Celebrating SOUTH Asian EXCELLENCE
Supported By The English Football Association
The 5th Asian Football Awards
HOSTED BY INVENTIVE SPORTS
25th September 2024 - Wembley Stadium, London
The 5th Asian Football Awards
Inventive Sports is thrilled to announce the upcoming fifth edition of the Asian Football Awards, set to take place on 25th September 2024 at the renowned Wembley Stadium in London.
Established with the purpose of acknowledging and rewarding the contributions of South Asians in the football industry, the Asian Football Awards (AFA) serve as a significant platform. The primary objective is to showcase the diverse talents of coaches, volunteers, players, administrators, and fans within the Asian community who share a profound love for the game.
Inventive Sports, the global consultancy organising the AFA, is dedicated to promoting future champions across various sports. Having successfully carved out a niche in football consultancy for organisations and clubs in the UK, Europe, and India, CEO Baljit Rihal founded the Asian Football Awards in 2012. His vision aimed to elevate the visibility of British Asians in football.
The AFA's track record includes a highly successful fourth edition held at The Grange St Paul's Hotel (London) in 2017, attended by over 350 individuals, including prominent figures from the football and business realms. The event garnered extensive mainstream media coverage from notable outlets such as Sky Sports News, BBC, FA TV, BBC Asian Network, talkSPORT, and MUTV.
Building on the success of the Asian Football Awards, Inventive Sports and its partners have extended their impact to other sports, delivering the Asian Cricket Awards in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2019. This initiative serves as a platform to spotlight outstanding British Asian role models in sports.
Jas Jassal, Director at Inventive Sports, emphasises that the Asian Football Awards not only celebrate excellence in the industry but also provide a crucial platform to recognise community and voluntary efforts. The awards aim to honour inspiring role models who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and hard work in their respective fields.
Meet Our HOSTS
The dynamic duo are back! Welcoming our hosts Noreen Khan from the BBC Asian Network and Dharmesh Sheth from Sky Sports News.
Noreen Khan
BBC Asian Network
It's a hattrick. Noreen returns to co-host the event for round 4 after a fabulous job at the 2013, 2015 & 2017 Asian Football Awards.
A passion for music decided Noreen’s career as a presenter. She spent her early days tuning a violin, playing oboe and performing in a steel band. In 2003 Noreen began presenting for a local hospital radio show, before joining the Sonik Gurus to play keyboard. After touring the world as a musician, Noreen returned home, unpacked her bags and began presenting for the radio station Club Asia.
It wasn’t long before her love for music and cheery personality saw her headhunted by the BBC Asian Network and in 2007 Noreen joined as the host of the Asian Network Chart Show. She moved to the Weekend Breakfast show two years later, before taking the helm at Drivetime in June 2010. Noreen is a passionate Liverpool FC supporter.
Dharmesh Sheth
Sky Sports News
Returning for his fifth appearance, Dharmesh presented the inaugural Asian Football Awards at Wembley Stadium in 2012 and was joined by Noreen for the awards in 2013, 2015 & 2017.
He started his Sky Sports career in 1998 as an assistant producer and began reporting three years later. He is best known for playing a major role during the football transfer window and can be seen operating the famous touchscreen on Deadline Day.
Dharmesh has covered some of the biggest events in the sporting calendar including Wimbledon and The Ryder Cup. Over the past 18 years, he has interviewed many of the world’s top sporting personalities such as Usain Bolt, Tiger Woods, Andy Murray, Wayne Rooney, and Pele. Dharmesh is an avid Manchester United fan.
Award CATEGORIES
Our Awards & Associated Sponsors
Player Recognition Award
Sponsored by Inventive Sports
Award CATEGORIES
To be announced soon...
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Judging Panel
Reshmin Chowdhury (BBC & BT Sport Broadcaster), Chris Ramsey (QPR Technical Director), Kelly Simmons MBE (FA Football Participation & Development Director), Pav Singh (FA County Coach Developer), Anwar Uddin (Diversity & Campaigns Manager The FSF), Manish Bhasin (Premier League & BBC Sport Broadcaster), Zohaib Rashid (Founder DesiBallers.com) & Kevin Coleman (FA Equality Manager)
Contact Us
If you have any queries about the awards, please do get in touch.
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