Aman Dosanj

Amanprit "Aman" Kaur Dosanj is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. She is the first British Asian footballer to represent England at any level.[3]

Aman Dosanj
Personal information
Full name Amanprit Kaur Dosanj[1]
Place of birth Southampton, England
Height 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)[2]
Playing position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–2000 Southampton Saints
2000–2002 Arsenal Ladies
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:38, 26 October 2010 (UTC)

Dosanj went on to be employed by the Football Association as an ambassador. She also worked with the 'Football For All' and 'Kick It Out' campaigns.[3]

Club career

At the age of six, Dosanj was the only female player in her school football team.[4] She joined Red Star Southampton which later came to be known as Southampton Saints at the age of ten and was coached by former England goalkeeper Sue Buckett.[1] At 16 Dosanj signed for Arsenal Ladies, the team she supported as a child. She juggled training and playing with studying for her A-levels.[2]

In 2002, 18-year-old Dosanj won a scholarship to Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee.[2][5] Dosanj's goalkeeping career was later hampered by a serious knee injury.[6]

International career

In April 1999, while playing for Southampton Saints' reserve team, Dosanj represented England U-16s in a five-nations tournament in Dublin. In doing so she notably became the first British Asian to play football for England at any level.[7][8] Dosanj described her international debut as "the proudest and most memorable day of my life."[6]

Dosanj later indicated a willingness to play international football for India.[1]

Personal life

Dosanj's Indian heritage made her a role model for aspiring British Asian footballers, and in 2004 she was employed by the Football Association (FA) as an ambassador.[6] She was presented with a certificate by FA chief executive Mark Palios.[6] Although Dosanj herself never suffered racism while playing in England or the United States,[9] she became a prominent anti-racism campaigner, speaking out against racism in football while working for the Kick It Out initiative.[3]

The football career of Dosanj - a Sikh - was likened to that of Parminder Nagra's character in the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham.[2][5] Nagra said of Dosanj: "I think it is brilliant that there is someone out there who is so close to the story, who is going out to the States and pursuing her dream. Good for Aman, I hope she does really well."[2]

During 2008 Dosanj moved with her family from Southampton to Kelowna, Canada. She went on a year later to open a contemporary Indian restaurant called Poppadoms in Kelowna.[10][11][12]

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References
  1. Kulwinder Singh (December 2001). "IndianFootball.Com Interview: AMAN DOSANJ". Indianfootball.com. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  2. Peter Payne (28 April 2002). "She bends it like Beckham and saves it like Seaman". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  3. "Aman leads the way". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  4. John Stock (21 July 2002). "She Bends it like Beckham". Indianfootball.com. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  5. "Real-life Bend It Like Beckham star". BBC. 29 April 2002. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  6. Shamya Dasgupta (10 August 2004). "Dosanj joins Shearer, Sol in FA campaign". Indian Express. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  7. Urmee Khan (10 November 2006). "The unsporting life". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  8. Daniel Burdsey (2007). British Asians and football: culture, identity, exclusion. Routledge. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  9. "Indians 1, Soccer 0". Indian Express. 23 May 2003. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  10. "2015 Foodies of the Year: Aman Dosanj". Western Living.ca.
  11. "In Focus: Aman Dosanj". Kelowna Now.com.
  12. "Behind the line: Kelowna chef Aman Dosanj". Eat North.com.


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