Ramadan & Football 2018 

This evening will see the beginning of Ramadan 2018, with over a billion Muslims across the globe fasting during daylight hours for 30 days.

One of the five pillars of Islam, fasting in Ramadan involves abstaining from any food or drink from sunrise to sunset. For most Muslims, it is a time for family and reflection. 

This year fasting will be from around 3am to 9pm each day, one of the longest and most physically demanding Ramadans for decades.

Ramadan will also clash with the Champions League final and The World Cup this year and many international footballers at tournaments may be fasting. Furthermore, Ramadan will overlap with both the professional and grassroots seasons from next year onwards for at least 15 years. 

At grassroots level most adult Muslims will fast in some form, but many will carry on their football activity in some way nonetheless. Having such long days this year will inevitably have a more noticeable effect on participation and is something to bear in mind when delivering football. 

In terms of England teams The FA’s Jogginder Chaggar said: “If The FA has any Muslim players at competitions during Ramadan, we would work closely with their club to make sure we carry on their current bespoke training routines which would be tailored to their needs."

The FA has produced a factsheet about Ramadan for 2018 which can be found below. Should you have any queries or wish to find out more, please get in touch.