Birmingham City Council leader Ian Ward believes that the new British Kabaddi League is a triumph for the city's diverse population ©BKL

Birmingham City Council leader Ian Ward believes that the new British Kabaddi League (BKL) is a triumph for the city's diverse population.

The new league, a first for the sport in Europe, was won by the Birmingham Bulls following a finals weekend in Glasgow earlier this month.

Kabaddi, an Indian sport, is popular in Birmingham where Asians make up more than a quarter of the total population.

Two more teams from the wider West Midlands region also played in the BKL - the Wolverhampton Wolfpack and the Walsall Hunters.

"Firstly I'd like to congratulate the Birmingham Bulls on winning the British Kabaddi League," said Ward.

"You can see that there is a lot of interest in this sport in Birmingham, underlined by our diversity.

"It's great that the league has been established.

"It's fantastic that Birmingham won it." 

Kabaddi has its roots in India, with Birmingham boasting a large Asian population ©Getty Images
Kabaddi has its roots in India, with Birmingham boasting a large Asian population ©Getty Images

The BKL was established with key support from the West Midlands Growth Company and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Business and Tourism Programme (BATP).

The BATP is aiming to capitalise on this year's Commonwealth Games in the city, to create a long-term economic and sporting legacy in the West Midlands and the rest of the country, while bolstering trade and tourism links.

Victory for Birmingham in the BKL is seen as a major success story for the BATP and there are big plans for the future of the league.

This comes as Birmingham aims to attract a number of major sporting events over the coming years.

It is hoped that a women's league will launch, while the men's event will expand from eight teams to 12.