'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On Saturday, a group of Non-Residential Indians (NRIs) playing for local West Midlands club Sporting Khalsa will look to create history by reaching the FA Cup first round. They will square off against FC United of Manchester in an attempt to become the first South Asian team to play in the tournament. They currently ply their trade in the ninth tier of English football and the journey so far has been nothing less than remarkable.
They have already played six matches to reach the final FA Cup qualifying round.
Their opponents on Saturday play three divisions above them, a victory would see the 'bhangra boys,’ fight along side former champions Wigan Athletic and Portsmouth. They will also earn 12, 500 pounds, an amount unheard of by the players.
We don’t have more than 50-75 fans: Club owner
Club treasurer Inder Grewa told BBC, “We normally don’t register more than 50 fans here, but our great FA Cup qualifying run has seen that number touch 750.” The numbers are set to hit the four-figure mark for their final qualifying game as away fans make the trip to Dudley.
The club was setup in 1991, after a group of Sikhs, decided to convert their passion for football into a weekly structured entity. They first entered the Walsall Sunday league, before eventually graduating to Saturday football. In 2004, they reached the West Midlands regional league third division (12th tier of English football). Predominantly known as the ‘Curry house,’ most people presumed this was their peak. However, three consecutive promotions later, the team was fighting for top honours in the 10th division.
If you talk to people associated with the football in Khalsa, they never call themselves an English club. The club website states that they are a ‘semi-professional Asian club’. That being said, the club has always included players from various ethnicities. Only the people behind the club’s everday operations and a substantial number of players are of South Asian descent.
How it all began
In 2009. Khalsa managed to garner a permanent home for themselves, after derby rivals Willenhall Town went into administration. Grew added, There are 12 of us who are the core of the club and we have one full time employee here, everyone else works jobs. We were always aware some of us could not play at a good standard. But we just love the game - and we wanted to see how far we could push ourselves. We just love football. It doesn't matter to us if you are black, green or yellow. We welcome anybody.We have kids teams from under-6s upwards and four ladies teams. We are a community club - and the community is everybody."
Despite their achievement’s in English football’s lower echelons, the cricket stereotype is still attached to them. Grewa said, “You still get the odd comment. We were at an away match recently and someone said, 'I thought you lot only played cricket', so that stereotype is still there.”
As Khalsa prepares for the biggest weekend in the club’s history, Grewa is attempting to increase existent infrastructure. He said, “We usually print the programmes ourselves on a colour printer, but we have not been able to do that this weekend because instead of 20 we have had to get a thousand done. We have gone up from two stewards to 30. We have brought the marquees in because we simply could not accommodate the numbers we are expecting in the bar. Food will be available, though."
He added, Ah yes, the now famous curry house, located within the 4-4-2 bar adjacent to the ground, open on match and non-matchdays. We just thought it would be an add-on.”
Three promotions in as many years
Last year, the club broke all sets of record by lifting the 10th division trophy under the watchful eyes of Manager Ian Rowe. They registered a total of 143 points, by scoring 143 goals and conceded just 25. A record that is going to be tough to beat in the near future.
The team’s main goal is to reach the National League, where their Saturday opponents currently play. Grewa said, "We want to get to the National League, Once you go into the Football League, it becomes a business. I don't know whether we want that. The founders of the club have never fallen out. That only happens if there is money involved. As it is, everyone is treated equally.Up to the National League, we could still do our jobs and handle it.”
However, the chances of defeating a club like FC United of Manchester would be daunting. Last month, they defeated a club from Khalsa’s division, AFC Fylde, 9-0 and will look to inflict more damage on the ninth tier. Manager Ian Rowie said, “I am a Manchester United fan, I have followed the FC United story from the start. Next to having my kids, this will be one of the proudest moments of my life. But let's not kid ourselves. The chance of us reaching the level we will need to win this game is probably one in a hundred.”
That being said, Khalsa do have some foreign experience within their ranks. St Kitts and Nevis international defender Tes Robinson recently signed for the club and Craig Bannister has already notched up nine goals for them. The task at hand might be difficult, but not impossible.
If Khalsa do manage to pull off an upset on Saturday, it will go a long way in shedding the ‘cricket’ stereotype attached to the South Asian community in UK.
