Premier League launches scheme to identify players of South Asian heritage

The Premier League says it acknowledges players of South Asian heritage are “significantly underrepresented” in English football, as it looks to bring an end to decades of lost talent.

A new initiative known as the South Asian Action Plan, created by the Premier League in conjunction with Kick it Out, aims to better identify talent among boys of South Asian heritage at “foundation phase” age, between eight and 12 years old, and increase the numbers of players within the academy system.

“We have an accurate record of the ethnic make‑up of our young players and we absolutely see that boys of South Asian heritage are significantly underrepresented,” the Premier League’s director of football, Neil Saunders, said. “We feel that that shouldn’t be the case and we’re committed to addressing that. We recognise it isn’t going to happen overnight but we’re committed to a long-term plan.”

The scheme, launched this week at a gathering in Birmingham of 100 coaches and officials from 35 clubs across England, is to aim for long‑term improvement in the number of players of South Asian heritage in the professional and non-league game, hoping to echo the development of English youth talent more broadly under the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP).

Saunders was instrumental in the success of the EPPP, which has developed a generation of English talent – from Reece James to Phil Foden – who compete at the very top. Players of South Asian heritage have not benefited from this change, with only 16 players active in the English professional game. Work by individuals across the country, including Riz Rehman of the Professional Footballers’ Association whose Asian Inclusion Mentoring Scheme built a network for aspiring professionals, has