Leaders and sporting stars back Asian inclusion strategy

The Football Association (FA) has released a progress report on its Asian inclusion strategy, aimed at boosting Asian participation in football across the country.

Prominent leaders, sports men and women gathered to discuss the report and ways to increase Asian participation in the beautiful game, during a roundtable event held as part of the progress report 's launch.

Watford women 's footballer Rosie Kmita, Mansfield Town footballer Mal Benning, Aldershot Town assistant manager Anwar Uddin, presenter Seema Jaswal and The FA 's head of diversity and inclusion strategic programmes, Dal Darroch (pictured), took part in the discussion.

Asian communities comprise the largest ethnic minority group in the UK, but within grassroots football, male and female Asian participation of those aged 16 and over stands at 10.7 per cent and 13.5 per cent respectively.

But the number of professional players of Asian heritage is significantly lower, according to the report.

The 'Bringing Opportunities to Communities ' inclusion plan progress report highlights steps which have been made to make Asian inclusion a priority across the FA, raise awareness of pathways into the game, ensuring Asian inclusion is embedded at grassroots level, raising the profile of women in football and improving engagement with Asian communities.

Dal said: "We know that Asian communities are the most under-represented ethnic minority group in many areas of the game, and The FA is passionate about and dedicated to ensuring our game is for all.

“We 're proud of the progress made so far, but there is more to be done and we will continue to work closely with Asian communities and our stakeholders so that we can strive to make our game truly inclusive."