How Aishah is Pioneering South Asian Representation in Football
We sat down with sixth form graduate Aishah Bilal to discuss her time at LLS and what she’s accomplished since. From coaching football abroad, to pioneering South Asian representation in sports, and working in the Premier League. Aishah is currently in Qatar, coaching with Evolution Sports, after which she’ll attend the University Campus for Football Business down in London. There in the nation’s capital, Aishah’s been offered a role by Fulham FC. She will spearhead female South Asian Muslim representation in football, a cause she’s dreamed of championing since she first began in the sports industry.
Finding LLS
Most kids who love sport don’t realise how many different careers in sports are available to them. Aishah was the same. Despite her love of sport dominating her life, she felt uninformed about the sports industry before she found LLS.
“I knew I wanted to do something in the football business, I just didn’t know what.”
“I went to the first taster session and I fell in love with it.”
“I knew this was for me because I can’t do exams, I can’t sit still, and it was all sports based.”
Aishah’s proven herself as a sports coach. Before even joining LLS, she was volunteering with Huddersfield Town FC. No one could question her coaching skills, but after finishing her GCSEs, she felt unsure. She knew an exam based course wasn’t for her. That’s why she was drawn to the LLS sixth form course. Our model of practical assessments allows students to display their abilities more effectively than sitting through an exam.
Instead of memorising information to recite during an exam, Aisha was graded on what she does best: coaching. After 2 years of work and hundreds of hours of sports coaching, Aishah became an amazing coach.
Well on her way to a career in sport, she started working in her local club: Huddersfield Town FC.
Championship Clubs and Championing Representation
If you’re a fan of a Premier League club, it’s easy to be dismissive of the lower leagues. So, no one should understate Aishah’s achievement here. Securing a role at a professional football club is an incredible feat. She was a football coach for a Championship side, one of the best leagues globally in its own right. Working for a professional club is something many people aspire to, and Aishah had done it at such a young age.
She described her role at Huddersfield Town as “something you dream of as a kid.” Imagine her reaction when she got a job offer from PL club Fulham FC. She explained that Fulham had sought her out due to her efforts around representation for South Asian and Muslim female athletes.
“As a Muslim South Asian Girl, I’ve been going to conferences where I can help boost more South Asian and Muslim Girls in sport. When I was working [at Huddersfield], there weren’t that many South Asian Muslim girls, so my dream is to make that bigger.”
“[Fulham FC] had seen what I’ve been doing around South Asian Muslim girls in sport and I was like, you know what? That’s not an offer I can turn down.”
The FA’s “Build, Connect, Support” plan to improve South Asian representation in football comes as a direct result of tireless campaigns and advocacy provided by people like Aishah, which meant she could showcase her abilities and demonstrate her incredible coaching skills.
While attending a conference by Women Who Lead, Aishah got to chatting with a speaker who gave a presentation on employment for women in football.
“Matt [Aishah’s tutor] told her what I was doing and that my aim is to work in a Premier League team in the future. She came up to me and we were talking and she gave me a number and said if you ever need anything, just let me know, give me a shout.”
“I never thought I would have got contacts like that when I first joined LLS.”
After speaking to Aishah for only half an hour, it’s clear that her ability and determination would take her places most of us have only heard about. Her drive to forge a career in sports despite all obstacles is a rare thing. We at LLS can’t take credit for her grit and willingness to put the work in. How the course and Aishah’s tutors helped her was by providing her the tools to improve and giving her guidance and belief when she had doubts.
“I remember when I went for the interview [to coach in] Qatar, I was stressing so much. I was debating whether I should do it or not. And [Matt] was like, ‘you’re going to be fine, you’re going to do good, you’re going to do amazing.’ I did the session and it was unbelievable. That’s the kind of praise that you always remember.”
What’s Next?
After Qatar, Aishah’s going to University in London at University Campus of Football Business. It’s the first British university dedicated to delivering education in football and sports industries. Fulham FC asked her to take part and lead their programme based around South Asian Women in football.
Aishah is at the forefront of a new initiative put forth by the Football Association to improve South Asian representation in football. Thanks to the efforts of organisations such as Women in Football, Aishah attended conferences and events centred around improving representation. She then gained the opportunity to work for Fulham FC, after attending one of these conferences. Aishah can continue her dream of boosting the representation of South Asian Muslim women in football, acting as an inspiring role model while doing the job she loves.
The star of this story is Aishah. Her hard work brought her to the point where she’s now coaching in Qatar andhas a job offer from a Premier League club. Regardless of her path in life, Aishah would end up doing great things. She chose LLS because she felt it would give her plenty of opportunities and was right for her. We help them along the way, but it’s the passion and determination from students like Aishah that pushes them to reach beyond what they thought possible.
