Hitchin Nub News Up Close: ‘We turned inequality and racism against Asian community into helping other vulnerable people’ says tireless football academy founder Bal Singh

Nub News aims to support our community, promoting shops, businesses, charities, clubs and sports groups across Hitchin and North Herts.

We showcase some of these businesses, organisations and interesting individuals from our area displaying creativity and innovation in our regular feature called 'Up Close'.

This week we are featuring North Herts' legendary Bal Singh, who has worked tirelessly for decades to bring change to communities in our area.

So, read on for our latest exciting Nub News Up Close feature.

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'We turned inequality and racism against the Asian community into helping other vulnerable people':

Football academy founder dedicates his life to others looking to find their voice through sport

Bal Singh has worked tirelessly to bring change to the Asian community in Letchworth after founding Khalsa Youth Football Academy.

The 52-year-old father-of-one has since gone on to tackle discrimination, prevent isolation and bring the local community together through sport.

Hitchin Nub News Up Close: The inspirational Bal Singh

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When the Khalsa Youth Football Academy was founded back in 1988, the aim was to address the under-representation of the Asian community in the sport.

Though the decades, the project, based in Letchworth has evolved into so much more with the help of funds raised through The Health Lottery.

Having dealt with racism and discrimination while growing up in the 1980s, Bal Singh founded the Academy with a group of friends at the age of 17, after being inspired by Liverpool Football Club.

It initially started as a form of escapism for the young men, but they soon realised that sport helped them connect with others in the Asian community.

"Growing up in the 1980s, there was a group of us Asians in North Hertfordshire who loved football," Bal, 52, explains. "Liverpool Football Club is famous for its large Asian fanbase, and their success during that decade inspired us to start playing. Personally, I was especially inspired by Kenny Dalglish and Howard Gayle, who was Liverpool's first black player.

"Watching the likes of Liverpool or Manchester United on TV back then was a form of escapism for us from all the inequalities and racism that we encountered in the wider community."

Bal recalls how he and his friends were often on the receiving end of racist abuse. He says, "We were constantly racially abused when playing football in our local park. I recall one particular incident when I was about nine or ten and I was playing with a group of Asian friends. A group of older white boys stole our football and burned it. The told us all to, 'Go back home'. This was the norm back then in the 80s.

"Many members of the Asian community came to talk to us about the lack of opportunities and negative experiences they'd had trying to join mainstream clubs in the area," he adds.

While there were examples of Asian players making it into the primary school football teams, when those same players went for trials at local grassroots clubs they were told constantly they were not good enough.

"But we didn't think this was true and felt that sometimes their exclusion was racially motivated - one player even heard a coach say, 'This is white-only team' recalls Bal sadly.

The abuse made Bal start this project to help increase the representation of Asians in the beautiful game. Not just in the professional game, but at a local level as well.

"We started community relationships with some local clubs and have a great partnership with Hitchin Town FC, developing an excellent pathway for the Asian community from our project to play for them.

"In fact, one of our participants, Jhai Dhillon, was the first-ever Asian player to represent Hitchin Town FC's first team."

He continued: "Our aim from day one was to tackle inequality, racism and under-representation in the wider community. Football just happens to be the mechanism of engagement."

Bal, whose family migrated to England from Punjab, India, in the 1960s, added that it didn't take long for the Khalsa Football Academy to gain momentum after its launch in 1988.

"In terms of participation, we found it was quite easy to attract players because everyone loves sport and football. We've had projects which have attracted 120 players, both youngsters and adults, at our regular sessions," he says, adding: "One fortunate thing that helped us get off the ground was the fact we had access to a lot of playing fields."

For the past four decades, Bal has worked tirelessly to tackle discrimination and isolation and help bring the local community together.

He says the funding raised through The Health Lottery has allowed him to formalise this work.

"Thanks to money raised through The Health Lottery we have developed an in-house development Futsal league, which comprises more than 100 players who participate in four 'grand prix' Futsal fixtures.

"It's a zero-tolerance league where we facilitate 12 fixtures every week for 50 weeks of the year. This is held in Letchworth and we are very proud that teams such as Valencia, AS Roma and AC Milan have sent coaches along to work with us and we have held exhibition games."

He acknowledges there is still work to be done to bring about more opportunities for Asian football players, with representation in the Premier League still low.

