British South Asians Honored at Asian Football Awards 2024
Asian Football Awards honor British South Asians in football. Winners announced in categories including academy staff, players, coaches, and match officials.
Asian Football Awards honor contributions with power, from local grounds to Premier League tower
The fifth Asian Football Awards recognized the outstanding contributions of British South Asians to the football industry.
The event, supported by the Premier League and other football organisations, honored individuals from the South Asian community who have had a significant impact at all levels of British football.
Manisha Tailor MBE, International Development Coach at Tottenham Hotspur, Ashvir Singh Johal, Head of Professional Development at Notts County and Jazz Sodhi, Head of Sports Medicine and Academy Science at Aston Villa, received the first Oscars sponsored by the Premier League.
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The other winners were Hamza Choudhury and Yan Dhanda who shared the men’s player award, Kira Rai who won the women’s player award and Sunny Singh Gill who was recognized as the official of match of the year.
The Asian Football Awards aim to drive change and inspire future generations by highlighting British South Asian achievements in football.
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Neil Saunders, the Premier League’s director of football, has highlighted the importance of celebrating diversity and tackling under-representation in football.
Baljit Rihal, founder of the Asian Football Awards, expressed his gratitude for the support of leading football organizations and highlighted the inspiring stories of the winners.
The full list of winners includes:
- Community Club Award: Punjab United FA
- Grassroots Award: Shahid Malji (Super 5 League London)
- Match Official of the Year: Sunny Singh Gill
- Inclusion Project Award: The FA (Faith in Football/South Asian Inclusion)
- Media Award: Dev Trehan (Sky Sports News)
- Premier League Academy Award: Manisha Tailor, Ashvir Johal, and Jazz Sodhi
- Inspiration Award: Rashid Abba (West Ham United)
- Professional Coach Award: Shadab Iftikhar (Wigan Athletic)
- Young Player (U23) Award: Zidane Iqbal (FC Utrecht)
- Founders Special Recognition Award: Vinay Menon (Wellness Coach – former Chelsea FC and Belgium World Cup team)
- Men’s Player Award: Joint Winners – Yan Dhanda (Hearts) and Hamza Choudhury (Leicester City)
- Women’s Player Award: Kira Rai (Derby County Women’s FC)
- Fan Group Award: Punjabi Villans (Aston Villa)
- Special Recognition – Voluntary Services to Officiating: Rashpal Shergill
Key Points:
- Awards celebrate British South Asian contributions to football
- Premier League supports event to address underrepresentation
- Winners include academy staff, players, coaches, and match officials
- Ceremony aims to inspire future generations
