On Sunday 10th March 2024, the Holy month of Ramadan started, and it is expected to end on Tuesday 9th April 2024. In partnership with Muslimah Sports Association Trustee Kevin Coleman and special guests from the football community, we've provided an educational webinar series for leagues, referees, clubs and coaches.

During March and April, Ramadan is being observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community. In 2024, as in many years, Ramadan falls within the football season. With a growing number of Muslim players at grassroots level, in the academy system and through to the professional game, understanding and embracing individual and cultural differences is key to achieving inclusion and playing opportunities For All.

Last season, we developed a webinar series looking to improve awareness of Ramadan across the county, as well as the understanding of various considerations which can improve the inclusion of, and support provided to, players, staff and participants. Anyone can re-watch the webinars on our YouTube channel (see below). The discussions included:

* a background to Ramadan
* how Ramadan can affect leagues, clubs, teams and/or fixtures
* what can be done to support players through football roles

Coleman has worked in sports development, diversity and inclusion for over 20 years, including roles at the Lawn Tennis Association, Kick It Out, The Football Association, Brentford FC and the BBC. During that time, as well as working at grassroots level with clubs and communities, Kevin has written national strategies around Asian inclusion, Refugees and Asylum seekers and Faith & Football. At BBC Studios, Kevin heads-up workforce diversity and inclusion.

Essex County FA Equality & Inclusion Officer, Milly Morgan, said: “We want to raise awareness amongst Essex football providers, and offer the chance to receive guidance on how to support individuals during fasts. We hope to reduce the number of players who don’t feel able to participate in football during Ramadan due to fixture timings, the inability to break fast or other factors.”

You can check out the videos below to hear a number of ways in which you can help to ensure participating in Ramadan isn’t a barrier to playing, as well as accessing a useful guidance document from The FA. You can also interact with the Essex County FA via the @EssexCountyFA account on Twitter/X and by searching for ‘EssexFootball’ on Facebook.