LONDON APSA - A brief history

London APSA – A brief history

London APSA was formed in 1993, corresponding with the creation of the first Asian Football League (AFL). A group of 

friends from Newham's East Ham College merged with a local youth team, known as Young Muslims, who were no longer

eligible to play under 16's football. Brought together by the current Club Chairman, Zulfi Ali, APSA, who were then known 

as Ahle Sunnah, were crowned the first ever-Asian League Champions.

For a number of years the team continued to participate, with some success, in a number of Asian run competitions. 

However, it was not until April 1999 that the club became really serious about making a mark in mainstream football, and 

saw a turning point in the direction of Ahle Sunnah. The trigger was a trip to Pakistan via a Manchester based group called 

APSA, which bought together for the first time Zulfi Ali and current Vice-Chairman, Anjum Khan. 

		        	  		  The Pakistan Experience

For the outset it was clear that both Zulfi and Anjum shared the same dream; to bring about the birth of an Asian Team which

would be able compete in the mainstream leagues and be the standard bearer for the Asian Football Community. With plenty

of non-playing time the two spent many an hour discussing how to best to move forward and implement these plans.  

On their return Ahle Sunnah continued to succeed in numerous competitions including winning the Umbro International Tournament 

Manchester, Business Houses League and Cup Premier Division, the Asian Football League and the UK Asian Championships. 

This rich vein of form continued as the club strived to make a name for itself and be recognized within the Asian community and 

in the mainstream. 

     					         Media Coverage

Undoubtedly, this huge success impacted positively on the clubs exposure, especially to the wider audience. The BBC and CH4 

filmed several documentaries on APSA, including showing the game against the Pakistan national team in Oxford, as well being 

mentioned on the 6 o'clock news! The foundations had been laid for London APSA to hit the big stage!

However, although much was happening for the club, there was still much work to be done for Zulfi and Anjum’s dream to be realised. 

The club had still not achieved its goal of playing Senior Football. 

                                     			Entering the Mainstream League

In 2002 the first attempt was made by London APSA to enter the then Forrester's Essex senior League. However, all did not go 

smoothly. Plans fell through as the Newham Terence Macmillan stadium was not up to standard and needed work before it could 

be used for Senior Football. However, with the help of Aveley FC, the financial help of the fastest growing Asian Franchise Business 

KEBABISH, London APSA Projects Teams, persistency and hard work finally paid dividends as they entered the league in August 2003.

                   		                                             2003-04 Season

The 2003-04 season was one of learning for APSA team, as they held on to mid-table obscurity for much of the first half 

of the season. The latter part of the season however, showed the lack of depth within the squad, which evident in many 

results. Despite this, the season did have many highs, especially the 1-0 victory over Enfield Town FC to win a place in 

the quarter finals of the Gordon Brasted Trophy. 

                         		                 	            2004-05 Season

APSA’s 2nd season in the League was another transitional one for the club, as they went through major changes in order to 

find the correct balance in order to establish themselves in the League. A notable 2-2 draw against league champions Enfield 

Town and a 2-0 victory over Waltham Abbey, ending their unbeaten run, showed the potential the young APSA outfit had, yet

inexperience and a lack of depth was still evident. 

However, the off-season proved fruitful, the JIP sponsored APSA team entered, and won, the UK Asian Championship at 

Stamford Bridge, after a tensely fought encounter against rivals and friends London Tigers. 

London APSA’s love affair and dominance with the UK Asian Championships continued in 2007, as the beat FC Smethwick on 

penalties to be crowned 2-time UK Asian Champions.