Watch: Community sport for all ready for weekend of action

Birmingham is set to host the British Kabaddi League Grand Final on May 18 and 19 at the Nechells Wellbeing Centre, with a large crowd expected to cheer on the eight teams taking part.

Kabaddi originated in India around 5,000 years ago and is the fastest growing sport in South Asia, second only to cricket, and has been played in over 50 countries, while gaining popularity in the UK through broadcast on BBC iPlayer.

The contact sport involves teams of raiders and blockers who must score points by entering the opponent’s territory, tagging an opponent and getting back into their own half without being tackled to the ground.

Representatives from two of the teams, defending champions Birmingham Bulls and newcomers Sandwell Kings, were joined by World Kabaddi Chairman Ashok Das and Birmingham City Council Deputy Leader Sharon Thompson to see some of the players set for the day the big one.

The British Kabaddi League (BKL), now in its third season, is helping to maximize the legacy benefits of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, creating an economic and sporting legacy for the region.

Councilor Thompson said she was excited to see the final taking place in Birmingham and was keen to talk about the legacy.

She said: “It’s great to see this event taking place at the weekend as it’s a sport that’s over 5,000 years old and it’s great to see it here in Birmingham, which is a very diverse city with so many different cultures .

“This follows on from the Commonwealth Games as well as extending the legacy of the Commonwealth Games and also about economic growth and sporting growth.

“We hope to see as many people as possible here at the weekend as the sport is very recognized in the town and the club here had around 70 people who wanted to sign up when it was first called, so it shows. how popular it is.”

Birmingham Bulls are the reigning champions after beating Glasgow Unicorns 48-18 to take the title in 2023 and are looking to continue their success in this year’s league tournament, while co-owner Amo Singh was, also excited to play at home.

He said: “It’s brilliant to play here because your home crowd is your home crowd and we’ll have full support behind Birmingham, who are two-time reigning champions and will have our friends and family there to support us .

“We are here to win and we have a strong team, so even after the one loss we had, the team came back stronger, trained harder and is ready for the weekend.”

Sandwell Kings board member Hardeep Singh said he would love to see his team win the tournament but is just as keen to see the sport on display.

He said: “Kabaddi is a community sport and many of the players playing for us only started in March so we want to win here but we are also here to showcase the sport.

“It’s the second biggest sport in India after cricket and it’s played by millions of people and I think it’s perfect for these shores because you don’t need any equipment to play it.”

For Ashok Das, his big hope for the weekend was to showcase Kabaddi as a community sport and, like Hardeep Singh, show that it was a sport accessible and accessible to all.

He said, “I think the biggest achievement will be the community coming to watch the sport and then sending their children to learn more about Kabaddi.

“My message is that Kabaddi, like any sport, is about fitness, but it’s also affordable because you don’t have to spend anything to send your kids to try it, so they can try and see if they like it.

“The weekend will be action-packed and also a cultural celebration with traditional dances and dhol, so it will be very exciting.”

Tickets for the Grand Final are available, priced at £5 for adults and £2.50 for children each, either by calling 0121 464 4373 or collecting in person from Nechells Wellbeing Centre.