Barriers Preventing British South Asian Footballers from Becoming Professionals - Research Paper Example

Topic: Barriers preventing British South Asian footballer becoming professional Student Name Tutor: Institution: Date of Submission Barriers preventing British South Asian footballer becoming professional Abstract This paper provides an analysis of the barriers that have prevented South Asian footballers becoming professional. Its main areas of focus include qualitative and quantitative analyses of these barriers with focus on the use of data analysis techniques of barriers that have prevented Asian Footballers from becoming professionals. Other areas of culture that affect football development among south Asian Footballers that is investigated include lack of talents and the attitude of most Asian countries towards football in relation to other sports such as cricket and hockey. The role of culture in affecting football in Asian countries is also investigated. The other factor that is discussed as having an effect in football in Asia is the role played by Asian parents in preventing their children from getting certain opportunities that are allowed by western parents. It also involves an investigation of the role of parents in affecting the chances of their children joining academies. The methodology section of this paper provides a research in which a study is conducted to determine the attitudes of respondents towards the argument that Asian professional footballers are difficult to find in professional football. It also includes an analysis of the findings from the research and provision of recommendation for future studies regarding the topic and how the problem can be overcome. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract 2 1. Introduction 3 1.1. Aims and Objectives 4 2. Literature Review 5 3. Research Methodology 7 4. Results 8 Figure 1. Factors affecting participation in Football 9 Figure 2. A comparison of participation in different sports 10 5. Discussion 10 5.1. Responses from Manchester FA Interview 11 Figure 3. Barriers to participation in football and their solutions 12 5.2. Stereotypes against Asian Footballers 12 6. Recommendations for Further Research 13 7. References 14 8. Appendix 16 1. Introduction It has been observed that in the context of football, there are usually fewer or no South Asian players in the British Premier league (Collins, 2010). This has been attributed to a number of reasons. A study conducted in 2004 by a radical equality commission indicated that only 10 Asian football players were in English Premier League academies. This is significant in determining the problems and coming up with corrective measures within the British South Asian Communities. This will be accomplished by a research process involving conducting interviews and seeking views from a wide range of sources such as the views of professional coaches and parents. It also tries to come up with recommendations that will change the thinking practice of parents, children and the community at large in a case where children demonstrate potentials to become professional footballers. This research will give the user the ability to have the information and solutions to problems facing Asian professional football within the communities involved. 1.1. Aims and Objectives In order for this study to be complete, there are certain objectives that this study tries to achieve. These objectives act as a guide towards achieving the overall aim of the research. Some of the objectives that this study tries to achieve include: To determine the culture/religion practices that create barriers for Asian footballers who want to join British Football To determine if a stereotype is a factor that contributes to lack of participation of Asian footballers in the English premier league. To determine the role of lack of motivation and interests in contributing to non-professional development. To determine the attitudes of parents towards the idea that South Asian players need to be recruited to British Football Associations. 2. Literature Review Participation in professional football is affected by a number of factors ranging from cultural beliefs and economic conditions as well as environmental conditions. South Asian children’s participation in professional football has been affected by these conditions in a number of ways. Some of the cultural beliefs that have negatively affected their participation in professional football is that they regard religion to be more important and would prefer that their children attend mosques rather than participation in football academies. Furthermore, some parents do not want their children to participate in football because they do not believe it will be beneficial to them. Consequently, they emphasize that their children participate in other activities such as education and solicitor ship that are considered ways that can ensure they are able to get employment as professionals. In addition, most children of South Asian communities are considered physically weak and do not have the physique to play professional football. Thus any South Asian child who demonstrates football skills becomes discouraged by such stereotypic descriptions and gives up the dream of becoming a professional footballer. Furthermore, the process of taking children to the academies is costly for most parents and they consider it a luxury. As a result, they only allow their children to play football among themselves where they cannot improve their football skills or professional ambitions. A number of children in academies have been forced to drop out of schools due to inability to pay for training. This has been