Fans celebrate South Asian Heritage Month 2025

South Asian Heritage Month is celebrated every summer and once again supporter groups in our Fans for Diversity have been getting involved.

West Ham promote South Asian culture with fan groups

South Asian Heritage month runs from mid-July to mid-August and West Ham kicked the month off with an event celebrating 15 years of South Asian football culture in the east end.

The event was a joint venture between Desi Ballers, West Ham United and Fans for Diversity network group Inclusive Irons. Inclusive Irons is headed up by Apu Vyas who is also co-sports lead for South Asian Heritage Month alongside Mara Hafeezi.

More than 200 people attended the evening at Riverside East outside the London Stadium which was hosted by Sky Sports’ Aaron Paul and Dev Trehan and included interviews with Zohaib Rashid founder of Desi Ballers, ex-Aston Villa player Easah Suliman, Pakistan International Mariam Sara and ex-Derby County player Kira Rai, amongst other special guests.

West Ham’s academy link mentor Rashid Abba also featured, speaking about his personal journey in football and commitment to increasing opportunities and representation for the South Asian community in east London, Essex and beyond.

The Europa League Conference trophy was also presented to delegates by the club.

Documentary aired at Brisbane Road 

At the end of July Fans for Diversity campaign Hannah Kumari attended another event for South Asian Heritage Month, this time held in Leyton Orient’s 1881 suite at Brisbane Road.

Organised by the Punjabi O’s fan group in collaboration with Desiballers, Trehan Football and Brown Town Rising the evening featured an exclusive screening of Copa90 documentary Finding The First South Asian Lioness, produced by Brown Town Rising founder Tarek Chaudhury – featuring Pav Samra from Fans for Diversity’s Punjabi Rams alongside footballers including Kira Rai, Mariam Mahmood and Simran Jhamat, Sky Sports presenter Miriam Walker Khan and academic Aarti Ratna.

Tarek said: “I was excited about making this film with Copa90 because it shines a light on a number of things that most people do not know; from South Asian women being overrepresented in affiliated football participation, to how many South Asian families are really supportive of their children with football pursuits.”

If you want to find out more about South Asian Heritage Month, which runs through to August 17th click here.

Thanks to West Ham United FC and Bedesha Photography for the imagery used in this article.

• Fans For Diversity is a campaign programme run in partnership between the Football Supporters’ Association and Kick It Out, English football’s equality and inclusion organisation. Fans For Diversity encourages, funds and supports initiatives by fan groups to promote diversity and inclusion in football, and to challenge all forms of discrimination. For more information on funding available from the campaign, contact Nilesh Chauhan or Hannah Kumari.