Sports academy prepares to celebrate 20 years of work in the community
Birmingham Youth Sports Academy (BYSA) is preparing to celebrate 20 years of work in the community next year and will mark the occasion with their Annual Gala Charity Dinner in March 2022.
Founded by Anwar Khattak (pictured) in 2002, BYSA are a Birmingham-based voluntary organisation providing grassroots football to the community.
BYSA has received funding from a number of organisations in order to offer football coaching to young people aged 6-18.
They academy currently run two coaching sessions, one for boys at Small Heath Leisure Centre every Saturday morning from 10:30am - 12:30pm and one for girls at Saltley Leisure Centre from 11:00am - 12:00pm every Sunday.
The academy have changed many lives since their inception and has become more than just sports, having recently introduced their educational tutoring programme which supports students with English and maths to develop further their academic skills.
In celebration of their achievements in the last 20 years, BYSA will hold their Annual Gala Charity Dinner next year and will put all proceeds generated on the night back into the charity to develop the sports project/facility, mentoring programme and tutoring sessions so that they can continue to deliver services to over 400 plus kids on a weekly basis.
The event has previously welcomed many high profile guests, companies, businesses and VIP delegates/sporting celebrities like Ian rush, John Barnes, John Aldridge, Mark Walters and the late Cyril Regis.
Previously, the gala has seen 500 plus guests. Dates and a venue are yet to be confirmed.
Anwar Khattak said: “To be a part of this and see the hard work the volunteers have put in for 20 years is amazing. It 's been a great journey, lots of memories made and we look forward to the support and the next few years as this organisation continues to do life changing work. ”