Ramadan Awareness Webinar Series
Essex County FA recently worked in partnership with Kevin Coleman and Special Guests from the football community to provide an educational webinar series to leagues, referees, clubs and coaches.
From 22nd March to 21st April 2023, Ramadan will be observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community.
For the 22/23 season, and many subsequent seasons, Ramadan will fall within the football season. With the 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.
In developing this webinar series, Essex County FA hope to improve the awareness of Ramadan across the County, as well as our understanding of various considerations which can improve the inclusion of and support provided to players, staff and participants.
We discussed:
- A background to Ramadan
- How Ramadan can affect your League, Club, Team or Fixtures
- What you can do to support players through your football role
Speaking with our Equality and Inclusion Officer, Milly Morgan, she said "We want to raise awareness amongst football providers across Essex and offer them 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, inability to break fast or other factors"
You can check out the videos on our YouTube Channel to hear a number of ways in which you can help to ensure participating in Ramadan isn’t a barrier to playing. You can also find a useful document from the FA with guidance on Ramadan below.