A conference at University College Northampton, UK
19 July 2000
To correspond with the first tour of the UK by the Indian national
football team.
Contacts (for further details and booking forms).
- Dr Jim Mills (jim.mills@northampton.ac.uk
- Dr Paul Dimeo (paul.dimeo@northampton.ac.uk)
Conference Aims.
The conference will bring together interested academics, supporters, the
media, government and representatives of the football industry. The
conference will explore the history, current prospects and possible
futures of football in India and in the South Asian diaspora. Discussion
will focus on the following theme areas.
The place of football in the colonial and post-colonial past.
Contemporary developments such as the professional league and the export
of Indian players to European clubs.
Future scenarios, where Indian football develops/suffers in relation to
such processes as interaction between ex-patriate communities and the
national squad, through the 'globalisation' of football through
international agencies, through increased government /private funding etc.
Speakers, Among the speakers will be:
- Jas Bains, co-author of 'Asians Can't Play Football' and co-author of Corner Flags and Corner Shops: the Asian Football Experience. Overseas representative for the All-India Football Federation.
- Sanjiev Johal, co-author of 'Corner Flags and Corner Shops: the Asian
Football Experience'.
- Piara Powar, National Campaign Co-ordinator, Let's Kick Racism out of Football.
- Bill Adams, Director of Coaching at the Super Soccer Academy, New Delhi.
- Mario Rodrigues, Principal Sports Correspondent, The Statesman (India).
- Arunava Chaudhuri, editor 'The unofficial Indian Football Site'.
- Paul Dimeo, author of 'Racism, Football and Cultural Difference: the
experience of Scottish Asians' (PhD thesis).
The Indian Football Supporters' Club will be holding their first
international meeting at the conference. For details see
www.indianfootball.com
Participants.
The combination of debates in the areas of history and post-colonialism,
the sociology of sport in contemporary India and among the South Asian
communities of the UK, and the future prospects of football in Asia is
expected to be attractive to a range of groups.
1. Academia: the conference will address both historical and sociological
issues.
2. Media: members of the Indian press will be attending as speakers and as
delegates as they will be in the UK specifically to cover the tour. It
will provide the ideal introduction to the tour for the UK media.
3. Government: the themes of the conference fit in with the agendas of
both national and local government anti-racism units.
4. Football Industry: representatives of the major Indian and UK football
organisations will be invited to attend as will officers from the major
British football clubs running anti-racism campaigns.
5. Community Groups: representatives of UK Asian communities will receive
invitations as will those from non-Government anti-racism groups.
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