Guidance for Football During Ramadan
Ramadan Kareem to all members of our grassroots football community celebrating the Holy Month.
With the holy month of Ramadan upon us, there are clear implications for Muslim players, match officials and volunteers involved in football. We're pleased to provide some guidance on how you can support Muslim members of your club.
One of the main elements during Ramadan focuses on fasting (one of the 5 pillars of Islam), which involves abstaining from eating or drinking during daylight hours. This has implications for Muslim players, match officials and club staff, particularly on evening games when the fast can end during a match.
It is important that for the evening matches where this may occur, an opportunity during a natural stoppage in play is created to allow fasting players and match officials to come to the side of the pitch and quickly take on liquids or any energy supplements.
It is advised that, for these games, referees use the team sheet exchange to determine if any players require a short pause to break their fast and agree the approximate time that the pause will take place. Similarly, match officials should also have the opportunity to break their fast and the referee will ensure that appropriate arrangements are made to facilitate this.
For more helpful advice on how you can support those observing Ramadan, take a look at the documents below.