The Asian Sports Foundation (ASF) on 18 September launched a strategy to improve the health of the Asian community living in England.
The ASF is a charity established in 2015 that aims to increase the sporting and physical activity levels of people of all ages from ethnic minority backgrounds, with a specific focus on supporting people from Asian communities in England.
Among the attendees at the launch of the ASF Strategy ‘Active Lives, Healthy Futures’, at City Hall London, was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport Stuart Andrew MP, the Chief Executive of Sport England Tim Hollingsworth and Annie Zaidi MBE, founder of the Coach Anniez Foundation – an initiative supported by ASF.
The initiative “Active Lives, Healthy Futures” undertaken by ASF involves conducting research and providing valuable insights to national sporting bodies, professional sports clubs, and other organizations seeking to enhance their engagement with Asian communities in England.
ASF will offer customized training programs, both online and in-person, to assist organizations in improving their connection with Asian communities.
Additionally, ASF will assist organizations involved in such outreach efforts in securing sustainable long-term funding. Furthermore, ASF offers a tiered membership structure, allowing them to provide tailored support packages to various organizations based on their specific needs.
The ASF strategy is timely as the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) published a policy paper last month to help build a healthier nation by tackling high levels of inactivity. Among its aims is to make sport and physical activity more inclusive and welcoming for all. And it includes an ambition to have 0.19 million more active Asian adults, particularly people from Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic groups by 2030.
Image: UK Parliament
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport Stuart Andrew MP said: “Sport and physical activity provide huge benefits for our mental and physical health, so we are determined to improve access and inclusivity across the sector.
“I welcome the Asian Sports Foundation’s ‘Active Lives, Healthy Futures’ strategy that closely aligns with our own recently published sports strategy which aims to have 3.5 million more active people by 2030.”
Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England, said: “Sport England is delighted to support the launch of this strategy and the aims of the Asian Sport Foundation. ‘Active Lives, Healthy Future’ brings a welcome, timely and important focus on the role that playing sport and being physically active can have in improving the health and wellbeing of the Asian community living in England.
“As a strategy, it is in tune with ‘Uniting the Movement’ – with a central purpose of getting the nation moving, and an ambition to tackle the stubborn structural and systemic inequalities that exist so that people can feel the benefit of playing sport and being physically active to their physical and mental health and live happier healthier lives regardless of where they live, their background or bank balance.”
