Off to GermanyThis was an event organised by the Diversity and Inclusion team at The FA alongside the Cultural Foundation of the German Football Association and the World Jewish Congress, where we had a guided tour of the Bergen Belsen Memorial before laying a wreath there.Connection and community

Through Kick It Out, I came across the Football Supporter’s Association Fans for Diversity Campaign which was run by Anwar Uddin. Anwar is a former professional footballer and was the first Bangladeshi to play professional football in England. What was also amazing was that I found out he played for Hereford too!I felt quite inspired, especially hearing that Hereford had a South Asian player play for them and the things he had achieved in the game. Anwar and the Fans for Diversity campaign have helped support loads of different fan groups and I came across so many different groups that focused on getting Punjabi and South Asian supporters together to follow their club sides. There are groups like the Punjabi Villans, Punjabi Rams, Apna Albion and many others that create a safe space for Punjabi/South Asian supporters.Some of these groups have hundreds of members. I loved this aspect of the game and being able to meet and connect with people doing incredible work! I wanted to get involved in this and decided I would set up the ‘Punjabi Bulls’ (Hereford’s nickname is ‘The Bulls’) as a bit of a joke, as I was basically the only Punjabi fan going to games.I remember in 2021 seeing on Sky Sports that a new fan-led group had been set up called ‘Apna England’ which translates to ‘Our England’. This was a group of different South Asian football fan groups coming together to create an umbrella group for the England national team. I desperately wanted to be part of it as it sounded right up my street.Apna England aims to connect more South Asian fans to the England national team. Over COVID we would do Zoom meet-ups before England games. We have done pre-match mixed grills, live screenings together, events celebrating International Women’s Day and have even had England's most-capped player Fara Williams turn out for the Apna England Lionesses on an unforgettable day at the inaugural women-only Copa Del CL tournament at St George's Park in aid of Cure Leukaemia.Before the EURO 2020 tournament, I decided to get a flag made with ‘Hereford’, ‘Apna England’ and ‘Punjabi Bulls on Tour’ on it and take it to all Hereford and England games.Even though I made it as a bit of a joke, I do hope there are maybe people from minority groups that spot it and feel that they are also welcome at games which will encourage them to start their own fan groups.I would’ve loved to have seen something like that at a game when I was younger. It would have made me feel more welcome and I hope that I can provide that to others. I get a photo of the flag at all games I go to home and away with England and a lot of Hereford fans chat to me at games, as they tell me they had come across it on socials and that has been a great way for me to connect with fellow Hereford fans too.

Homegrown legacyMy favourite current England player is Jarrod Bowen. Jarrod is from Herefordshire and came through the ranks at Hereford United. As a 16 year old, he broke into the first team and played an influential role in keeping Hereford in the Conference in 2014. Sadly, Hereford United folded and Jarrod had to move on. He went on to Hull City and is now flourishing at West Ham and it has been amazing seeing his career trajectory from non-League football to the England squad. He is well loved by Hereford fans and his uncle Ben is our groundsman! It was quite emotional seeing him make his England debut and I hope he can make an impression at the EUROs and help England lift the trophy in July - we would probably see a statue of him built outside Hereford’s ground!My favourite England player of all time has to be Bobby Moore. Bobby has achieved sporting immortality by winning the World Cup for England and I love the aura and elegance he had about him and the way he played. When I was a kid, I played as a central defender and would pretend I was Bobby Moore and would want to play like him. I have loved reading about his life and he is always described ‘as an absolute gentleman’ and one of the most solid defenders to have ever played the game. I remember seeing footage of him wiping his hands on his shorts to clean them before shaking the Queen’s hand and being given the trophy. There are two photos I love of him, the first is of him lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy as he sits on the shoulders of his teammates after the 1966 World Cup Final at Wembley. The second is a photo of him exchanging shirts with Pele and the camaraderie they have in the photo is lovely to see! He is a legendary figure and I wish I had seen him play.Shared experiences I love travelling to away games with England! The tournaments are fun, however I get equal enjoyment out of going to new countries I probably would not have ever visited before, and exploring and experiencing new cultures. I could travel solo to an England game and come back making a few friends easily. England fans are incredibly friendly and will look out for you. I remember on one of the nights I was in Russia, I was eating dinner on my own in a restaurant and a nice group of England fans eating near me invited me to eat with them at their table. I have also just sat randomly in an airport or at a train station next to an England fan and we then end up following each other on socials and catching up for a beer at the next England away game. It’s an amazing experience and you can easily make friends for life doing this. It's also fun hearing about the different journeys people take to get to an away game as people will take any means necessary to get there. Whether it is hitchhiking, getting a boat, a long megabus or a crazy layover in a random country, the stories are endless!

British, English and Punjabi