compounded by inability of their parents to pay for their training activities at the academies. In addition, during participation in professional football, most football and handball sessions do not have role models that can be followed by young players in the academies, thus they may be influenced to drop from participation in these activities (The Guardian, 2010). Coaches in sports activities are considered strong role models that assist in manipulating attitudes of athletes, thus acting as means of motivating performance through shaping coaching methods and modelling the attitude of the participant. Furthermore, there is low motivation towards professional football in South Asia due to lack of inspiration from the society. Most people in the Asian societies pursue other careers such as becoming doctors and engineers (Hatton, 2004). Thus it is difficult to obtain a professional footballer who can be an inspiration to upcoming players. In the case of Britain, upcoming football players are motivated by players such as Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs. On the other hand, potential football players in Asia do not have the mentality to participate in football professionally but as a leisure activity. In British Football, there is no British South Asian football player participating in the premier league. As survey by Racial Equality Commission, (2004) indicates that only 10 Asian football players were found in the premier league academies. However, South Asian people are considered to be dominant in other sports such as cricket in preference to football at the grassroots levels. They consider themselves unsuitable to play football because they are considered to be less strong and do not eat the right diet. These stereotypes have prevented development of football in South Asian countries and they usually do not develop beyond the league matches played within their own communities (Flick, 2009). In addition, South Asian Communities like any other minority communities have been subjected to racial discrimination during their participation in football either at the grassroot levels or while participating in professional football by fans or other players. Some players who have attempted t participate in professional football have been discouraged that they can never make it as professional footballers. The above mentioned barriers have prevented South Asian football players from taking part in professional football, but cannot be used as reason why there is no professional footballer in South Asia. This is because there are a number of issues that create barriers for South Asians but have been addressed by professionals at the local levels over the years to regulate racism so that sports are improved. The problem of role model issues has been solved by creating a link with the goal of improving participation in professional football. These barriers have been eradicated by the actions taken by organizations such as the Football Association. Since these barriers have been broken by minorities such as Black African players, there is nothing that can prevent Asians from making it through in professional football. There are many minority professional players in British Football and those from Asia need to learn from them in order to be successful in professional football. 3. Research Methodology The study was focused on face-to-face interviews and questionnaires. The use of interviews was preferred because it enabled collection of valid information that is relevant to the objectives of the research. Interviews were conducted at professional academies, county FA, community clubs and regional Mosques. The professional academies that were interviewed are those in Britain and South Asian countries. The interviews enabled both quantitative and qualitative analysis. The use of qualitative research enabled approval of the research in a more natural setting over the data-collection questionnaires procedures by use of statistical methods. Questionnaires were developed for British South Asian kids and British South Asian parents. The age bracket for the kids who were issued with questionnaires was 8-16 years at a number of religious places in Preston among British South Asian Parents. Majority of the questionnaires were administered to male respondents and the female respondents who were issued with questionnaires were female parents. Qualitative research involved collection of opinions of respondents regarding the topic such as beliefs and attitudes towards the practice of professional football in South Asia. The responses from the respondents were the typed and stored in word processors. The data was analyzed and qualitative data was generated from the responses of interviews and face-to-face discussions. The data was then developed into themes and analysis by the use of thematic coding. Quantitative responses were analyzed and presented in the form of statistics. The data collection process also involved an interview with Manchester FA manager regarding the reasons why there is poor development of professional football among South Asians living in the UK. He was also asked to provide a solution that can be used to assist potential footballers of Asian origin achieve their professional goals of becoming footballers. The responses were recorded and used in the analysis process. 