AN all-Asian football team, believed to be the oldest of its kind in the country, is to feature in a new book about ethnic minority footballers.

Paak Amateur Football Club will feature in the book, Corner Shops and Corner Flags after author Jas Bains met up with the club's manager Mash Hussain at a Lets Kick Racism Out of Football convention at Ewood Park 18 months ago.

The Nelson side was formed back in 1967 by the children of the area's first Asian settlers who had come to work in the mills in East Lancashire. It is believed to be the oldest known all Asian side in the country.

Today, the club is one of the most successful in the Pendle Charity League and still has a mathematical chance of lifting the Premiership title just three years after reaching the top flight.

Mash has been involved with the club for the past 20 years and has been player/manager for the last seven seasons.

The club now has a junior team which Mash helped reform two years ago to compete in the Hyndburn and District Boys League.

He said: "I met Jas at Ewood Park more than a year ago and he was surprised that our club had been going for so long. As far as he was aware he knew of no other all-Asian football team in the country that had been going for so long. "We had a really good chat about Asians in football and he was very interested in learning more about our club. So much so that he told me that he wanted to write a chapter about the club in his new book which is coming out soon."

Mash believes that Paak AFC are the only side who are offering Asians a fair chance to play in local league football.

He said: "It is sad to see but there are not many Asians playing for other sides in the league. In fact I can't remember playing a side this season that had an Asian player playing for them.

"There seems to be an idea that Asians are not very good at football but our own position shows that is simply not the case.

"At the moment Asian players only feel comfortable playing for us and while we are more than welcome to attract more players I would love to see the day when the league is full of mixed race teams."

Paak's rise up the Pendle Charity League has been rapid after they joined from the Nelson Saturday League which disbanded. After running away with the Division Three title, they were promoted two divisions to Division One and won that as well. Now they are on the verge of Premiership glory.

He added: "To be honest we probably haven't come as far as we would have liked. Ideally we would like to get our pitch and club house and make it a centre of attention for the Asian community. "It is something we have been talking about for the past three years but it would take some major funding to get up and running."

Mash has a wealth of experience in local amateur league football and that knowledge, along with his community connections and that fact that he is currently studying a Youth and Community Work degree is helping him to build up links with Burnley FC.

He said: "The club have been fantastic in helping to build bridges with the Asian community and more and more youngsters are getting involved with the club thanks to the initiatives they are running."

Mash has been working part time with the club for a year and helps run youth coaching sessions at the weekend. And he regularly takes groups of up to 50 Asians youngsters to games at Turf Moor.

He said: "That is the way forward in trying to attract more Asians to the club and as someone who comes from the community and is involved with Burnley FC they are definitely working in the right direction."

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