Sporting Bengal United

It all began with a football tour to Bangladesh in 1996 by a group of the best Bangladeshi players in London. There was a realisation that talent was being wasted with the divisions that existed and a solution was required to tackle these divisions. Sporting Bengal United FC was therefore established in 1996 to challenge the under-representation of Asians in football and to offer Bangladeshi and other young Asian people a chance to play football at a higher level. In eight years the team rose from amateur Sunday league football to semi-professional football. Today, the club offers local young people of all backgrounds the opportunity to play semi-professional football in the Essex Senior Football League. It broke down many barriers and was one of the first Asian teams to play in the famous FA Cup.