Layla Banaras
 Layla playing for Wolves in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Layla Banaras | ||
| Date of birth | February 11, 2006 | ||
| Place of birth | Birmingham, England | ||
| Position(s) | Defender / Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Wolverhampton Wanderers W.F.C. (dual registration with Birmingham City W.F.C.) | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| International career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2025– | Pakistan | 2 | (0) |
Layla Banaras (born 11 February 2006) is a British-Pakistani footballer who plays as a defender or midfielder for both Birmingham City W.F.C. and Wolverhampton Wanderers W.F.C. She stands out as one of the few British South Asian women to reach the senior ranks of English football.
Early life
[edit]Banaras was born in Birmingham to a British–Pakistani family. She joined the Birmingham City F.C. academy at the age of eight and progressed through the club’s youth system.
Club career
[edit]Banaras made history in January 2023 as the first South Asian heritage woman to appear for Birmingham City in the professional era, debuting in a Women's FA Cup match against Huddersfield Town.
In February 2024, she joined Wolverhampton Wanderers W.F.C. on dual registration from Birmingham City.[1]
International career
[edit]Being of Pakistani descent, Banaras was invited to join Pakistan’s national team setup. She was named in the 21‑player squad for the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification round held in Jakarta as a defender. [2]
In Pakistan's second qualifier, where the team beat Indonesia 2–0, Banaras made her first tournament appearance and provided an assist for Nadia Khan’s goal.[3] In her second appearance for Pakistan, during the team's third qualifier against Kyrgyzstan, Banaras provided an assist for Mariam Mehmood, who scored both goals in a 2–1 victory.[4]
Personal life
[edit]Layla Banaras is of Pakistani descent and a practicing Muslim. She was born in Birmingham to a Pakistani father and an English mother.
As a teenager, Banaras became aware of the lack of tailored guidance for Muslim athletes fasting during Ramadan. At just 15, she worked with Birmingham City’s nutritionist to develop a Ramadan-specific meal planner and hydration strategy designed to help players maintain performance during training and matches while fasting.[5]
In 2025, she expanded this initiative into the "Ramadan Nutritional Guide and Planner", a comprehensive resource created in collaboration with industry experts to optimize nutrition, hydration, and recovery for Muslim athletes observing the fast.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "Banaras joins Wolves Women on dual registration". Wolves.co.uk. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
- ^ "Banaras named in Pakistan squad". geo.tv. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
- ^ Rasheed, Mohsin (2025-07-03). "Pakistan Stuns Indonesia with 2-0 Victory in AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers". footballer.pk. Retrieved 2025-07-09.
- ^ Rasheed, Mohsin (2025-07-05). "Historic: Mariam Mehmood Shines as Women's Team Stuns Kyrgyzstan in AFC Qualifiers". footballer.pk. Retrieved 2025-07-09.
- ^ "Football and fasting during Ramadan". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Layla Banaras Launches 2025 Ramadan Nutritional Guide & Planner". ADDMgmt.
External links
[edit]- 2006 births
- Living people
- English women's footballers
- Pakistani women's footballers
- Pakistan women's international footballers
- Birmingham City W.F.C. players
- Wolverhampton Wanderers W.F.C. players
- Women's association football defenders
- Women's association football midfielders
- English people of Pakistani descent
- British Asian footballers
- British Muslims