4. Results The results of the research shows that most of the respondents considered sports such as football as a social activity that they only allowed their children to participate in during play times with their colleagues. This was not really the case among respondents from Britain where respondents considered football as a method of training to become a professional in football. In Britain, it was found that sports was considered a method of empowerment such as facilitating or regaining control over their body organs and improving their physical strengths. Most Asian British respondents also considered sports such as football a form of entertainment that does not need to be considered as a profession. They considered it a lifestyle of sitting and watching television and offer a relief from stresses of everyday life such as relationships and work stresses. Other respondents explained that they had stresses related to their families and commitments that did not leave them with any time for participating in sports. A comparison of the factors that affect participation in football was made with respect to the number of students that were affected. The following graph provides the comparison that was obtained. Figure 1. Factors affecting participation in Football In comparing the level of participation of British Asian players in football with other sports, a percentage was obtained from the sample and the following graph was obtained. Figure 2. A comparison of participation in different sports 5. Discussion This section involves a discussion of some of the issues that the relationship between sports and culture has brought in promotion of football in South Asian countries. This study shows that movement out of sports is a representation of the influence of culture among South Asian countries in preference to alignment towards religion. Promotion of idealized sport has been problematic for most men who have other responsibilities such as taking care of their families and domestic issues. In addition, most respondents did not find any meaningful benefits associated with participation in sports. There is the need to take care in promotion of sport in such a situation because it ensures stigmatization is avoided and health of participants is improved. However, it can be observed reform the study that participation in sports by South Asian communities is seen as a matter of individual choice or as something people participates in for health reasons. However, most respondents from South Asian origin did not have the knowledge that sports carries a number of socially integrated meanings for individuals and groups that are variable over time with intersection with other identities such as sexuality and inability. There is also the need to conduct future studies should be focused on examining the constraints that are focused on implementation of policies related to football development in countries within South Asia. The general challenge for football promotion in Asian countries is the approach that needs to be taken to create awareness regarding the importance of football in professional development. According to the interviews with Manchester City Coach indicated that children from Asian origin were barred from participating in football because it was assumed that children from Asian origin were not likely to become professional footballers because they were not good enough and they did not have the physical strength to play football. Respondents also reported that they are concerned with the rising costs of tickets for attending football matches where they can get the inspiration to take part in football. As a result, most British Asian parents consider football as a luxury and expenses in such areas are usually avoided. 5.1. Responses from Manchester FA Interview The interview from Manchester FA indicates that generally there was low support from clubs or football organizations in the past thus making Asian footballers feel discriminated and making them less capable to integrate into the league. In addition, it was reported that there was lack of support from parents of children from Asian origin who did not encourage their children to go for training. He also reported that children of Asian origin do not find it comfortable mixing with those from another backgrounds since they are only used to playing among themselves. Te other reason that contributed to low participation in football is that football was considered last after a child had done everything else such as domestic duties and studies. Consequently, children were likely to be too tired by the time they were through with their duties and could not participate in football. The following table provides a list of barriers that were reported and the best solution that could be used to control them. Barrier Solution Lack of parental support Asking parents to encourage their children to participate in training Cultural belief Abolishing cultures that prevent children from playing football Attitude of unwillingness to mix with other children Encouraging children to play with those of other backgrounds Lac of role models Considering any professional footballer a role model and following his trend Considering football as the last activity for children Allowing children who demonstrate talents in football participate in football and spend more time training Figure 3. Barriers to participation in football and their solutions 5.2. Stereotypes against Asian Footballers It was reported that people of Asian origin are generally weak and do not have the physique to play football, particularly British Asian youths. These preconceptions about Asian footballers have adverse effects on the group of players. This problem has been possible to eradicate through making of public address announcements that condemn racist chanting or individual racism and make it a condition for people who enter into football arenas to watch football to stop racism. In addition, clubs should issue stern warning of no tolerance for racism and spelling out actions against those involved in racist chants. There is also the need to remove any graffiti from the ground as a matter of urgency. 