With The FA holding a series of forums around the country to engage with Asian communities and answer any questions on the matter, the Twitter session was particularly active with plenty of questions coming in.
Whilst it was impossible to answer them all, the various topics that kept coming up were all answered and you can see the full list of questions and answers below.
“Our aim is to increase representation across the whole game.”
The FA
In the meantime, we would encourage players, coaches, officials and administrators to attend our remaining forums across the country.
You can find out more on these by clicking here.
@OfficialMoHafiz do you think there is a stereotype that Asians are less talented and less committed?
There are many baseless cliches which are becoming less and less credible, but are part of the overall issue.
@Bistocat we have plenty of Asian kids at our club but get very little help or interest from the FA, when is that going to change?
Contact us on Equality@TheFA.com and we'd love to see you at one of our forums, with six still remaining.
@OfficialMoHafiz Do Asian children in Muslim/Sikh communities grow up being actively encouraged to play by parents?
Yes, our experience is that parental involvement is strong within all communities and is clearly a piece of the puzzle.
@Shanny476 How will the FA ensure whatever plans it develops will be taken up by CFA's and various leagues? good to see the forums though #AskFA
Activities will be whole game focused. ie: delivered by all local partners, groups, clubs, County FAs and communities.
@OfficialMoHafiz Are Asian diets a factor in the low amount of Asian players?
There is no evidence to suggest this is a factor, we now have 3-4 generations of Asian communities playing the game.
@CRAIGPARSONS2 What about concentrating on encouraging home grown talent, no matter their ethnicity. Targeting appears racist to me
The GB Asian population is 3m, or 5%. This audience is who we want to engage with that is significantly underrepresented.
@DippyDon_95 why are we asking this question when the premier league doesn't even care about developing home grown talent?
Our plans and activities will be grassroots focused, longer term this should effect the professional game.
@ZuberAh01306761 @FA @SkyNews #askfa surely prem league/fa youth coaches overlook inner city schools with high mix of Asian talent
Talent ID is an area we are looking into, both casting the net more widely and having more Asian scouts.
@Derbydarreng The same can also be said for the under representation of Asian Match Officials as a referee myself I know very very few? Recruitment?
Our aim is to increase representation across the whole game, whether playing, coaching, refereeing or administration.
@SirDeGuz Heard a lot about football within the Asian community being underrepresented, but so what? Maybe they prefer other sports?
Everything points towards football being No.1 sport in the Asian and other communities, nothing we have seen disputes this.
@InterCheadleJFC we have Asians who come to train but don't play weekend games due to Islamic studies, what can we do to change that?
Muslims are one part of the Asian community, but initially, have you consulted with them? Contact us on Equality@TheFA.com
@MashidurMiah The mentality of Asian parents needs to be changed,maybe have workshops to convince that football is a good career path?
Parents and players as well as the football family are all part of the solution. Ongoing work will engage parents too.
@NicholasBenson Why is there a need to promote any one ethnicity in football? We're all the same, why treat people differently? #AskFA
Because the Asian community is the largest diverse community and most under-represented in football across the whole game.
@coachlogic What's being done to get more Asians into football coaching at all levels?
There is the COACH Bursary Scheme for BAME coaches and The FA cover 90% fees for candidates.
