Elham Asaad Buaras

Muslimah Sports Association (MSA) beat seven others in the running for Community Organisation of the Year at the 12th annual National Diversity Awards.

Community organisations and role models from across the UK headed to the Liverpool Cathedral on September 15 to witness the country’s 2023 winners being crowned the best of British diversity.

MSA has continued to excel and champion Muslim female representation in sport since its inception in 2014, whether that is at the participation level, increasing the workforce, or representing at an executive level. MSA has made a positive impact on the community, not only in terms of physical wellbeing but also mental wellbeing.

MSA has engaged with over 1,500 participants, created over 100 coaches from diverse communities across a range of sports, and supported national governing bodies and stakeholders to better engage with females and create better and more accessible opportunities in sport. MSA has grown organically, gaining charity status in 2019, and now offers over 15 sports a week, including badminton, basketball, netball, karate, football, and tennis.

Participants could try a range of sports because safe environments are created by MSA. Participants have gone on to pursue their sports outside of MSA and achieved many things beyond their expectations, making them exceptional role models.

The Association has won numerous awards since its inception, including the Faezeh Hashemi Award for Excellence in Sport at The Muslim News Awards for Excellence (2017), Rowing Project of the Year (2022), and the FA Grassroots Football Award (2019).

In a statement to The Muslim News, MSA’s founder, Yashmin Harun, said, “MSA is thrilled to win this award in what was a fantastic and tough category. We would like to thank the NDA judges for recognising the important work we are doing to engage ethnically diverse women in sports. Quite often Muslim women feel marginalised and excluded, but this evening we were at the forefront and being celebrated.”

ITV News has been working in conjunction with organisers leading up to the ceremony to highlight shortlisted nominees on regional and national news channels. The awards, which were also live streamed, have been described as the ‘golden globes of the diversity world’ among attendees.

Photo: Yashmin Harun BEM, Chair, MSA, receives the Community Organisation of the Year award at the 12th annual National Diversity Awards.
(Credit: Dave Easton/National Diversity Award)