Man City first Premier League club to hold Friday prayers

This morning it was revealed that since February of this year, regular Jumu’ah (Friday) prayers have been taking place at the training facility of Manchester City Football Club. Co-ordinated and led by a Nujum Sports faith advisor, the hugely pivotal moment in English top flight football follows Championship club QPR (Queens Park Rangers) leading the way in September 2022. [1]

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Facilitating a compulsory act of worship Muslim Athlete Charter Premier League turns 31 Also read

Nujum Sports – a non-profit established in London in August 2020 – is making significant inroads in the fields of education, equity, and inclusivity. In particular, the group continues to undertake critical work with dozens of British sporting bodies, with a view to enhancing the working environment for Muslim athletes.

Since Februray 2023, Nujum Sports have been providing Jummah ( Friday) prayers at Man City. The first Premier League club to provide this facility for Muslim players and staff.

The obligation of performing Jummah is something a lot of Muslims have to consider whilst at their pic.twitter.com/16JCT8VQ66
— Nujum Sports (@NujumSports) April 13, 2023

Facilitating a compulsory act of worship

The organisation released a statement that welcomed the launch of regular Friday prayers at the Etihad Campus:

“Nujum Sports provided a Friday (Jumu’ah) prayer service at the Etihad Campus for players and staff on Friday, 24^th February 2023. Manchester City FC is the first Premier League club to provide a regular Friday prayer service for its athletes and staff.

“The Friday prayer is a special occasion for Muslims throughout the world. It is a compulsory act of worship that all including Muslim athletes adhere to. With the difficulties of training and travelling, this communal prayer has always been a difficult prayer to adhere to, for Muslim athletes.”

Furthermore, the statement noted,

“Following the opening of QPR’s Friday prayer service in September 2022, more clubs are understanding the great benefit the provision of this prayer gives to their Muslim athletes and staff.

“Nujum Sports is proud to help these clubs and all sporting organisations work towards providing the much needed service and facilities to Muslim athletes to create a better inclusive environment for all.”

Muslim Athlete Charter

The launch of regular Friday prayers at Manchester City complements the Muslim Athlete Charter, which is arguably one of Nujum Sports’ most prized initiatives.

With the document providing a “framework to self- evaluate and help better understand the needs of Muslim sporting professionals and their fans”, many British clubs and sporting entities have already signed up. [2]

In this light, Kent County Cricket Club is the most recent club to join. And governing/ refereeing bodies including the Football Association of Wales (FAW), the Rugby Football League (RFL), and the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOL) have also committed to the pledge. [3] [4] [5]

Premier League turns 31

Football fans will be aware that the Premier League turned 31 in late February, having been founded on 20 February 1992.

Nujum Sports’ press release makes reference to this milestone, and the progress that has been achieved since its formation:

“On 20^th February 1992, the Premier League was officially created. And on 24^th February 2023, the first Premier League club provided Friday prayers for Muslim players and staff.”

We hope that this major step by Manchester City spurs other top flight clubs into taking similar action.

The working environment for Muslim athletes is an essential area that cannot be overlooked. Through Manchester City introducing regular Friday prayers on top of already providing a multi-faith prayer room, the move is sure to support the needs of Muslim footballers and support staff.

In addition, with Ramadan 1444 coming to an end, this welcome step has definitely been heavily utilised by the players and wider staff team in one of the most important months of the Islamic calendar.