6. Recommendations for Further Research There are certain actions that need to be taken to ensure that football culture is enhanced among British Asian communities such as adoption of a more westernized attitude towards inclusion of people from a number of culturally-diverse communities into football (Thomas, Nelson & Silverman, 2005). Future studies should also focus on ensuring that parents provide a platform where Asian youths are allowed to participate in sports such as football. This involves asking parents whose children show interest in playing football allow them have more time playing the game such as visiting academies and allowing them get access to football equipment that are useful in gaining football skills. In addition, they also need to provide their children with equipment that are useful in understanding the demands of football such as training facilities and playing fields. Asian families in particular need to provide their children with club fees, training materials, and boots as well as travel expenses in addition to ensuring education of their children are not affected. In addition, those who have interests in participating in football should have role models who play roles in enhancing their willingness to participate in football. Scarcity of role models in the game for British Asians has created a cycle of stereotypes that British Asians are not able to play football. Those that play football need to be exposed to conditions they deserve. There is also the need to conduct further research in other specific topic areas that have been identified through interviews, that are relevant to ethnographic field work in South Asian families and football as it has been considered as a significant factor in cases where there is under-representation, but does not have an academic study. In general, the FA needs to further their work by raising awareness regarding opportunities in football among communities in Asia, such as creation of media attention and promotion of players that have been successful in the game to demonstrate that can be done, as the opportunities are there. Improving promotions, involvement of local Asian communities and identifying specific areas of study need to be looked into by the FA and English football to establish in the immediate future. 7. References Collins M. (2010). Examining Sports Development. Routledge. Oxon Lynn M. (2010). Effective Sports Coaching: A Practical Guide. The Crowood Press Ltd. Wiltshire.Pope D. (nd). Asians in Football. SportyMuslimah (2011) Asian Footballers, a generation to come. SportyMuslimah (2011) Nathan Ellington on Islam and Football. Guest Speaker G. Lloyd Blackburn with Darwen Sports Coordinator (2004): Handball in BWD. Fletcher P. (2010) Breaking down barriers for British Asians The Guardian (2010) British Asians are in the stands even if the pitch remains a battle Armstrong S. (2008) Is British Sport Still Racist? Zesh Rehman Foundation (nd) Zesh Rahman Foundation: Inspire Future Generations. Information Accessed on 30 November 2012: http://www.zeshrehmanfoundation.org/ Hatton, C 2004, Supporting South Asian Families With A Child With Severe Disabilities, n.p.: London; New York : Jessica Kingsley, 2004., Blackburn College Library Catalogue (Heritage), EBSCOhost, viewed 30 November 2012. Daudji, AE 2011, 'Perceptions of disability among south Asian immigrant mothers of children with disabilities in Canada: implications for rehabilitation service delivery', Disability & Rehabilitation, 33, 6, pp. 511-521, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, EBSCOhost, viewed 30 November 2012 ConradAskland (nd)Information accessed on November4, 2012: http://www.conradaskland.com/blog/2008/08/maslows-pyramid-hierarchy-of-needs/ http://www.unk.edu/academics/gradstudies.aspx?id=3012 accessed 1/12/12 Neil C. Manson, Onora O'Neill – 2007 Rethinking Informed Consent in Bioethics Flick, U. 2009. An introduction to Qualitative Research. Sage Publications Ltd, London Kahn, R., C. Cannell 1957. The Psychological Basis of the Interview. The Dynamics of Interviewing: Theory, Technique, and Cases. New York, John Wiley & Sons. Thomas, J., J. Nelson and S. Silverman. 2005. Research Methods in Physical Activity. Human Kinetics, Leeds. 8. Appendix i. Questionnaires that were used during the research Questionnaire 1. To be filled by parents a. Select the kind of game that your child likes playing i. Football ii. Basketball iii. Baseball iv. Cricket v. Others b. Do you allow him/her to participate in that game ? Yes/No c. What challenges do you experience when you allow your child to play football ? Give a reason for the answer above. d. Have you ever taken your child to academy to play football ? Yes/ No e. Do you consider religion more important than participating in football ? Yes/No f. Would you like your child to become a professional footballer rather than other professions such as law and solicitor ? Yes/No. explain your answer above. 2. To be filled by Children I. Which type of sport do you like playing ? Football Basketball Baseball Cricket Others II. Does your culture affect your participation in these games ? Yes/No Give an example of such a culture III. Does your parents determine when you should participate in football ? IV. Are there any professional footballers of your origin who has been successful in football ? Yes/No Name him v. Have you ever attended a football academy in your childhood period ?Yes/No vii. Give your general idea regarding professional football in your area Read More