About MSA

Muslimah Sports Association - Est.2014

We Empower Inspire Develop Women Through Sport

Muslimah Sports Association aims to offer women a safe and positive environment to participate in a number of different sports without compromising their religious or cultural beliefs.

Our Background

Established in 2014. Grown organically gaining charity status in 2019, MSA now offers over 15 sports a week including; Badminton, Basketball, Netball, Karate, Football and Tennis.

Our Mission

To provide an outlet for like-minded women and create a place where women are free to participate in sports without compromising their religious or cultural beliefs.

Why Us

We work with key stakeholders and continue to challenge National Governing Bodies to ensure opportunities for BAME participation at an elite standard. This is high on the agenda across all sports.

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Meet the MSA Team

Meet the team members who make it all happen at Muslimah Sports Association.

Yashmin Harun BEM Founder & Chair Yashmin has been working in International Banking for over 20 years. She has always had a passion for sports and was captain of the Athletics, Hockey, Rounders, Netball and Football Teams representing at County level. Yashmin is a Director at the London FA and the FA Council Representative. She also serves as an Independent Director at British Fencing. Yashmin is part of the Asian Females in Football Working Party Group with the FA and Vice Chair of the British Asians in Sports and Physical Activity with Sporting Equals. She has been key in promoting Muslim women to get active and has seen the number of participants rise increasingly. In 2020, Yashmin was named in the Queen’s New Year Honours List and Awarded a British Empire Medal for Increasing BAME Female Representation in Sports.
Hafiza Patel Trustee Hafiza, a Board member since MSA’s incorporation, specialises in the planning and strategic development of MSA. Her love for sports, understanding the benefits that it provides physically and mentally inspired her to help set up MSA. Her dedication increased when she saw first-hand the impact it had on the lives of people and how it helped her sister who was recovering from cancer. She is an Independent Non-Executive Director at Essex FA and a member of their Inclusion Advisory Group. She works as an Assistant Finance Director at City University of London. Hafiza represents the University whilst acting as a Governor for the City of London Academy Islington, where she is a lead governor for safeguarding. She is also a Global visiting lecturer in Accounting and Finance, teaches on an MSc programme both in London and Greece, a programme ranked 12th in the world and 1st in the UK..
Reha Ullah Trustee Reha has a background in Law and is the legal secretary at MSA. She has multi-faceted skills and leads on safeguarding and welfare for MSA. She currently works as a teacher at Lady Aisha Academy, where she is the head of IT. She also is the Community Manager at Street Tag. Reha joined MSA as a Trustee in 2016. She went onto become a coach for Football, Fencing, an activator for Tennis and Badminton and most recently an instructor for Archery. Reha was integral in setting up our female football team by building trustworthy relationships with our players. She kept MSA moving throughout lockdown by project managing the ‘MSA Sport for Good’ initiative. Reha was honoured on the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2021 and awarded a British Empire Medal for her services to sport and to the community.
Ibtisam Belola Trustee Ibtisam has worked as an insight and innovation research specialist for over 15 years with clients in the UK and internationally. She is passionate about championing the voice of the consumer at all stages of product and service design and utilises these skills within her role at MSA. Ibtisam also has a keen interest in kids’ media and is a Research Strand committee member of The Children’s Media Conference. Her experience in research and insight will support MSA’s new 5-year strategy with its ambition to grow and strengthen their place as market leaders in the sports industry.
Lipa Nessa Trustee Lipa Nessa is the Co-founder of a sports podcast, formally a semi-professional footballer and now a grassroots coach, sports activist, and National Youth Board member for several sports boards. Lipa wants to facilitate change and continues to challenge herself and engage with ethnically diverse communities. Lipa’s dream is to ‘change the world with a hijab on her head and a ball at her feet’, and has already become a trailblazer and a powerful voice for positive change in the sector.
Salma Islam Quaium Office Manager Salma has a background in science, having left university with a degree in Molecular Biology with Forensic Science she went on to become a qualified science teacher. When Salma isn’t teaching or looking through a micro-scope, she loves to keep active by cycling, running, and doing yoga. Through her love of keeping fit, Salma discovered MSA and as a result became an active member of the association. She strongly believes in the objectives of MSA and feels that it is extremely important for Muslim and BAME women to be active and take part in sports and look after their wellbeing.