England youth coach Michael Johnson and talent developer Jas Batt team up to coach Apna England Lionesses | Football News

England youth coach Michael Johnson and Midlands talent developer Jas Batt have teamed up to coach aspiring female players from South Asian backgrounds ahead of the tournament at St George’s Park.

Johnson and Batt were supported by female volunteer coaches from BPM Sports at trials organized by England’s official Three Lions supporter club Apna, giving the players the chance to represent their fan group at a charity tournament this month.

Talented players from as far afield as Leicester, Kent and Southall traveled to the West Midlands for the session, held at the home of FA Women’s National League Division One Midlands side Sporting Khalsa.

Sporting Khalsa, founded in 1991 and whose first team plays in the Midlands division of the Premier League North in the eighth tier of English football, is the most successful club to emerge from the South Asian community in England.

Players in these sessions participate in various coaching exercises and training activities and are assessed by a team of trained talent identification specialists.

Successful players will have the opportunity to play in the women’s only Copa Del CL tournament to help Cure Leukemia.

Johnson, whose previous clubs include Birmingham City and Derby County, told Sky Sports News: “It’s a great opportunity and opportunity for me to see some great talent from the South Asian community that probably hasn’t been seen as much as it is now.

“It’s great to work with him and it’s great to work with Jas Batt. For anyone to be here to support this initiative is great.”

Simran, who had traveled to the session with her father Raj, said: “It was an inspiring day. Things like this don’t happen very often, if at all, and it really felt like the start of something.

“I’ve rarely had the opportunity to train or play with South Asian girls, so it’s brilliant. It’s good just to meet people, have fun, and just express yourself and play with freedom.

“We also have a crossbar challenge at the end – and who doesn’t like a crossbar challenge!”

How Sky is trying to make a change

A striking lack of ethnic diversity at the elite end of the women’s game has focused heavily on this summer’s Women’s Euros, with England fielding an all-white starting XI in all six matches of the tournament.

Sky Sports recognized and began taking steps to address the lack of diversity in the women’s game by 2020 as part of a £30m commitment to tackle systemic racism and make a difference in communities across the UK.

Sky Sports has worked with dozens of current and former players from various ethnic backgrounds, and has tried to give them a platform to share their stories to try and capture the imagination to inspire the next generation of female soccer players.

Talent has been identified and signposted directly to the Football Association and the club as part of Sky Sports’ Unprecedented commitment to English South Asia in Football, which has also seen us dedicate part of our website to increase awareness of South Asia in the Game, and create a dedicated rolling blog.

A number of elite and elite-potential female players and their families have also been supported with mentoring and access to off-field development opportunities.

Sky Sports also partnered with the country’s biggest sports equality charity, Sporting Equals, which saw us support participation across the country, including creating a ‘Seeing Is Believing’ event for century-old west London sports club Gymkhana.

English South Asia in football

For more stories, features and videos, visit the South Asia in Football page on skysports.com and the South Asians in Games blog and stay tuned to Sky Sports News and our Sky Sports digital platform.