11 Biggest British South Asian Football Fan Clubs

Football has been much more than a game for fans in the UK for decades.

The sport has created a global community and has brought together fans from all cultures and walks of life.

A trend in the UK is the emergence of British South Asian football fan clubs.

These gatherings of passionate football fans have built bridges across the country and promoted diversity and inclusion in the sport.

They are a fine example of the successes of multiculturalism and have allowed a new audience to fall in love with football.

Join DESIblitz as we dive into 11 of the biggest British South Asian football fan clubs.

Punjabi Rams

The Punjabi Rams are a large supporter group that follows Derby County Football Club.

Derby has a large and loyal Punjabi community that initially settled around the Normanton streets of the Baseball Ground, Derby’s old stadium.

Many early immigrants also worked at the Leys foundry, which overlooked the Baseball ground.

Initially, many Punjabis were not able to afford football games and were fearful of racism.

However, this quickly changed; some people even started watching games through their windows.

Many of the older generations were even able to witness the Championship winning teams of the 70s, which has created a multi-generational fan base within the Punjabi and British South Asian community,

The fan club promotes diversity and inclusion in football, encouraging more Punjabis to support their local team and experience the atmosphere of Pride Park.

Punjabi Rams emphasises following a team you can see and connect with in real life rather than just a team you can watch on TV.

Although they are called Punjabi Rams, the supporters’ group is open to everyone who follows Derby County.

Their core aims are:

• Bring together members of the Punjabi community who attend games.
• Bring the wider Derby community by openly welcoming non-Punjabis.
• Encouraging the younger generation of supporters who don’t support Derby or have never been to Pride Park to come and get involved.
• Raising money for selected charities.

Punjabi Villans

Punjabi Villans is an Official Supporters Club of Aston Villa Football Club.

They created a space for Punjabi and South Asian fans to get together and support Aston Villa, helping them feel more included.

Punjabi Villans work on initiatives like the Premier League’s “No Room for Racism” campaign, advocating for equality across the sport.

Their presence in the fanbase shows how fans from all communities come together to support one team.

They often host events, including meetups with players and other fans, both nationally and internationally, to boost the Villa fanbase.

Punjabi Villans have created strong ties with the club, players, and other fan groups, showing that football is a place for everyone and that diversity is encouraged and celebrated.

The club often displays the Nishan Sahib (a symbol of Sikh identity) at matches, highlighting their culture and identity.

They are also involved in charitable work and community outreach, supporting causes that benefit the local community and football fans.

The fan club won the People’s Choice Fan Group Award at the Asian Football Awards in 2024, highlighting their value in the community.

Apna Albion

Apna Albion is a newer branch of the Baggies fans’ family that was formed in 2017.

Apna is the Punjabi word for “our” and highlights the club’s philosophy that football belongs to everyone.

West Bromwich Albion recognises it as an official fan club and works closely with the club on many diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Apna Albion reflects the solid South Asian presence in the West Bromwich area.

It is a crucial fan club as it creates representation for a group often overlooked and marginalised in football.

They are part of the broader national movement to make football a more inclusive and welcoming space, showing that it is something for everyone to enjoy.

Apna Albion allows the Punjabi community to officially engage with the club.

It is a way to promote ideas, get involved in charitable fundraising and offer help to the community.

They have been seen at events such as the Handsworth Mela in Handsworth Park, which attracted as many as 100,000 people.

This allowed British South Asian youngsters to grab the attention of academy scouts and demonstrate their value to the sport.

Bangla Bantams

Bangla Bantams is the supporters’ group for Bradford City Football Club.

It is one of the first Bangladeshi fan clubs in the country and in Bradford, it breathes new life into the community.

The club was formed in February 2015 as part of Fans for Diversity, a jointly funded endeavour between Kick it Out and the DSF to increase the diversity of match-going fans.

Football is often seen as a refuge from everyday life, but for the Asian community of Bradford, this was not the case.

Older members in the Bradford area had previously suffered horrific abuse, such as vandalism to their property and physical violence, and were hesitant to attend football matches.

Humayan Islam, one of the fan club’s founders, said:

“Football was something the Bangladeshi community thought was not for them.”

