Awais Satiya grew up in Blackburn with a passion for football and gained a sports science degree, but spent years in a 9-to-5 job after being pushed towards a more conventional path.
Now he is the operations and player liaison officer for Palm City Football Club, an Emirati Royal Family-owned side chasing promotion through the United Arab Emirates league pyramid, and he says he has never looked back.
“Because I come from an Asian background, I’ve always been told football and sport is not a career,” Satiya said.
“You need to go into medicine or law or teaching or something like that, and I fell for that trap.
“I joined the civil service, and I always had it at the back of my mind that this is not what I want to do.
“I even moved to Dubai and worked for the British Embassy here.
“Even then, I was like, this is not where I should be, this is not my dream.”
Satiya with former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho, who now plays in Saudi Arabia (Image: Awais Satiya)
Before making the leap, Satiya had dipped his toes into the football world in England.
He studied sports science at the University of Central Lancashire, worked briefly with Fleetwood Town’s first team, and had a spell with Bolton Wanderers’ women’s team and academy.
But the pressure to follow a stable, financially secure career won out. He spent three years in the civil service, working in the DWP and HMRC, before landing a role at the British Embassy in Dubai.
“I kept getting told football’s not a career, sport’s not a career, you’re not going to make much money, the usual stuff, because it’s a risky field,” he said.
“Whereas if you’re working for the civil service, it’s stable.
“You do your 9-to-5, you get paid your salary, you pay your bills, and you just crack on with life.”
He described the expectation as one familiar to many South Asian families in the UK.
“You need to earn a living, you need to earn this much money, you need to be in a 9-to-5 job, and it’s almost like the common path that everyone follows,” he said.
“And then if you step out of that common path, it’s almost like, oh, you’re doing something unusual, something’s not right.
It was only after moving to Dubai and networking with people from around the world that Satiya’s mindset shifted.
He was introduced to the owner of FC Palm City, impressed in two interviews, and began volunteering in 2025 alongside his embassy role, doing two-hour shifts and matchday duties for six months without earning a penny.
“I did this for six months, which I absolutely loved.
“But I didn’t earn a penny from it. I was just doing it from pure passion, alongside my British Embassy role,” he said.
When the club offered him a full-time position, the decision was agonising. “Obviously, I was in my comfort zone.
“It’s a reputable company, it’s stable.
“So I was like, oh no, what do I do now? Football’s a bit unstable.
“You don’t know if your job’s going to be safe.
“If the team’s doing well, your job’s good, and if you’re not, then your job isn’t.
“But I decided to take the risk, and I’ve not looked back.
“I’m loving every single minute of it.”
Blackburn’s Awais Satiya with former Real Madrid and France striker Karim Benzema (Image: Awais Satiya)
In just six months, Satiya has gone from processing tax returns to rubbing shoulders with some of the biggest names in world football.
FC Palm City, who are currently top of the UAE Second Division and chasing another promotion, have attracted former Barcelona winger Cristian Tello, ex-Newcastle striker Papiss Cissé, and former Toronto FC playmaker Alejandro Pozuelo in recent years.
“Cristian Tello, I’ve played with him on FIFA, watched him live, he played with Messi, and then I’m just chilling with him in the changing room or helping him settle into Dubai.
“It’s almost unreal.”
He has also crossed paths with Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kanté, Mario Balotelli and former Liverpool midfielder Jonjo Shelvey during his work in UAE football.
Satiya celebrates with his Palm City FC team-mates after a win (Image: Awais Satiya)
Despite his success, the family pressure has not entirely gone away.
“I think my mum and dad are still coming to terms with it, because obviously I was working for the British Embassy and it’s a good company to work for,” he said.
“It’s got a good reputation, and it’s a proud feeling.
“But I think slowly, slowly, they’re trying to understand my passion and dream.
“They see my matches on the TV, they’ve seen me on YouTube, they’ve seen me on social media pages.
“So I think now they’re coming to terms with it, thankfully.”
His ultimate ambition? To work for his beloved Liverpool.
“One day I want to hopefully work for Liverpool as an operations and player liaison officer.
“That’s the dream, and I honestly believe I can get there with my hard work and attitude.”
Awais Satiya in the Palm City FC changing room on matchday (Image: Awais Satiya)
Satiya’s fairy-tale career change has taken an unexpected turn in recent days after Iran launched a wave of ballistic missiles and drones at the UAE on February 28, killing three people and causing damage across Dubai, including to the Burj Al Arab hotel.
Speaking after the strikes, Satiya said: “Obviously, it’s an unknown situation.
“We’ve never experienced something like this before, and Dubai is probably the last place you’d expect something like this.
“However, I think we’ve all felt very safe, there are lots of British people here.
“We felt very, very safe even though there are missiles and stuff going off in the sky, but for some reason, there’s a very calm atmosphere.
“Maybe that’s due to the government and the defence system and the military that we have here.”
Palm City had one training session cancelled, but quickly resumed and played a cup match this week. “We’re going for the promotion and the league,” Satiya said.
“Dubai is an amazing place, and I don’t think anyone should be scared to come here.”
Satiya working pitchside — he says he is “normally the first one there for match days and the last one to leave” (Image: Awais Satiya)
Despite living thousands of miles away, Satiya says Blackburn is still home. “I’ve grown up in Blackburn.
“My family, friends, everyone’s in Blackburn,” he said.
“Sometimes I do miss the grey weather and the grey clouds and the rain and my local shop.”
But his message to young people in the town, particularly those from South Asian backgrounds feeling the weight of family expectations, is clear.
“If people look at me as a small success story, I’ve come from a very, very normal working-class background.
“I was working in the civil service, and I always had that dream in the back of my mind,” he said.
A dream only possible, he adds, thanks to the support of his wife and his family, as well as James Cox, who he says helped him build connections in football.
“Sometimes I feel like people are living someone else’s dream just to please maybe your parents or your family members.
“Whereas you should live your own dream.
“Life’s very short and, when you become successful, your family and friends will be happy with you anyway.
“So you should always follow the dream that you want, not other people’s dreams.”
