Sector leaders have an important role to play in understanding how sport and physical activity is experienced by different communities.
For Muslim girls and women, engagement with sport and physical activity can be influenced by several intersectional factors. While fantastic opportunities exist, some don’t always align with people's cultural needs.
We spoke to Khadija Patel, Co-Founder of Krimmz Girls Youth Club, to learn more about her leadership journey and focus on removing the barriers that prevent girls and women from ethnically diverse groups from accessing sport and physical activity.
Khadija's story
Khadija grew up in Bolton in the north of England. She was one of seven sisters in a close-knit family, community and faith played a central role in her life. While Khadija positively reflects on a supportive upbringing, she remembers a clear absence of sport and physical activity opportunities outside of the home in spaces. She reflects that there were a lack of safe and culturally appropriate spaces where girls like her could build their confidence, try new activities and be heard.
“At the time I wanted to keep active and stay healthy but there wasn’t anything for Muslim girls around the local community. I always remember thinking if the boys can play sport, why can't’ I?”
Khadija’s wanted to create change. In 2009, she began playing cricket to improve her own health and wellbeing. What she discovered went beyond just fitness, it became a tool for empowerment and a setting where her opinions and needs were listened to. Khadija became passionate about supporting others to experience physical activity and the benefits it can bring – something she lacked growing up.
That same year, alongside five of her close friends who shared this passion and vision, Khadija set up Krimmz Girls Youth Club. They aimed to create a culturally sensitive space where Muslim girls and women can experience the joy and empowerment of sport without compromising their faith or identity.
Krimmz Girls Youth Club, now a Community Interest Company (CIC), offers a diverse range of youth focused sports and recreational activities such as cricket, archery, cycling and football sessions. Since the club started, it’s helped transform access to sport and physical activity for thousands of girls and women in the local community.
“I like to say we’ve touched the lives of over 300 people per week. I’m passionate about the work I do, creating those small spaces for underrepresented communities.”
Her work resulted in Khadija winning the 2023 BBC Sport Personality Unsung Hero Award for her commitment and passion to getting women active in her community.
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Leader wellbeing
Instead of viewing wellbeing as an add-on, Khadija integrates it into everyday life and leadership practices. Managing her wellbeing is closely tied to her faith and the concept of ‘Amanah’, the belief that the body is a temple and should be looked after.
Khadija’s learnt to manage her mental and physical health through activities like cycling, which remains her way to reflect and de-stress. Additionally, being outdoors gives her the space to think clearly and reconnect with her purpose.
Khadija’s also learnt that sustaining her wellbeing requires shared responsibility, she recognises the importance of a strong support network.
“I believe it’s all about collaboration, not competing with each other”
Knowing she doesn’t have to carry everything alone has been an essential part of her managing her own wellbeing. Khadija also commits to:
- Morning exercise.
- Delegating the workload.
- Being grateful and staying positive.
- Leaning on a good support network.
Facing challenges
For Khadija, being a vocal Muslim woman in a leadership position has brought multiple challenges.
Leadership pressure
Driving for change as a female Muslim leader has been difficult for Khadija. Resistance from some of the male members of her community has presented challenges where faith and traditions are concerned. She’s learnt to overcome these by staying rooted to her values, listening closely to the communities she serves and leading with perseverance, compassion and courage.
“I want to teach people not to see barriers as limitations, but opportunities”.
Access to funding
As a community leader, being able to find consistent funding is important for long term sustainability. Despite getting some support from the Sweaty Betty Foundation and other funders, Khadija’s experienced significant challenges in securing funding to support the overall mission of Krimmz Girls Youth Club. She remains resilient and committed to continuing her mission despite financial pressures and limited resources.
Repetitive conversations
Although there have been improvements in recognising the barriers that Muslim girls and women face across England, Khadija feels that there remains a lack of understanding from people in authority around the needs of ethnically diverse communities in relation to sport and physical activity. She notes having several similar conversations with no appropriate follow-up action to address the core issues and barriers.
“I’m still having the same conversations with people at the top. They say we’re hard to reach, but I say we’re hardly reached.”
Top tips
Khadija’s leadership experiences have presented lots of practical learnings for other leaders working to tackle inequality through sport. She offers the following advice:
Learn how to say no
Saying yes to every opportunity can seem like the right thing to do when starting out. However, Khadija encourages others to learn how to say no if the opportunity doesn’t align with your overall purpose or serve to fullfil you and your community.
Be a student for life
Effective leadership means staying curious and being willing to learn from the communities you serve. The world is constantly evolving and people’s needs, motivations and challenges will be unique to them – be ready to ask to right questions, not come with pre-determined answers.
Stay connected to your purpose
When things get difficult, Khadija reflects on her why. For Khadija this is rooted in her early experiences and a desire to create safe spaces for Muslim girls to participate in sport and physical activity. She encourages others to regularly reflect on their core values and mission to ensure they stay motivated and on track.
Be intentional about managing your time and energy
Leadership can be emotionally draining, especially when hundreds of girls and women are relying on you for support. Khadija advocates that sustainable leadership requires setting boundaries, preserving your time and energy and ensuring you look after yourself to remain balanced in the delivery of your work.
In this segment we asked the last leader we spoke to, to leave a question for the next: How did you learn to stop carrying everything alone, and what shifted when you did?
“Carrying everything alone doesn't mean you’re strong. You have to learn how to delegate and trust others. Things become a lot easier when you trust others around you.”
Do you have a leadership story you'd like to share? We'd love to hear from you, email us at leadingthemovement@sportengland.org and we'll be in touch!
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