User:Bal Singh KFA

BAL SINGH Futsal Player & Football Coach www.thekfa.com

Bal set up the Khalsa Youth Football Club back in 1988, primarily to increase the participation of ethnic minority players in grassroots football. In 2004 Bal launched the Khalsa Youth Football Academy, This was a project, which gave youngsters a platform to showcase their skills in front of coaches from semi- professional and professional clubs. To help set up the A cademy Bal visited AC Milan Youth Academy meeting up with Italian legend Franco Baresi and getting a very good education from former AC Milan and Italian international Alberigo Evani. Bal also co-ordinated the official launch of the Academy project in 2005 with community coaches from Liverpool Football club, European champions at the time.

One of Bal’s biggest successes has been creating a wide network of partners for his academy, not only in the UK but also across Europe complemented by numerous groundbreaking initiatives such as his One team, One game Striving, for Unity project, which saw him take a group of Asian players to Valencia CF in 2006. Bal has an excellent track record delivering initiatives in the community using football as a vehicle to promote tolerance and harmony. The results we expect is to run regular coaching clubs and monthly and fortnightly workshops and monthly mini festivals which will also show how we work with youths and other community groups who commit race crime and help educate them.

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Player Information

 * Bal Singh
 * Bal Singh

Club

 * Khalsa Futsal
 * Khalsa Futsal

Club Website

 * www.THEKFA.com
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Bal Leads out Team India to World Cup Glory in South Africa - March 2010 ''Two years ago Chris Rose, from the Amos Trust heard about Bals organisation Khalsa Football Academy (The KFA). He asked Bal if he would be interested in leading out a team from India that consisted of street children, Bal replied 'yes' without thinking twice. Since then Bal has dedicated his time to bring a team from India over to South Africa for the life changing event. Bal has worked tirelessly over the past 2 years, raising funds , attending meetings and finally putting together a group of partners and individuals to form Team India. Bal Singh contributed out of his own pocket to help the Street Children participate in the first ever Street Child World cup. The organisations Bal decided to use were YFC and New West Secondary School in South Africa. It was the prospect of working with Kulwant Singh a former Indian international footballer that influenced his decision to bring YFC to South Africa. Bal has been instrumental in bringing young people of all races and nationalities together using football. Bal Singh also started the STRIVING FOR UNITY project which is The KFA's anti poverty and equality campaign which raises important issues of equality and serves to highlight how ignorance and fear of the unknown can drive wedges within communities.'' The Fixtures ''For Team India:- Game 1 South Africa 0 V India 4 Game 2 Nicaragua 1 v India 0 Game 3 Ukraine 0 v India 8 Semi Final England 1 v India 3 Final Tanzania 0 India 1''

Spanish Coaches Project -Valencia CF - August 2010 ''14 Coaches from Spanish Giants Valencia Cf Back in 2006 Racist chants marred the England versus Spain international match in Spain.As a direct result of this racist behaviour by Spanish fans, Bal lead a KFA team that went to the country to attempt to build bridges. Bal was the first person in UK to take an organisation to Spain to help build bridges help educate and address the importance of working together to combat racism. This year Bal facilitated and organised a unique project in Hertfordshire bringing 14 Coaches from Spainsh giants Valencia Cf to England the same coaches that coached David Villa to deliver coaching to youngsters.''

Bal leads out KFA youngsters to play at Wembey - August ''In August The FA held its annual National Festival at Wembley Stadium to celebrate grassroots football across the country. Bal Singh lead out The KFA under 10's and gave an opportunity to budding Asian footballers the opportunity descend on the home of Football Wembley. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity enabled the children to experience the Wembley changing rooms, walk out through the players tunnel and feel the excitement of playing on the pitch in front of record crowds of friends and family who had come along to enjoy the day. Watching proceedings was 1966 World Cup legend Sir Geoff Hurst as well as striker Michael Owen.'''Bold text' European Champions Cup The Khalsa Football Academy base- November 2010 Bal Facilitates coaching/workshop program with Liverpool FC Liverpool FC coaches brought the Champions League cup to work with Bal on a coaching program to inspire young Asian footballers.

