Brentford marked South Asian Heritage Month last week with a special event called 'Stories To Tell - Celebrating South Asian Changemakers in Football’ in collaboration with Fulham.

The event, attended by special guests and Brentford and Fulham staff, focused on sharing the journeys of South Asians in football both on the field and off the field, as well as highlighting the progress needed to create better inclusivity in football. 

Guests heard from three panels at the event. The first, the on-field panel, included Riz Rehman, player inclusion executive, and Nevin Saroya, regional coach developer, both from the Professional Footballers' Association and previously played for Brentford in the early stages of their careers.

Ameesh Manek, business operations director at the club, also shared his insights of how Brentford is putting equity, diversity and inclusion at the heart of its new academy.  

The second panel focused on the off-field experience and consisted of Piara Powar, trustee of Chelsea Foundation and Brentford director Nity Raj who shared the value of diversity in the club.

To conclude the event, the Changemakers panel included various perspectives featuring Anwar Uddin MBE, diversity and inclusion manager at the Football Association, sports journalists Dev Trehan, Sachin Patel from Spurs REACH and Brentford non-executive director Preeti Shetty, who shared expertise on what could be done to attract more South Asian women into football. 

Celebrating South Asian food and music, guests were also treated to performances from Shivani Bedi and Bhangra Dance London and snacks from Samosas Direct. 

Kaammini Chanrai, equity and inclusion director at Brentford, said: “Growing up as a South Asian person, I couldn’t see myself represented in football. Many years later, things finally feel like they’re changing – there is better representation across our staff, in our boardrooms and in our fanbase.  

“We wanted to do our part in expanding the conversation about South Asian representation in football, both on and off the pitch. This event is a brilliant place to start. Storytelling, celebration, collaboration and listening to lived experiences are how we move the dial and take action.  

“We’re proud to have done this event with Fulham Football Club. On the pitch, we’re very much west London rivals, but off the pitch we’re very much united in our desire to see greater inclusion and representation in football.”