Bhangra star gets behind Chelsea (From Wandsworth Guardian)

Bhangra star gets behind Chelsea

10:38am Thursday 6th May 2010

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Bhangra star Jaz Dhami joined the Chelsea players at Cobham as he got behind Chelsea's Asian Soccer Star campaign.

Jaz, who won the best male at the Brit Asia awards last weekend, was treated to a tour of the training ground and watched the players being put through their paces before being presented with his own Chelsea shirt by Florent Malouda.

Afterwards, he spoke about his involvement in the campaign, designed to bring more Asian youngsters into the game.

'I've really enjoyed seeing the players here at Chelsea,' he said, 'but the main reason for me to come down is to support the campaign and get Asians involved in football. I have been working very closely with a number of sporting bodies in encouraging more Asians to get involved in football as I want to help break down boundaries and encourage more Asians to get into the game’ “It's a fantastic campaign because Asians don't have the path, they don't have the direction to see where they can go in football, so if I can help make a difference it would be great.”

You can count the number of Asian professional players in the UK almost on the fingers of one hand and Jaz who is also a qualified coach believes this has to change.

“I am a football fan myself, I've always had a big passion for football, but I think a lack of involvement is to do with parental pressure, many Asian kids aren't pushed towards football, so my main aim is to break down barriers and support them as well as I can.”

“It is a fantastic initiative that not only gives young Asians a chance to break into professional football, but also provides a platform to lift awareness within the Asian community which I feel is important in trying to get more Asian kids involved in the game. I will be attending the tournaments which will take place over the bank holiday weekend to offer my encouragement and support to this extremely proactive project.”

This year's Asian Soccer Star trials take place at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground across the second May Bank Holiday weekend, and you can register now by visiting www.chelseafc.com/asiansoccerstar

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