West Riding FA is pleased to have supported Akif Khan (pictured) in organising the Bradford Summer Cup, with 14 teams across two divisions involved. 

Lee Ashforth, Senior Football Development Officer at West Riding FA, said: “The Bradford Summer Cup has 14 teams across two divisions and all the teams have been affiliated and using Player Registration. 

“It was fantastic to work with Atif and the clubs across a diverse area and a diverse group of clubs, although the WhatsApp group never stops! All of the clubs were great in getting things in place and I am glad the Summer Cup is proving to be a huge success.”

Akif Khan, Summer Cup organiser, added: “I took over from James Marsh in organising the Summer Cup 5-6 years ago. Initially, I used to enter my team Toller FC in this competition when James hosted it. It was really good for pre-season preparation and I always wanted to play the best teams and for the players a great learning curve. It helped us massively. 

“When James said he was parting ways with the organisation I took over as I didn’t want teams to not be able to play in this event. It is hard work, as it’s all voluntary, but I try to provide the best for the teams at limited costs and they are always really helpful. 

“We have also worked with Kick It Out over the years and SCAR (Sports Campaign Against Racism) to promote kicking racism out of the game. This is integral to this competition and we promote this by providing captain’s armbands with the ‘say no to racism’ slogan. Both team captains wear these as a show of solidarity. 

“There’s no real benefit I get personally but it gives me satisfaction being able to promote ‘kick racism out of football’ and also being able to provide competitive football to all the players across the district. They enjoy it, and just as importantly it helps with mental health through the summer months.  

“Finally, I want to shout out Lee Ashforth. He’s a credit to the FA and takes great pride in his job. He’s been instrumental in helping teams get sorted and affiliated and has also helped me massively throughout the process.”

For more on the Bradford Summer Cup, head over to their Facebook page here.