Brown Girl Sport said the new supporters club is for fans who are also women of colour.
Chelsea Women has teamed up with Brown Girl Sport to start a new supporters club in a bid to become more inclusive.
The new Supporters Club for Women of Colour was launched at Brown Girl Sport's third anniversary celebration at Stamford Bridge last week where Chelsea played against Arsenal in the Women's Super League.
A Chelsea Women spokesperson said: "Brown Girl Sport does fantastic work bringing communities together and championing South Asian women and girls in sport."
Brown Girl Sport was set up by Miriam Walker-Khan as an online community for South Asian women who love watching and participating in sports, as well as to champion professional athletes of the same heritage.
Walker‑Khan, a former athlete and sports journalist, said she started the platform for women in this demographic after realising how rarely "their stories were represented".
Chelsea Women, which is already diverse on and off the pitch, added that it looked forward to working with the platform and praised its work in building communities.
'If you can see it, you can be it'
"I wasn't seeing South Asian women's stories in sport being told anywhere," Walker-Khan said.
"Those stories are full of defiance and empowerment, but so often South Asian women in this country are portrayed as meek or oppressed. I wanted to shine a light on the real, incredible women who do sport."
Pakistan international and Lewes FC player Layla Banaras told the BBC that "if young girls can see Asian pro athletes make it, they might think they can do it too. If you can see it, you can be it".
Sarah, an FC Leytonstone youth player, says she is "really proud to be part of the Brown Girl Sport community", adding that, "if I accomplish something, I can be a role model for someone else".
Barriers for girls in sport
Sport England research shows that Asian girls are less likely to feel that sport is for them, with confidence and representation highlighted as key barriers. Black girls face similar challenges, with only 36% meeting recommended activity levels.
Brown Girl Sport takes these barriers into account when organising events such as football watch parties, avoiding the typical pub‑based settings and prioritising more accessible venues for some Muslim women.
At last week's event a henna table became a gathering point ahead of kick off and during half time.
The organisation has also recently named a new group of athlete ambassadors including Naomi Dattani, Lucindha Lawson, Asmita Ale, Eden Silva and Layla Banaras.
Recent studies highlight the scale of Asian under‑representation across sport. Sky Sports reported that of 37,000 male football players in the UK, only 22 were South Asian. At grassroots level, 11.4% of players were South Asian women.
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Category: General Sports
