NUR FC: The Inclusive Football Club Championing Women Of Colour

NUR, 'Never Underestimate Resilience', is a football club based in North London for black and minority ethnic (BAME) women, providing weekly training sessions and tournaments run by female coaches for a variety of age groups. NUR is devoted to encouraging an increasing number of young BAME girls and adults to play football by providing a safe, comfortable and enjoyable environment.

Founded by Iqra Ismail, NUR aims to break down socio-cultural barriers which often alienate and discourage young women from pursuing their passion of football. As a 14 year old British born Somalian girl, Iqra had found herself struggling to join a football team that accepted girls, let alone one which understood her religious practise. As a Muslim, Iqra chooses to wear a kit which covers her legs, arms and head, and during Ramadam, she will not drink or eat food during the daylight hours in which she fasts. Wanting to create a club where these practises didn’t come as a surprise was the starting point for Iqra’s creation of NUR.

““The biggest battle has been as a Muslim woman. Women’s football is growing, but... it is growing mainly for the white community and for people that have more privilege and standing in their community. As a Muslim woman there are more restrictions, more stereotypes - and not just from my own community but from the rest of the world.””

In June of 2019, having turned 19 years old, Iqra organised the first NUR training session, determined to create a space for other women like herself to play without the sense of exclusion. “It started with 15 girls, then 18, 23 and 40. It really grew exponentially and in a way I never thought it would” proving just how much BAME women desire to take up their place on the pitch. It seems that for many teenage girls, they are encouraged to stop playing football around the age of 15/16 so as to focus on their education. This is something which NUR is highly aware of and aiming to discourage by fostering talent and joy for the team sport from a young age.

““It is really important with the younger age groups...to instil this idea of resilience and passion for the game from a young age... [so] that they can build and grow and keep the idea in their heads that if football is your passion… if it’s something you want to do... you need to keep going with it. A lot of these girls did not have the opportunity.””

Iqra Ismail - Founder & Chair of NUR FC

NUR is changing attitudes by pointing out just how much female BAME footballers have to tolerate. As Iqra explained in her interview with FIFA earlier this year, “I sort of drew all the short straws in terms of Islamophobia, racism and sexism; I’m on the wrong side of all of it… All of us had our fair share of racism growing up; we knew what could be said: ‘You can’t play. You should be in the kitchen”. However Iqra has defiantly pushed against these limiting stereotypes.

““It really was resilience that got me to this point. If you let something beat you, the world’s still going to keep turning. It’s up to you to pick yourself up and keep pushing for what you want because no one else is going to get it for you.””

This determination and drive is something which makes NUR’s existence even more purposeful. Encouraging women and girls to tackle players as well as societal attitudes through each game that they play. Building a sense of communal strength and solidarity through sports(wo)manship.

Follow NUR FC on Twitter here and Instagram @nur_wfc

Words: Bethany Burgoyne