The pause during the Premier League football match between Leicester City and Crystal Palace last year allowed Muslim footballers, Wesley Fofana and Cheikhou Kouyate, to break their fast during the month of Ramadan (when strict fasting is observed by Muslims from dawn to sunset).
At the time and since, the Premier League has communicated to clubs that captains are encouraged to come to an agreement before kick-off should they wish to pause matches during the holy month.
The unprecedented event sparked important discussions around religion and belief in the context of sport. In particular, discussions surrounding religious considerations that exist where participation in sport is concerned. It illustrates some progress from the unbending position taken by the International Olympic Committee back in 1924 when Eric Liddell chose not to participate in the heats for the 100m due to religious observance on Sunday, made famous in the film, ‘Chariots of Fire’.
The benefits of participation in sport and physical activity are extensive, not only for the individual participants but also for the community at large as evidenced by the research of Sporting Equals[1]. Such benefits include improvements in physical and psychological health and wellbeing, social engagement by active participation, crime reduction and community safety benefits, positive economic impacts and regeneration of local communities as well as education and lifelong learning. Interestingly, Sport England’s research shows that people who state they have no religion are more likely to be physically active compared to those that belong to a faith group. Making reasonable adjustments for the values and views of people of faith may encourage increased participation and diversity of participants in sport which would increase the benefits referred to above.
Many charities do already recognise the importance of religious considerations in the context of sport and actively seek to create a more tolerant, accommodating and encouraging sports environment for people with different religious beliefs. One such charity is Stanmore Jafferys CIO whose objects - that is the organisation’s charitable purposes - are for, amongst other things, the promotion of community participation in healthy recreation and the promotion of religious harmony.
Stanmore Jafferys carries out its objects by the provision of a safe space of practice for physical activity, sport and wellbeing for Muslim and other communities in North London. In particular, Stanmore Jafferys seeks to ensure that its activities accommodate religious and cultural practises, providing avenues of tolerance between diverse religious groups and communities and giving insight to different teams in different religious settings which might easily discriminate against an athlete wishing to practice their faith. This has helped foster understanding between people from different backgrounds, cultures and communities. By way of specific example, Stanmore Jafferys hosts the inter-community multi-faith Salaam Cup which is a friendly football tournament where children and young adults from a variety of different communities, backgrounds and religions are all encouraged to take part without any barriers to participation arising as a result of a participant’s faith.
It is not only in the context of the actual sporting activities that it is important to consider religion. It is also important in the wider governance of the charities that advance such sporting activities. Last year’s update to the Charity Governance Code saw it rename Principle 6 to ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’ (EDI for short) and the Code’s emphasis on charities becoming more proactive and bolder in their approach to EDI. Equality, diversity and inclusion improves decision making through the provision of diverse thought processes, backgrounds, religions and communities which can foster greater understanding of the communities that such charities serve. This leads to better governance and, as from the Code itself, good governance is fundamental to a charity’s success.
In the changing and progressive make-up of our society in the UK these new and evolving considerations of religious consideration in sport are something that trustees can and should take into account when promoting the objects of the charity to best achieve them.
[1] Equality and Human Rights in Sport and Physical Activity Report published by Sporting Equals
