Bradford and its Muslim population on sport and Ramadan

And in Bradford, there are plenty of sporting tales around to celebrate and take note of over the past month.

To be able to partake in sporting competition, while observing a strict fast for the majority of the day, is something worth applauding, and football, boxing and cricket have all come under the spotlight over the last month.

There was plenty to cherish from Bradford City Women’s trip up to St James’ Park to face Newcastle United last Sunday for example.

The chance for the ladies to play at an elite Premier League stadium, the chance to showcase their skills in front of a record FA Women’s National League North crowd of over 24,000, and an extraordinary consolation goal from Charlie Ramsden in the Bantams’ 6-1 defeat.

🌟 | Take a bow, Charlie Ramsden! #BCAFC pic.twitter.com/xK67XUYxhS

— Bradford City AFC Women (@bcafc_women) April 17, 2023

But there was also the small matter of City having Mannaan Mehmood and Qasim Akhtar down on the touchline coaching them.

Former Bantams defender Zesh Rehman made welcome headlines earlier this year as the first British-Pakistani senior coach in English professional football.

Both Mehmood and Akhtar are British-Pakistanis too, so are rightly proud to represent their background on a Premier League touchline.

But both are also Muslims observing Ramadan, whose period of fasting had already been ongoing for over three weeks by last Sunday.

Discussing both his heritage and faith with the T&A, Mehmood said: “To be able to represent Bradford City Women at St James’ Park was an experience that will stay with me for a lifetime.

Bradford City's Beth Davies competing with Newcastle United's Kacie Elson for the ball at St James' Park last weekend. (Image: Thomas Gadd.)

“Being one of the first British-Pakistani coaches to be in a dugout in a Premier League stadium is a really important message for the upcoming British-Pakistani youth to get involved in coaching, as there are plenty of opportunities out there.

“While coaching and observing Ramadan, my commitment levels to both have been 100 per cent.

“I have been opening my Iftari at training too as it is important for everyone to understand the importance of Ramadan.

“With Ramadan now coming to an end, I’d like to wish everyone a Happy Eid.”

That game in Newcastle last Sunday got underway at 2pm, a fairly standard kick-off time for a football match.

But that was not the case for the recent Ramadan Midnight League, which was a concept dreamt up by Girlington-based side Fairbank United.

The clue is in the name of course, and for three Fridays in a row over Ramadan, players gathered at Speedball in BD8 to take each other in a fiercely-competitive indoor tournament in the middle of the night.

The timing allowed players to observe their fast during daylight hours, complete evening prayers and get some rest, before being able to participate in the game they love at a time when most people are tucked up in bed.

BDRU won the event, with team captain Kashif Khan saying: "I last represented the club when I was 11, and don't really play football much, so it was a great opportunity to catch up with my old team-mates.

“It was also brilliant seeing the whole Fairbank family come together, with Speedball packed with people watching at one in the morning.”

BDRU celebrate their success in the Ramadan Midnight League. (Image: UGC.)

Away from football, and a young professional boxer from Bradford gave me a real insight into how he balances observing Ramadan with the physical demands of his sport.

Lightweight Mohammed Subhaan had just won his third professional fight from three on the Saturday before Ramadan, but insisted nothing would have changed for him if that bout against Karl Sampson had been arranged for two or three weeks later.

Subhaan told the T&A: "For me, observing Ramadan is compulsory, it's not a choice.

"I would never use it as an excuse (for a drop off in performance) because it's a good test of my strength.

"I would have prepared in exactly the same way for my fight against Karl, other than my eating schedule, if it had been in two or three weeks as opposed to last Saturday.

"I use Ramadan as a way to get the best out of myself, as not eating all day shows who I am.

"It can be difficult, because my training is still intense during Ramadan, but I just make sure I fuel up in the night.

"It is hard, but you have to be resilient and not use it as an excuse."

Mohammed Subhaan (left) is a talented young Muslim boxer from the city, who is unbeaten in his professional career so far. (Image: Kamran Khan.)

That was at the start of Ramadan, and now we are at the end of it for 2023, with Eid celebrations set to be spectacular this weekend.

And the Bradford Premier League do not want their Muslim players to miss out, with seven first-team games and eight second-team games postponed as a result.

It means the likes of Bankfoot, Bradford & Bingley and Keighley will have their starts to the season delayed once again, after last week’s opening-day fixtures were all postponed by bad weather.

But it is a sensible move from what is surely one of the most diverse cricket leagues in the country.

Muslims pictured celebrating Eid in West Yorkshire last year. The Bradford Premier League has postponed games to allow their Muslim players to observe the special occasion properly. (Image: PA.)

The previous three stories show that athletes should never be forced to choose their sport over faith.

A cricket game can be rearranged, but devotion to Islam is non-negotiable.