Hartlepool United chairman Raj Singh has discussed his club’s rise in the English game. He also expressed his views about South Asians getting into the sport.
Singh took over Hartlepool in 2018, in the National League. The takeover happened mere days before going into liquidation. The club underwent a steady rise in the fifth tier of English football.
Hartlepool managed to earn promotion back to the League Twoafter a four-year absence. They defeated Torquay United in the 2020/21 National League play-off final.
“I’ve always been a massive football fan, growing up in Middlesbrough,” Hartlepool United chairman Raj told Sky Sports.
“I’ve done reasonably well in business locally and football was always something that I wanted to get involved with, and when the opportunity came along at Hartlepool, I went along and took the chance.
“We’ve come a long way since I’ve been involved in the club, which is coming up to five years now and Hartlepool United is now a stable and sustainable club. We have enjoyed a reasonable amount of success since we have been back in the league, and of course, we are hoping for some more.
“Why haven’t there been more South Asians making it in the Premier League or even the Championship? It’s the million-dollar question, and nobody can really answer it.
“There is a massive following among South Asians. We’ve all tried to get the game initially while growing up. And if it’s not playing, you try and get involved in some way.
“Others going into coaching, and people like myself from business trying to get involved at a high level, so the passion is there but it’s difficult to explain why there isn’t someone who has made it and gone all the way.
