Hundreds of local children, volunteers and community figures celebrated
Local children, grassroots volunteers and community figures from across Birmingham were honoured at a landmark awards ceremony celebrating 25 years of Birmingham Youth Sports Academy (BYSA).
The End of Season Players Award evening, at Zymal’s Banqueting Hall, brought together more than 350 guests to recognise the young players, coaches, referees and dedicated individuals who have given their time and talent to the organisation.
The night celebrated everything from under-11s collecting their first trophies to volunteers acknowledged for decades of service behind the scenes, painting a vivid picture of a club that has quietly transformed lives across the city for a quarter of a century.
The event was hosted by BYSA founder Anwar Khattak BEM, and opened with an address by its Chairman, Professor Paul Cadman, who set out his vision for the organisation’s future.
“The progress we have made over 25 years has been remarkable,” said Prof. Cadman.
“This evening is about honouring everyone who has been part of that story, especially the young people at the very heart of what we do.”
Civic leaders recognised
The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Zaffar Iqbal, attended the evening and received the Chairman’s Award in recognition of his longstanding support for communities and young people across the city.
Three Special Recognition Awards were also presented on the night. Simon Foster, Police and Crime Commissioner, was honoured for his contribution to community safety, while Ifraz Ahmed from B Events and the Purple Square Audio Visual team were celebrated for their sustained support of BYSA’s events programme.
Four individuals received a 25-Year Service Award in recognition of their extraordinary commitment to the club: Riaz Ul-Haq Khan, Waheed Ayoob, Umar Shireen and Shakeel Hussain.
Young players shine
Boys, girls, men’s and women’s teams were all celebrated on the night, with more than 40 volunteers collecting the Community Champions Award. Individual accolades spanning Top Scorer, Player of the Season, Most Improved and the Clubman Award were presented across the under-11s, under-13s and under-15s boys sides, as well as the girls and women’s teams.
Founder Khattak closed the evening with a speech that moved many in the room, before his family joined him on stage to mark the occasion.
Headline sponsors included Mike Hopkins MBE from South and City College Birmingham, Safaraz Ali MBE from Pathway Group and Prof. Cadman from SPR and West Midlands News.
