Tackling its traditional image - how the rugby family is embracing newcomers

Rugby union used to be perceived as traditional, elitist, and dominated by men, but that impression is slowly shifting thanks to the rise of women’s rugby and the amazing women featured in this blog.

Zainab Alema is a Muslim Ghanaian who lives in London, UK and who is passionate about the sport of rugby. It all started at school when as a PE loving year 10 she was introduced to the game. Whilst many of the other girls didn’t want to get dirty or really get involved, Zainab enjoyed the session and felt encouraged by the PE staff.

A few years later, whilst working towards achieving an A-Level in physical education, Zainab needed a sport to focus on for the theory and practical work. Zainab recalled how much she’d enjoyed rugby and with the help of her teacher, she became a member of a local club in Ealing. And so began her rugby career.

From Ealing she went to the University of Hertfordshire and despite feeling nervous about meeting new teammates, she joined that team too. She played outside centre and absolutely loved it, in her words combining “tricks with running fast.” From there, her life and studies took her to Millwall RFC and then Barnes RFC which is where she plays now.

Her love for the sport doesn’t preclude from the fact that playing rugby as a Muslim woman of colour brings its own difficulties. Zainab has played for clubs feeling self-conscious that she is the only black woman – for one club she researched its diversity before joining. She plays in a hijab these days, encouraged by Ruba Rosalina Bukhatwa, the first woman to wear a hijab whilst playing rugby in Ireland, requesting permission from the International Rugby Football Union in order to do so. “I didn’t like feeling awkward because I wasn’t wearing my hijab and I was tired of it. I checked the rules and saw that it was allowed; the fact that wearing a hijab is included in the rules makes me feel welcome in the rugby community.”

These days Zainab wears a scrum cap to ensure her sports hijab doesn’t come off during the game but there have been occasions in the past where it hasn’t stayed in place. “I remember scoring a try and feeling happy but then realising that I could feel the wind through my hair … which I shouldn’t be able to feel. I could see a piece of black material on the pitch and knew that was my hijab. My teammates were extremely respectful, understanding how uncomfortable I might feel, and they came over to check I was ok.”

Wearing a hijab may mean that Zainab doesn’t need to compromise her faith whilst playing her favourite sport but the culture that surrounds rugby in the UK has sometimes made life difficult. “I’m an introvert and my religion means that I don’t drink alcohol. I used to love winning ‘Player of the Match’ but dread the awkwardness I would feel when I had to say that I didn’t want to drink a pint of beer in the club afterwards. It never impacted the 100% effort I put into a match but I did used to feel very self-conscious about it. My teammates started to realise what was happening and did buy me soft drinks.”

Nahid Biyarjomandi is the Head of the Rugby Development Committee in Iran as well as being the second deputy on the Women’s Advisory Committee for Asia Rugby - she is similarly passionate about the game of rugby. Her roles mean that on a day to day basis she is encouraging girls and boys to play at grassroots level whilst also helping shape the way the game grows in Asia.

Nahid Biyarjomandi

Nahid and the Iranian rugby community may not face all the same obstacles as Zainab and other Muslim rugby players in the western world, but both talk about the lack of role models. “Rugby is becoming better received in Iran but as a contact sport, some parents don’t think it’s suitable for girls and women to play. We need more role models. Sometimes men’s rugby, such as the Rugby World Cup, is shown on television but we need to have women’s rugby televised too so that people can see it’s acceptable for Iranian girls to play.”

Rugby in Iran competes with other sports for participants – wrestling is the number one sport with volleyball, football, martial arts, and basketball following behind. Despite this and the lack of role models, rugby is on the rise in Iran. There are multiple clubs in 27 of the 31 provinces and thanks to Asia Rugby, the national side has been able to compete internationally against the likes of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Qatar.

Nahid, like Zainab, loves sport and tried rugby for the first time with a friend. She can sympathise with young girls when they arrive and feel shy and nervous to give it a try, but she also sees the difference as their involvement in the sport increases. “They feel more comfortable speaking in front of people. The mental impact is huge. They start to believe that they can do anything they want; they believe in their abilities.”

Nahid is keen to emphasise that the sport doesn’t just need playing role models but also coaches and officials and this is something that she promotes within her teams. She herself is a highly successful coach of various age groups: her U18 team were champions last year and the sevens team came second.

Nahid on the right

Asia Rugby’s new campaign is ‘Unstoppable’ and Nahid says she knows at least one girl in her team who completely fits the bill! Iranian rugby is aligning itself with this campaign to promote the game amongst girls and women. Zainab is unstoppable, and not just in name – she’s known as the ‘Bulldozer’: she created the charity ‘Studs in the Mud’ in order to encourage more children in Ghana to play rugby. Many of them don’t have rugby boots and Zainab works to raise money in order to purchase boots to send to them. She is also working to make rugby more accessible for girls and Muslim girls in particular and her long- term aim is for a Muslim woman to play for England women, the Roses. “I’m proud of who I am, and I want to open the door for the next generation.”

Zainab in Ghana

Her success has meant that she has been nominated for The Sunday Times Grassroots Sportswoman of the Year which is a fantastic achievement on top of everything else she does and has done. Good luck Zainab!

Do check out The Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year Awards and vote for Zainab!

Follow Zainab and Nahid on Instagram and support girls playing rugby! @zeealema and @nahidbiyarjomandi

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