recently produced the likes of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.

Parents and guardians then had the chance to hear from academy staff such as Lee Herron (Head of Talent ID), Yousuf Sajjad (Head of Emerging Talent for U17 – U23), Nav Singh (Academy Sports Scientist) Steve Brown (Lead Coordinator for U8 – U16 players) and Zubair Haleem (Senior Academy Physiotherapist) about the topics of elite player pathways and future activities.

Bernd Leno brilliantly reveals his 'next team' after shutting down Arsenal transfer claim

“We are proud to have the Arsenal Academy at the forefront of engaging with young South Asian talent within the London area," Herron said. "This event is only a small first step with the PFA, where we ultimately hope to give young players more opportunities while also building long-lasting links with south Asian communities.”

A recent study from Leeds Beckett University revealed that there are just 10 British Asian male footballers out of approximately 4,000 professionals in the UK. British-Asians make up 7% of the population, but just 0.25% of professional footballers are from a British Asian background. Through initiatives like, Arsenal are attempting to change that by demonstrating the pathways into the game for South Asian communities.

“This project is about