Football takes centre stage

BFA Awards Ceremony 2012

The 16th Annual BFA Awards Ceremony, held at the Troxy, attracted 500 young people and distinguished guests from the world of football and media, local politicians, local businessmen and community leaders came to celebrate the achievements of young people from all the different BFA projects.

 Among the guests were Lutfur Rahman, Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets; Jim Fitzpatrick MP (Poplar & Limehouse); Rushanara Ali MP (Bethnal Green & Bow); Anwar Uddin, the only player of Bangladeshi origin to play in the top tiers of the English League and world renowned sports journalist Mihir Bose.

Other guests included Jonathon Mills (FA Equality Co-ordinator); Stephen Thompson (Managing Director, Dagenham & Redbridge FC); Kevin Coleman (Kick It Out); Cllr Oliur Rahman, Cllr Shahed Ali, Cllr Rachel Saunders, Cllr  Abdul Asad, Cllr Motin-uz-Zaman, Cllr Abdal Ullah and Cllr Abdul Mukit Chunnu MBE.

The gala event is without doubt the biggest footballing event in the local community and attracts young people from all the local teams and BFA projects. It is a special night for the winners and many young people feel honoured receiving awards from distinguished guests.  It was a special night for members of Newark Youth London, as they won the coveted Summer League Premier Division title for the third time in 4 years.  Stepney FC came runners up by one point and missed out on their fifth title.  The First Division was won by Hackney Probashi, one of the founding members of the Summer League, and runners up were West End United from West London.

The Sonali Bank cup winners were Ponders End from North London, who beat premiership rivals Aldgate Club East (ACE) 3-1 in the cup final.  This was Ponders End’s first cup final and they thoroughly deserved it.

The main award of the night was presented to Barinder Thiara (Bindi) and Jilu Miah Mannan who were enrolled on the BFA Hall of Fame.  This honour recognises past players who have played the game and made an impact in promoting football in the community.  Both Bindi and Jilu played for Sporting Bengal since its inception and have been role models to hundreds of young people.  Currently, they are playing for the Sporting Bengal Vets team.  An emotional Jilu Miah said “the award was a reward for my blood and sweat”. He did not think he would ever be held in the same esteem as other great players.  He thanked his mother for her support.

Five individuals won special recognition awards.
•Abu Taher was recognised for progressing as a referee and officiating at semi-professional league.
•Tahmina Begum, Abul Hussain were recognised for carrying the Olympic torch in the summer and Emdad Rahman for carrying the Paralympic torch.
•Mamunur Rashid MBE was recognized for his voluntary work in the community and for receiving the MBE in the Queen’s Honours List.

On the night, Iqra International did a raffle to raise money for a disabled children’s  building complex in Bangladesh. Items bought by guests included an Everton FC signed shirt and a Reading FC signed match ball.

The BFA would like to thank everyone – teams, players, guests and sponsors – for making it a truly memorable night.

•For more information about BFA and its projects please contact Kamrul Islam on 07958-085 480 or visit www.bfauk.com.