'Heartbreak' for British Pakistani netball team

Cosmopolitan Roses co-founder Sadia Hussain said the women were "really disappointed"

A netball team of young British Pakistani women have said their dream of competing internationally has been crushed.

The members of the Maidenhead-based Cosmopolitan Roses Netball Academy had dedicated themselves to preparing for this year's Asian Netball Championship in Bangalore.

But visa delays by the Indian government mean the team will not be able to travel to the Indian city to compete.

Sadia Hussain, the team's co-founder, said the women were "really disappointed” at not being able to compete.

"We wouldn’t like to lose this investment that we’ve put into the girls for their training," she said.

The team said they had not been told the reason why their visas were delayed.

Leya Shah (left) and Sumayya Safda (right) said the team had built lasting friendships

The women have been training every week for months, with players travelling from as far as Scotland to be a part of the Berkshire club.

Leya Shah, 20, said she felt disheartened "considering how much effort and training we did into this".

But they have "built a sisterhood together as a team", she added.

Her 15-year-old teammate Sumayya Safdar agreed, saying: "We’ve had really long training camps and to find out we’re not going is heartbreaking."

The team, which is self-funded and has only been playing since last year, is made up of British-Asian women, aged from 15 to 23.

The academy was set up in a bid to tackle the under-representation of British-Asian girls in performance netball.

So, when the Cosmopolitan Roses were asked to form a new Pakistan Netball Team and represent the country at competition level, it was a huge opportunity.

Sarina Hussain (left) and Safeeyah Akbar (right) say being part of the team is important to them

Safeeyah Akbar, 18, said being a part of Cosmopolitan Roses was the “best experience” she had ever had.

Teammate Sarina Hussain, 16, said playing with the club was a “blessing” as she has been able to find people to connect with.

Haleema Safdar, 16, said playing at a club like the Cosmopolitan Roses meant a lot to her because netball is typically a "white middle-class sport".

She said that growing up there was no-one who looked like her who she felt could represent her in the sport, and she hoped her team would be role models for other South Asian or Muslim girls.

The team has now been recognised by England Netball, winning the One award for their work on improving diversity in the sport.

Haleema Safdar says she hopes she and her teammates could inspire other South Asian or Muslim girls

The women told the BBC they were required to state in their applications that they have Pakistani heritage and apply with Pakistani passports, which they believe is the reason for the delay.

The BBC has contacted the Indian Bureau for Immigration and the High Commission of India about the delay but have not yet received a response.

Due to historic issues between the two countries, the process of requiring a visa if a person of Pakistani Heritage wants to travel to India often requires several checks, which can cause delays.

But they have not given up all hope - they are hoping to compete in the Asian Netball Youth Championships next year in South Korea.

Haleema said she would be "so excited to finally be able to represent Pakistan".