Keralite Vinay Menon honoured during Asian Football Awards in London

LONDON Sept 28: Keralite Vinay Menon, based in the UK, was awarded with the Founders Special Recognition award at the 5th Asian Football Awards held last week at the renowned Wembley Stadium in London.

The recognition was in recognition of Vinay Menon’s services as Wellness Coach for Chelsea FC and Belgium World Cup team.

Established with the purpose of acknowledging and rewarding the contributions of British South Asians in the football industry, the Asian Football Awards (AFA) serve as a significant platform. The primary objective is to showcase the diverse talents of coaches, volunteers, players, administrators, and fans within the South Asian community who share a profound love for the game.

“Iam truly honored to have received the Asian Football Award at Wembley Stadium! A heartfelt thank you to the organizers, fellow nominees, and everyone who has supported our journey. This recognition is not just a personal achievement; it reflects the collective efforts of our community. Together, we are committed to uplifting the South Asian community and fostering a vibrant ecosystem for development in both sport and mental well-being”, he wrote.

Working with some of the best minds in the corporate world, Vinay Menon is a Wellness Consultant and a Peak Performance Strategist who oversees the collective implementation of interventions that keep clients focused on their long term goals and objectives.

Currently based in Dubai, he is professionally associated with prominent sports professionals, platinum-selling musicians, celebrated artists, distinguished businessmen, A-list celebrities, politicians, diplomats, Middle-Eastern royalty and some of the world’s top leaders.

As the new Head of Sports Wellness at Burjeel Holdings/VPS Healthcare, he brings a fresh perspective and a wealth of ideas to curate and execute innovative wellness programs that foster healthier and vibrant communities. He is tasked with spearheading a dynamic wellness vertical for the organisation that will empower clients with the right tools required to elevate their well-being.

Vinay was the Wellness Coach for Chelsea Football Club and for the Belgian National Football Team during the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Vinay is known for his ability to break barriers in communication to better understand his clients, and for doing what he does best – tuning the mind and body for peak performance, to remain unhindered and untainted by competition.

He is responsible for devising previously unexplored bespoke strategies for recovery and mental well-being, which is then implemented by way of subtle interventions. He also helps implement strategic planning processes among top management by merging their strengths, weaknesses and their overall core competencies to translate objectives into an execution plan.

Hamza Choudhury, Yan Dhanda, Zidane Iqbal and Kira Rai headed the list of winners at the 2024 Asian Football Awards at Wembley Stadium. Leicester City midfielder Choudhury, who was named Sports Personality of the Year at last week’s Asian Achievers Awards, was announced as joint-winner of the men’s player award alongside Hearts’ summer arrival Dhanda.

Winners of The 5th Asian Football Awards in full
Community Club Award – Punjab United
FA Grassroots Award – Shahid Malji (Super 5 League London)
Match Official of the Year – Sunny Singh Gill
Inclusion Project Award – The FA (Faith in Football/South Asian Inclusion)
Media Award – Dev Trehan (Sky Sports)
Premier League Academy Award – Manisha Tailor (Spurs), Ashvir Johal (Notts County), Jazz Sodhi (Aston Villa)
Inspiration Award – Rashid Abba (West Ham)
Professional Coach Award – Shadab Iftikhar (Wigan Athletic)
Young Player (U23) – Zidane Iqbal (FC Utrecht)
Founders Special Recognition – Vinay Menon (Wellness Coach – former Chelsea FC and Belgium World Cup team)
Men’s Player Award – Yan Dhanda (Hearts), Hamza Choudhury (Leicester City)
Women’s Player Award – Kira Rai (Derby County Women’s FC)
Fan Group Award – Punjabi Villans (Aston Villa)
Special Recognition – Voluntary Services to Officiating – Rashpal Shergill