Rashid Abba - My story
“We’ve got diversity, but we need to make sure everyone is included and feels like they belong."
Watch Rashid’s story as he outlines his journey as a coach and mentor from grassroots to elite level.
Rashid Abba has been striving to encourage the growth of diversity in English football for over 30 years, particularly within the historically underrepresented Black and Asian communities. He is currently managing employability programmes for the West Ham Foundation and is also Academy Link Mentor at the Premier League club.
He was a pioneer and the first person of South Asian heritage in the country to work in professional football, with his efforts spanning community, recruitment and youth academy departments. A key area of focus for Rashid is breaking down barriers and increasing participation in the game for players, coaches, talent recruiters and fans.
Working closely with FA Coach Development Officers Peter Augustine and Danny Fenner, Rashid’s story is just one example of the amazing work carried out to inspire the next generation of players, coaches, and talent recruiters from underrepresented communities in the game.
