UCFB, Global Institute of Sport (GIS) and Sky Sports News journalist Dev Trehan join forces to launch a first-of-its-kind South Asians in Football Leadership scholarship; Blackburn Rovers trailblazer and MSc Football Business student Millie Chandarana lands inaugural scholarship award
Thursday 23 November 2023 18:03, UK
Blackburn Rovers midfielder Millie Chandarana is the recipient of the world's first South Asians in Football Leadership scholarship.
The scholarship is a joint initiative founded by UCFB, the Global Institute of Sport (GIS), and Sky Sports News journalist and British South Asians in football pioneer Dev Trehan.
It is the first award of its kind, as UCFB and GIS join forces with Trehan to help promote and support the growth of British South Asians in football.
Trailblazer Chandarana is the first British South Asian woman ever to sign a professional contract with Blackburn Rovers, and is the only player from the community with a pro deal in the Barclays Women's Championship.
A box-to-box midfielder, who earned a spot in the 2022/23 South Asians in Football Team of the Season, Chandarana is studying MSc Football Business at the Global Institute of Sport's Manchester Campus.
In addition to the mentorship, Chandarana will also complete a professional qualification, the Global Institute of Sport's Inclusive Leadership in Football Award.
Trehan, on top of his work for Sky Sports News, is the country's only dedicated spotter of South Asian female talent and is the curator of the first exhibition documenting the journey of South Asians in the modern women's game, delivered in partnership with Sporting Equals.
Speaking to Sky Sports News after being awarded the scholarship, Chandarana said: "Looking into the future, I have great ambition to facilitate the growth of the women's game within the South Asian community and believe the mentoring and support I will receive through the scholarship can be a vital component in this.
"I have many ideas for the future of this pathway which is why I would like to gain my MSc with GIS. The rapid professionalism of the women's game is a huge platform for me to implement my ideas further and to help those from South Asian backgrounds receive the same opportunities when filtering through the elite pyramid.
"As a proud Blackburn Rovers player and the only British South Asian with a professional contract in the Barclays Women's Championship, I'm even more driven to make football more accessible to all within the UK and globally."
Trehan told Sky Sports News: "Partnering with UCFB and the Global Institute of Sport to co-found this first-of-its-kind scholarship is a matter of huge pride and is a landmark moment in the development of British South Asians in Football.
"Millie Chandarana is a wonderful role model and someone whose career I have tracked closely. She has worked tirelessly to get to where she is today and is currently playing the best football of her career.
"We have many shared values and are both doing some of our best work. This scholarship gives us a dedicated opportunity to shape a brighter future together for South Asians and English football.
"The UCFB/GIS family and I could not wish for a better first recipient of the South Asians in Football Leadership Scholarship. Millie is a leader on the pitch and has enormous potential to develop into a top-class leader off the pitch."
Chandarana also recently attended the Asian Media Awards in Manchester, which saw Sky Sports' commitment towards South Asians in football recognised with the inaugural Diversity in Media award.
GIS has welcomed a record 18 scholars from across the globe for the 2023-24 academic year.
For more stories, features and videos, visit our groundbreaking South Asians in Football page on skysports.com and South Asians in the Game blog and stay tuned to Sky Sports News and our Sky Sports digital platforms.
