Flying the flag for England? National identities and British Asian female footballers

In the 2002 movie Bend it Like Beckham, the storyline implied that young British Asian1 females faced divided loyalties, torn between their desire to play sport and their wish to become “good” daughters (Giardina 2003, Dwyer 2006, Walseth 2006). In this fi lmic representation of British Asian culture, it is suggested that older generations of parents universally prefer their children to observe religious and cultural norms and values rather than play sport (Ratna, forthcoming). However, if this was the case, how can the (at least) 70 British Asian girls and young women that are known to be playing the game in this country (see Ratna 2008) be accounted for?