“We still have the mindset that girls can’t participate in sports, it’s all about the boys. How can we break through that barrier? I think it’s about education and exposure.”

Safiye Asanova, the Girls PE and Health Coordinator at Al Siraat College

“The biggest barriers are the ones that we place on ourselves. We think ‘what if, what if, what if’ and that conversation happening in our mind can be very disabling. While we all have differences in our likes, dislikes and beliefs, sport is one way that brings a lot of people together on common ground,” Said Arain.

There are many additional challenges facing Muslim girls with regard to participation in sport. However, some perceived barriers, such as uniforms, are, or at least should be, easily resolved.

Throughout the forum, several barriers were discussed, including physical and cultural safety concerns, where parents are reluctant to have their daughters participate in sport for fear of being verbally abused or threatened, discriminated against, excluded, or feeling like they do not belong.

Another barrier is the lack of visibility of Muslim girls in hijab, and a lack of role models in broader society and on the sports field. RMIT University Chancellor, Peggy O’Neal, said “While it is harder to be what you can’t see, every girl and every woman who is a ‘first’ has had to figure out that equation. Most ‘first’ women have had that feeling that they might make or break the same chance for other women in the future.”

The logistics, time and costs associated with community sport can be another roadblock for Muslim girls and their families – for example, the frequent overlap of prayer and training times. These logistical struggles, along with a perceived lack of interest in sport within familial structures, means the number of Muslim girls participating in sport is quite low. Sport is sometimes seen as less of a priority by parents and girls, with studies and academic achievement having a larger focus.

Sarah Styles, the Director of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation, spoke about the importance of sport in building an individual's character, developing their leadership skills, personal relationships, and overall health and happiness. Speaking at the Making Ground Forum, Sarah, said “That feeling of playing sport, the joy, the sense of self-belief… the thought of ‘if I can do that, I can do anything.’ I want every girl, and by extension every woman, to have that feeling.”

Safiye Asanova, the Girls PE and Health Coordinator at Al Siraat College, wanted to take the girls from her school to a local club to play soccer. Safiye asked a representative from the club if the sports uniform could be changed so they could play. She was told that tracksuit pants were not allowed, and that tights, with shorts over the top, was the best they could do. With many girls not comfortable with this arrangement, the opportunity to play stopped before it even started.

“Unfortunately, a lot of local clubs don’t have the appropriate uniform for our religion and culture,” Safiye said. She’s asked the girls why they don’t join their own sports clubs outside of school, and many of their answers have reflected the difficulties of uniform, or their parents.

Dr Tuba Boz, Research Fellow at RMIT University, has been extensively researching the barriers to Muslim girls’ participation in sport, as well as the barriers that these girls’ parents’ face. She has found that parents have vastly different experiences and reasons for facilitating, encouraging, or inhibiting their daughter’s participation in sport and physical activity – and further work with families, councils, and sporting organisations is needed to get participation numbers up. She believes that although progress is being made, more attention and resources are required to address the systemic issues that inhibit women and girls’ participation in sport.

“The combination of working at a grass roots level is important, and having that communication with policy makers, the community, and local council is pivotal in any change that we’re going to make and see,” Dr Boz said.

The event is an outcome of the project ‘In the Game: Overcoming barriers and parental attitudes towards physical activity outcomes of Muslim girls on the fringes of Melbourne’ led by RMIT University academics Dr Tuba Boz and Professor Hariz Halilovich. The project was funded by the Victorian Government’s ‘Change Our Game’ Grant, the Office for Women and Sport and Recreation (OWSR).

Tuesday 11 October, 2022