Up to 700 children a week benefit from Birmingham Youth Sport Academy
Each morning Anwar Khattak picks litter off the Ackers playing field in Small Heath that is home to “his baby” – the Birmingham Youth Sports Academy (BYSA).
In its modest clubhouse, the Ackers Community Hub, a few yards from Spark Brook, Anwar can often be found mopping floors and cleaning toilets.
It was this humble leadership that led to him being awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in 2014 for voluntary service to the community.
“I clean toilets here. If I did not do it, I could not ask anyone else to do it,” he tells WM News.
“No one is above anybody or anything here at BYSA.”
Founded in 2002, BYSA now helps up to 700 youngsters a week
Anwar founded BYSA in 2002 to offer local youngsters, including his nephews, opportunities to play sport.
Within the first two months, he had 30 children involved.
Wind the clock on nearly 24 years and BYSA has several hundred members and looks after 500 children a week on average, giving them expert coaching and guidance together with the life skills and confidence that come with team sport.
“We ask the kids for £2 per session, or £1 if they can’t afford it,” says Anwar, who also works as a freelance legal adviser.
‘We’re not in this to make money – we’re here to make an impact’
Sometimes a child will come with a handful of pennies. In this not-uncommon scenario, Anwar ushers them to one side, hands the coins back and tells them to go and join in with the rest.
“We’re not in this to make money. We do it to help people. We do it to make an impact,” says father-of-four Anwar, born and bred in Small Heath.
Anwar runs BYSA with the help of a volunteer workforce, including coaches and medics – each determined to help children from deprived areas, including Alum Rock, Saltley, Sparkhill and Small Heath.
As well as football and street games, BYSA today offers eight-to-18-year-olds education and training and routes into apprenticeships and employment.
“We work to help these kids physically, mentally, emotionally, academically and spiritually,” says Anwar, whose Islamic faith feeds his boundless drive to help others..
“They are the leaders of tomorrow. We empower them through sports to then progress into education, apprenticeships, work placements and full-time employment.
‘We accept everyone …’
“We accept everyone – no matter age, race, size, gender and ability, we cater for them all.
“It’s not just boys, either. I’m really proud of our girls’ and women’s football programme.
“Asian girls playing football unheard of a few years ago – but now, thanks to BYSA, it’s the norm.
“We have built up trust in the local community and I’m proud of that.”
BYSA is a charity that operates in partnership with the City of Birmingham Foundation, a community interest company (CIC). It delivers its multi-sport programme through its Sports Academy, which includes its Centre of Excellence programme.
‘Once people come in, they don’t want to leave’
Its success can be measured by the simple fact that it is still going strong after more than two decades – and the fact that BYSA’s volunteers never seem to move on.
“Our volunteers are perhaps our biggest success. Once you come in you don’t want to leave. It’s a big family making a difference, and changing and saving lives,” says Anwar.
The club has been awarded the highest accolades – all listed on its website.
Lots of activities in the clubhouse
BYSA’s success can also be seen in the remarkable cleanliness (much of that down to Anwar’s own elbow grease) and the range of extra facilities within the clubhouse.
A big Connect 4 game, pool table, table football, segregated male and female changing rooms, a classroom, a medical room, table tennis, a kitchen – all in the unremarkable single-storey building that was handed over to Anwar in 2022 in a dilapidated state by the city council on a 25-year, peppercorn lease.
Anwar and his regiment of passionate volunteers have the knack of making the precious few pounds and pennies they have go a long way.
Around £20,000 was raised to do up the building, repairing leaks in the roof and installing CCTV and some floodlights.
Anti-social behaviour is a constant battle
Anwar continues to fight an annoying battle against local anti-social behaviour, including hooded miscreants who use his sports field as a dirt bike cut-through.
Then there’s “the constant struggle for attention from the council and funding to sort out the most basic of problems,” he says.
Seizing every opportunity
On the day WM News visited BYSA, a council contractor was trimming branches overhanging the access road to BYSA and to the Ackers Adventure facility beyond. A convivial exchange with Anwar saw the contractor persuaded trim the tree limbs a little higher than he’d been instructed.
“You have to seize these moments,” says Anwar.
“That guy probably won’t be back here for 10 years.”
