The number of South Asian men’s professional footballers in England and Wales has risen for the second year in a row, according to figures from the Professional Footballers’ Association.
There are 22 professional players with South Asian heritage aged 17 or over in England’s top four leagues this season.
That is a 29% rise from 17 in 2022-23, while there were 16 in 2021-22, when the PFA began recording this data.
“The data is encouraging,” said PFA player inclusion executive Riz Rehman.
“The figures show an increasing momentum for South Asian players and those seeking pathways within the game.
“Our primary focus will remain on the players as we build on the multiple successes of last year and push forward.”
The PFA launched its Asian Inclusion Mentoring Scheme (AIMS) in 2021 to increase Asian representation in football by delivering workshops, creating a support network for Asian footballers and engaging with clubs about cultural barriers.
The newly published figures also show:
- There are now players with South Asian heritage in each of the top men’s professional leagues
- An increase in the total number of players with South Asian heritage at all levels of elite football in the 2022-23 season, rising to 134 from 119 in the previous year
- The proportion of academies with at least one player of South Asian heritage grew to 63% in the latest season, up from 53% in the 2021-22 season
- An increase in the number of league debuts by players of South Asian heritage. There were only two debuts between 2018 and 2021 but there were six between 2022 and 2023
The overall percentage of South Asian professional players remains low in England and Wales.
There are about 5,000 professional footballers in the UK, with less than 1% with South Asian heritage.
Those who identify as Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh make up 9.3% of the overall UK population, according to Census 2021 data.
Rehman told Sky Sports: “When we started this work we wanted to change the narrative from a negative one to a positive one.
“Too many times in the past players have been asked to talk about the lack of Asian players – no-one has really concentrated on their achievements in the game.
“If we kept focusing on the numbers, nothing would happen.”
Rehman said the PFA has focused on ensuring support networks for young Asian footballers, with mentors including Norwich City’s Danny Batth and Shrewsbury Town’s Malvind Benning.
Sheffield United and England U19 international Sai Sachdev, who is being supported by the AIMS programme, said: “The PFA has taken an interest in all our journeys and the team has come to spend some time with me at the training ground, as well as with my family, which was appreciated.
“I’ve built friendships with other players and attended AIMS events, which have given me a good insight into the different industry pathways.”