Workshops Bal delivers in the community ''Bal has been delivering football initiatives and workshops at grassroots level to help address equality as part of the Striving For Unity project KFA’s equality campaign. The Striving workshops help participants increase awareness, understanding and learning of equality, legislation and issues around equality. It helps build confidence to deal with equality incidents. Participants have the chance to express own views; listen to others; discuss with a range of colleagues. There are various soccer initiatives including skill competitions and Futsal and futbol de salao games used to deliver these initiatives.''

Post 9/11 Anti Terrorism/Racist campaign May -2010 ''Bal worked with the Hertfordshire constabulary Police authority to deliver street soccer in areas where there were high rates of race crime and Anti-social behaviour. On the days Bal delivered these street soccer projects there were no reports of hate race crime and anti-social behaviour. Bal succesfully facilitated a screening of the film Divided we fall followed to a group of white youngsters who had previously committed race and anti social behaviour crime. The film was followed by a series of football intiatives resulting in the group integrating with Asian youths in football camps. Bal hosted the premiere screening in Hertfordshire, Wembley stadium and Birmingham. The film, Divided We Fall by Valarie Kaur, explores issues of racial tension and violence in a post-9/11 world and will be followed by a series of workshops delivered in North Herts to the Police, youngsters and the community of Letchworth led by Valarie and Bal, the main aim and focus was to increase community understanding of race and religion.''

Using Football to change preception of "Hoodies" Feb 2010 - Sept 2010 ''Bal set up the project to challenge negative stereotypes of young people in Letchworth Garden City and show the good work that they do in the community.Bal supported young people between the ages of 11 and 17 who make a positive contribution to their local community.These contributions along with participants’ artistic representations of Young People Today: Perception and Reality was showcased at a football festival Bal facilitated in September with guest Football freestyle Champion Billy Wingrove. The project also saw an exhibition Futsal fixture to raise funds for the victims of the Pakistan Floods.''

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GUARD OF HONOURS Jan 2010 - Dec 2010 ''Bal worked on some detached work with youngsters from Letchworth Garden City. The KFA have a equality campaign called Striving For Unity which promotes intergration and cohesion in the community using football as a mechanism of engagement. The KFA students have been attending regular Futsal sessions in Bedford and were rewarded after a 40 week soocer project by being the Guard Of Honours at the Valencia CF V Man utd Champions league game  coming out with the players and carrying the UEFA banner beemed live around the world to billions''

Bal Singh holds The Brazilian Pro License (Highest Coaching accreditation available as a coach in Brazil) presented to him ''by Jairzinho the 1970 Brazilian World Cup winner. Made history this year by leading out Team India in the first ever Street Child World Cup and winning it. Uses football as a mechanism of engaement to facilitate important issues through his Striving For Unity campaign which includes :Anti-social behaviour, Anti- Bullying, Anti-Racism, Anti-Terrorism and Anti-poverty campaign. Bal is only one of very few UEFA and Brazilian Pro license coaches from an Asian background. He has overcome numerous barriers to get his accreditations and wishes to encourage more Asian coaches to obtain accredited qualifications to become part of mainstream football. Bal has achieved a holistic coaching outlook through his FDS coaching and worldview on football so as to engage and empower the next generation of Asian players. Bal completed his education at the AC Milan Youth Academy in Italy and Valencia CF training complex in Spain. He is also an individual personal coach and by using the Futebol De Salao (FDS) methods helps players further develop their technical ability. Two of his biggest inspirations are Franco Baresi and Alberigo Evani who have helped him develop as a coach since meeting them in 2004. As a FDS coach he has been coached by Simon Clifford, Careca and Carlos Alberto. This experience has made him a more dynamic coach and it was his interested in coaching football that led to him creating the Khalsa Youth Football Academy.''www.thekfa.com