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Historic Diwali Celebration by The Football Association at Wembley Stadium, London, UK

14 Nov 2024

Diwali at Wembley Stadium

Wembley Stadium is the largest stadium in the UK and one the most iconic venues in the world for hosting football and other sporting and music events

The Football Association, headquartered at Wembley Stadium, was celebrating Diwali for the first time, and invited Neasden Temple as partners

Guests arriving at the lounge within the stadium were greeted by a beautiful murti of Ganeshji flanked by murtis of Radha-Krishna Bhagwan and Sita-Rama Bhagwan

Entry to the event was strictly by invitation only

Registered guests were provided wristbands upon arrival

Akshar-Purushottam Maharaj and Mahant Swami Maharaj greeted guests at the entrance to the lounge

The VIP lounge had been decked with traditional Diwali-themed decoration

A hy-pro officially licensed England FA signature football was the centre-piece of the stage

Guests from various Hindu mandirs and associations had joined BAPS at the event

Guests and community leaders from diverse backgrounds had also joined the celebrations

Krupesh Hirani AM (left), London Assembly Member for Brent & Harrow, with a Hindu community leader

Youths from Neasden Temple began the evening with the chanting of Vedic prayers in Sanskrit

The youths continued with a medley of bhajans offering a musical tribute to various Hindu deities

Jitu Patel (centre), Chairman of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha in the UK, participated in the deep pragatya with representatives from The FA and other Hindu community leaders

Hindu community leaders and representatives of The FA came together to light traditional lamps to mark the auspicious beginning of the Diwali celebration

Neha Navekar, a professional sports presenter, and Ankur Desai, a BBC broadcaster, were the hosts for the evening’s proceedings

In a personal video message, FA Chair Debbie Hewitt MBE fondly recalled her visit to the Mandir and thanked “Neasden Temple – our neighbours in Wembley – who are key partners in tonight’s Diwali celebration”

Dal Darroch, Head of Diversity & Inclusion at The FA, added, “It has been great to see two iconic organisations – both with buildings that are iconic landmarks... – to come together for the first time and to do it here at the home of English football.”

Volunteers from Neasden Temple explained how His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj has encouraged sports as a way to raising physical fitness and community spirit

Khushboo Miyani, a BAPS volunteer, shared more about the longstanding partnership between Neasden Temple and The FA, especially to promote football amongst girls and women (see here)

John Barnes MBE, a former England international player, was among the esteemed guests in the audience

Radhika Kalia, Sports Programmes Officer at London Youth, and Jay Nagra spoke about the power of football in positively engaging youths

The hosts led an interesting panel of (from left to right) former footballers (Michael Chopra and Jimmy Carter), a current coach (Manisha Tailor), and a diversity manager for the Football Supporters’ Association (Nilesh Chauhan)

Manisha Tailor MBE is the Women’s U21 Head Coach for Tottenham Hotspur and an advisor to The FA Asian Women in Football board

Jimmy Carter (centre) played for several clubs, including Liverpool, Arsenal and Queens Park Rangers, while Michael Chopra (left) played for Sunderland and various other teams, including the Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League

Anita Asante, a former England footballer with 71 international caps and current first-team coach at Bristol City, and John Barnes MBE, considered to be one of the best England footballers of all time, also shared their insights

Asante applauded the partnership between Neasden Temple and The FA in helping increase Asian girls’ participation in football

Barnes, who also played for Watford, Liverpool and Newcastle United, also praised the partnership between The FA and Neasden Temple for the Diwali celebration

A wide range of guests from the British Hindu community and English footballing world had gathered for the Diwali celebration

The celebration then moved pitch-side, where youths from Neasden Temple were ready to bring some colour and rhythm to the stadium

The youths performed a special Diwali-themed dance

The performance included a segment of Bhangra, a traditional folk dance of Punjab, north India

The youths thoroughly enthralled the audience with the upbeat traditional Indian dance

Sanjay Bhandari, Chair of the ‘Kick It Out’ anti-discrimination charity, reiterated the need for greater awareness and action to make sport more inclusive

Girish Patel, a trustee for BAPS in the UK, thanked The FA and all the Hindu representatives for their support on this historic occasion

Leading members of the British Hindu community and representatives of The FA joined in the arti (ceremonial offering of light)

The arti resounded around the stadium with added beats from the dhol drummers

Guests also participated in the arti from the upper stand of the 90,000-seat stadium

The evening concluded with a traditional Indian vegetarian meal

Guests enjoyed the authentic Indian cuisine before departing