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Meet Vimal Yoganathan, the first Tamil footballer to play professionally in England. He is just one of a handful of players from a South Asian background employed in the top four leagues. Despite facing challenges, like being the only Tamil player in academy matches, Vimal hopes to inspire younger players coming through, especially Tamil people.
Vimal’s family comes from Sri Lanka and he grew up in a small village in north Wales. While his family was welcomed by the community, there weren’t many people he could 100% relate to in terms of fitting in to a predominantly white area. However, he was scouted by his boyhood club, Liverpool, signing for their academy by the time he was eight. Eventually, he went on to join Barnsley’s under-16s side and rose through the ranks there.
At 6ft 3in (191cm), it wasn’t just his height that made Vimal stand out at Barnsley, according to the club’s academy director Bobby Hassell – it was his aggression on the pitch. In 2023, only 22 professional players with South Asian heritage aged 17 or over were playing in England’s top four leagues. That represents about 1% of players, but the figures did show a 29% rise on the previous season – when there had only been 17.
Bobby Hassell understands the difficulties for families allowing young players to play soccer and thinks Vimal’s “certainly showing the way” for families when it comes to the opportunities that are out there. Mladen Sormaz, Barnsley’s sporting director, sees a bright future for Vimal, saying he’s “got everything in terms of the tools to become a top-level professional”. Players like Vimal could help keep British Asian kids in the game, as it shows them that there is a pathway in football
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