According to the Professional Football Association (PFA), there are just 15 professional players of South Asian origin in the Premier League and the English Football League.

One of the issues is the ambitions that many Asian families have for their children to follow other professions.

Bal, who was born in Hitchin and now lives in Letchworth Garden City with his wife and their 12-year-old son, explains: "The Asian community are passionate about education and a lot of them want their children to be solicitors and doctors, rather than footballers, but we have some amazingly talented players here.

"Although there are scholarships out there to help ethnic minorities succeed on the academic side of things, more could be done on the football side of things.

"There should be a pathway for young players in their teens and early 20s, so they can compete at university level, alongside their academic career. Then I think you would see more Asians playing football."

Bal, who has received an award from the Duke of Cambridge recognising his contribution to football, continued: "The likelihood of becoming a professional footballer is low regardless of your background, but a project like that would see more participation. It could be a winning ticket, in terms of getting more Asians playing football, as you can fulfill both your sporting aspirations and academic dreams.

"Locally, we use our link with Hitchin FC to signpost potential scholarship players. I'm also involved with scouting and talent identification initiatives and always signpost players who are suitable for Watford FC's Academy and scholarship for trials if I think they meet the criteria and level."

As well as the issue of ethnic under-representation in the sport, Bal believes more help should be provided to those living with disabilities and special needs - and thanks to The Health Lottery, this issue is being tackled head on.

Khalsa's two-year project, Connecting Hope, was made possible by a grant of £27,115 raised through The Health Lottery.

The programme provides weekly activities for children and adults with learning difficulties and special needs, as well as supporting families in the community.

Bal adds: "There are barriers particularly for children and adults with special needs to access provision in the community and this includes support for parents, families and carers. My passion is now to fight for their rights because I know that's what is needed in society.

"Thanks to The Health Lottery, we've created a unified approach to tackling challenges that our vulnerable members of the community are facing. Children with severe learning difficulties and their parents have a platform to develop, meet new friends, network and thanks to the weekly forums, children and parents have an opportunity to voice their concerns and any issues that they may have.

"Growing up in an Asian community I thought racism was bad enough, but tackling challenges around disability is a crazy new level. We've managed to make a little bit of a difference to support these vulnerable members of the community."

Bal Singh's Inspiring initiative helps young mentees such as James Hart

Initiative helps young mentees

The initiative has helped young mentees like James Hart, 16, who works with qualified trainers to help run the project, picking up social, practical and leadership skills as they go.

James has always had a lot of energy and went through a tricky time with friendships at school, which led to him feeling dispirited and knocked his confidence, so coming to Khalsa for four hours twice a week has given him a massive boost.

"When I first started, it was just to make new friends, but as time went on I became a mentee," James says. "I've now got a youth leadership qualification and it's given me lots of confidence in myself. That feeling of helping others makes you feel better. It's a win-win.

"You don't have to worry about the colour of your skin or your background. The moment you go inside, everyone's treated the same."

The mentee scheme is just one aspect of Bal and his team's work, but the uplift in participants' mood, connectivity and social skills is a thread that runs through all of it.

"With those who have special needs, sessions are something their parents and carers look forward to because they meet up with others in the same position and can talk about their experiences," Bal adds.

"A training session might include skills such as kicking, striking, dexterity and mobility. You might have a child who finds it hard to even go into a building and we see them come in, start jumping and developing fine motor skills. If they're non-verbal, we can use picture cards to show what's happening now and next."

Hitchin Nub News Up Close: The inspirational Bal Singh

Health Lottery Funding

After two years of funding raised through The Health Lottery, Bal is reflecting on the impact his project has made within the community, as Khalsa reaches its 35th anniversary this year.

"The Health Lottery money has helped us create more of an impact and create sustainability on a regular basis," he explains. "You're getting professional, organised activities that not only support the sporting aspirations of the local community, but also a hub that's creating an opportunity to help people.

"The sporting aspect is fantastic and great, but the networking and parents coming together, that's really important as well."

Not only has Bal got himself to thank for the project's incredible achievements, he credits The Health Lottery as a 'winning ticket' to their success.

He said: "We wouldn't have been able to do that without The Health Lottery. The money has been absolutely gold dust, like a winning ticket.

"With this project, it's really helped support that aspect of work that we are doing, especially with the recent project with The Health Lottery. It's been a godsend."

For more information on The Health Lottery, see www.healthlottery.co.uk