The finals of the UK Asian Soccer Championships 2004 will be hosted at Ibrox Stadium on 12 September -- entry is free. Teams have battled from all over the UK to reach this event which sees the final 8 teams battle it out. On Sunday September 12, Glasgow will play host to the first Cup Final of the season. And for this match, teams have battled from all over Britain to play here. The day marks the final of the UK Asian football championships.

The Scottish Premier League has always supported the tournament and this year it is the turn of Rangers to host the final at Ibrox. The organisers hope to attract a crowd of over 10,000. They also hope that football fans in general will turn out to support the event that won't cost you a penny. Admission is free.

One hundred and forty eight teams started out on the road to the final and it's now down to the final eight. They will take part in the play-offs at Glasgow Green on the Friday and Saturday prior to the final.

In the final eight are SASA Scotland, beaten finalists last year. They have to get past Bradford Albion, Rochdale FC, Derby FC, Sporting Bengal, Preston FC, Wolverhampton Azard and Gravesend . SASA (Scottish Asian Sports Association) are one of the favourites to reach Sunday's final.

The championship has been organised to raise awareness of the emerging football talent in the Asian community. Currently there are no Asian players playing professional football in Scotland which, considering the population represents a significant part of Scottish life, is an odd statistic.

The tournament will help challenge racism and build an affiliation between the Asian community and mainstream football. The aim is to attract more Asians to become involved in football and the healthy lifestyle that often accompanies it.

Prem Singh, Event Director of the Championships, comments: "Black players have made an impact in football. Viv Anderson broke the mould when he pulled on the England jersey back in the seventies. Now just have to look at England and the national side.

"There are hundreds of black players in the game down south and the backbone of the England team until recently was made up of Emile Heskey, Sol Campbell and Rio Ferdinand.

"I feel it is now time for the Asian community players to fulfil so much of their promise. Come along to the final and you will see just how many excellent young Asian footballers there are.

" Glasgow is one of the most diverse areas of Scotland with a large Asian population. "With the Old Firm uniting in support of the tournament, it sends out a strong message to the people of Scotland , that the Asian community is an important part of country's culture."

The game is on Sunday, September 12 - kick-off 2pm - and admission is free.