“With massive under-representation of Asian people on the terraces, there was a huge fear of the unknown.

“Now, when we take 20 Asian women with head scarfs to a home game, at first, they are nervous and don’t know what to expect, but by the 60th minute, they are singing and cheering.”

Bradford City’s board also made tickets more affordable, making live football available to a broader audience.

This increased the club’s average home attendance by 4,000 in just three years, giving Asians the confidence to support the club and attend games.

Punjabi O’s

The Punjabi O’s are one of the newest South Asian fan clubs.

They follow Leyton Orient Football Club and are an official supporters’ club formed in 2024.

It was formed to use the inspiration of the Punjabi community in Leyton.

The club’s leader, Arvi Sahota, said: “We want to raise awareness of our South Asian base, but we want to be inclusive of everybody.

“Anyone who wants to learn anything about Punjabi culture, we are happy to share.

“We’re a fun culture that loves to have a good time, and we want to share that with everyone!”

Leyton Orient midfielder, Theo Archibald, is the club’s official ambassador.

He said: “I’m proud to be an ambassador of this group.

“Every culture is within close proximity to the stadium, and it’s great for everyone to have as diverse a fanbase as possible.”

They are another club helped off the ground by Fans for Diversity.

Sahota added: “The club has shown great support. We’ve been around a few years and were approached at the beginning of last season (2023) to become official.”

The East London club held a special event in June 2024 to mark the Punjabi O’s becoming an official fan club.

The group’s relationship with the club has helped bring more diversity to the stands and raise awareness about greater South Asian participation in football.

Spurs REACH

Tottenham Hotspur officially recognises Spurs REACH as one of its key supporters’ groups.

REACH, which stands for Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage, was launched in 2023 with significant support from Tottenham.

The group works closely with the club to help promote diversity and community engagement, which has added more South Asian supporters to the stands.

The fan club welcomes fans from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Its founding members are Sash Patel, Anwar Uddin, and Fahmin Rahman.

Patel said: “My family and I are season ticket holders, including my three-year-old daughter, and we love being part of the Spurs family.

“It’s incredible walking up the High Road on matchday and seeing people of all races, ethnicities, and cultural heritages coming together because of their love of Spurs.

“I’m passionate that the voice of fans from diverse and under-represented ethnic backgrounds continues to be heard.”

“I can’t wait to work directly with the club to continue to promote inclusion and tackle all forms of discrimination on and off the pitch.”

North London is home to many ethnic groups, and REACH seeks to ensure these communities can connect to the club.

Punjabi Wolves

Punjabi Wolves is a fan club that is over 60 years old and boasts a diverse membership of over 500 fans.

It is an official supporters club of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club.

The idea for the club was formed initially when two Asian men, Laskar Singh and Lachhman Singh, attended a game with their work colleagues in 1954.

This led to the formation of one of the country’s largest ethnic supporter groups.

They have achieved a real presence in Wolverhampton with their efforts to educate the broader community about their culture through integration.

Although they are the Punjabi Wolves, membership is open to everyone.

The fan club says: “We encourage fans from all backgrounds to become Punjabi Wolves members, allowing you to air your views on the club’s day-to-day running.”

The fan club has had a significant role in raising the profile of South Asian fans in football.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have also represented the Punjabi community on matchdays.

On Punjab Cultural Day, the dhol was played inside the Molineux for the first time.

Their influence has spread well beyond Wolverhampton and has encouraged the formation of other Punjabi fan clubs.

Punjabi Forest

Punjabi Forest was formed in December 2021 by lifelong Forest supporters who shared Punjabi heritage.

They are a diverse group, open to all regardless of race, religion, colour or gender.

The Punjabi community have been in Nottingham since the 1930s and has a long-rooted history with the club.

The founders of Punjabi Forest were born and bred in the city, and the fan club has gained over 200 members, with that number rapidly increasing.

They aim to get the Punjabi community involved and enthused with Forest.

They want to engage younger supporters with the club and help them embrace their culture.

Punjabi Forest also supports local charities by organising social functions and fun days out, auctioning off Forest memorabilia, and collecting voluntary charitable donations.

