Bradford City manager Peter Taylor has given British Asian defender Zesh Rehman his backing to remain as club captain.
Pakistan international Rehman was originally handed the role of club captain by former manager Stuart McCall at the start of last season.
After working with Rehman for six months, Taylor feels there is no reason to change that for the new campaign.
He said: "In my time here Zesh has always been thoroughly supportive of all the other players in the squad. Zesh has also been a superb ambassador for the football club within the local community.
"He is a supremely professional individual and will continue to make a superb club captain for this football club"
Foundation
Rehman launched his own foundation earlier this year, which aims to help fellow British Asians get into football.
Rehman became the first British Asian to play in the Premier League in 2004 when he was at Fulham and aims to inspire others.
"The foundation's aim will be to raise the aspirations of kids," Rehman explained. "It will be to get them to do something positive using the power of football."
Rehman, who has also played for Brighton, Norwich, Queen's Park Rangers and Blackpool, knows just how hard it is to make it in the game.
But the Pakistan international has stated that even if those who join his foundation do not become professional players, the aim is to help them get involved in football in some way or another.
'Encourage'
"Hopefully, they'll see that they can get involved with a football club or in an activity that can encourage them to better themselves in whatever they choose to do," he added.
"They don't necessarily have to become footballers as within football there are hundreds of jobs.
"They can become involved at groundsman level, as a kitman, in the finance department or media department. There are lots of opportunities available for them."
Rehman is an ambassador for Kick It Out and the Football Foundation, And was awarded the Professional Footballers Association's player in the community award for 2010.
'Recognition'
"It's nice to get that bit of recognition," he reflected. "But, if I'd won it or not, I would have carried on working in the community and closely with my club to try to engage kids at all levels."
Bradford City's joint chairman Mark Lawn believes it is important for young British Asians to have more role models like Rehman but says even that is not a guarantee to attract members of the defender's community into the game.
"I'm not going to lie to you. It's been very slow and we haven't had any intake (of British Asian fans) at all," he explained. "We got Zesh because of his football ability, not because of his community standing.
"But Zesh is working well in the community and we'll always be encouraging any community to come in, especially the Asian community because we're on their doorstep."