This adds to the inclusivity and cohesive team spirit of Nottingham Forest and the fan club.

Punjabi Forest is an official Football Supporter’s Association (FSA) associate, aligning with their ideologies of diversity and integration while fully embracing equal legislation.

Punjabi Whites

Punjabi Whites are a Leeds United Supporters Club who “are trying to spread a message of Love, Respect and Unity.”

They were founded in 2019 and aim to promote diversity, acceptance and inclusion throughout football regardless of one’s background.

Their motto is “breaking barriers- building bridges”, and they pride themselves on working with charities to help those in need and being Leeds United fans.

Chaz Singh, the Punjabi Whites’ representative on social media, is easy to spot on matchdays with his distinctive yellow, white and blue turban.

These are the club’s official colours and highlight the mix of football and culture.

At one game, Singh took to social media to petition supporters on the far side of the ground to help him get his hands on some loaded fries.

This quickly caught fans’ attention, with dozens of them reposting and liking it and directing Singh to the fries.

Singh commented: “Just before the second half kicked off, and cheers to the West Stand fans, I received a lovely portion of loaded fries with chicken strips.”

This small, humorous interaction highlights the community Leeds United has created and how the fan club is breaking barriers and building bridges.

Birmingham City FC

Birmingham City FC has two official supporters’ groups that are dedicated to promoting diversity.

Blues 4 All

Blues 4 All is a diverse supporters group that strives to make Birmingham City Football Club one of the country’s most inclusive, culturally diverse, and well-supported clubs.

Their mission is to:

• Encourage all communities to join together in supporting our local club.
• We must ensure that everyone is welcomed with open arms regardless of race, religion, colour, creed, disability, sexual orientation, or age.
• Provide opportunities for younger members to expand their horizons inside and outside of football.
• Engage with local communities, places of worship, community centres, youth groups and schools.
• Breakdown negative perceptions.
• Showcase the match day experience.
• Promote equality and diversity.
• Unite communities.
• Support the Blues!

They promote a ticket incentive scheme that helps youngsters who cannot usually afford to go to a match experience it for the first time.

The club’s secretary, Bik Singh, said: “The club met with fans, and they asked honest questions like ‘why aren’t there more coming to the match?’

“St Andrew’s is in Small Heath, a majority ethnic area, but unfortunately, that wasn’t reflected in the stands, and the club wanted to address that.

“It was refreshing to see the club being proactive, and we’ve developed a positive relationship with them.”

Panjabi Blues

Panjabi Blues is an official supporters’ group of Birmingham City Football Club, which was established in 1991 and originally came together as a family group.

They have built a community of Birmingham City fans from Indian, Pakistani and Bengali backgrounds.

Birmingham City Football Club has a passionate fanbase, with 75 branches of fan clubs and over 5,000 paid members.

In an interview with ITV and the EFL, Sukh Singh, the Panjabi Blues Chairman, expressed what was unique about the club.

He said: “For us, it was a family thing to come down here because everyone’s blue; we bleed blue.

“My uncle used to bring me, in 1991, the reason he brought me was because he felt safe coming here, because of the way that the culture of this football club had changed.

“There were a lot of issues in the 70s and 80s, a lot of racism in football, and slowly, you can start seeing the change.”

The fan club has also been involved in many charitable initiatives.

In November 2023, they did a sleep-out and raised £11,500 for the club’s foundation. They are also frequently involved in initiatives to feed the homeless within Birmingham, litter pick-ups around the stadium and many other initiatives.

The fan club are known for embracing everyone and aims to see “people come together, see more fans in the stands enjoying themselves”.

They are also seen supporting the women’s football games with events like their Diwali and Bandi Chhor event in 2023. They offered the chance to experience a matchday at a women’s Championship game.

This highlights their commitment to getting everyone involved in the club and football.

The rise of British South Asian fan clubs is a testament to the sport’s work to become more inclusive.

The creation of these footballing communities has introduced a new narrative and exposed the cultural diversity of football fans.

These fan clubs have participated in charitable work and social initiatives and shed light on their cultural celebrations.

It will be interesting to see how many of the younger generation will continue to be inspired to play for and support football teams due to mainstream representation.