Young Player in My Team Will be Fasting During Ramadan.

Young Player in My Team Will be Fasting During Ramadan.

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Discussion

Glassman

Original Poster:

23,140 posts

222 months

Saturday 26th March 2022
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I run a grassroots football team, under 13 boys.

We have five games league and well placed to win our division (need three wins from those five to bag the title). They are all hard games and all players are up to the challenge. One of them is a key midfielder who has told me in training this morning that he will begin fasting in three days time; right on cue, warmer, sunnier weather has showed up.

He wants to play. We want him to play. But how do we go about it? Give him 10-15 minutes a half? Sensible religious advice from my Muslim friend is that the player should not be putting himself in such a position therefore he shouldn't really be playing for the month (our final games will be played out during that month). The player, on the other hand, wants to play.

He is not allowed to drink water. He can if it is for medical reasons.

If he's dehydrating, it becomes medical technically. However, this is why the advice is that he shouldn't play.

Has anyone any experience of this? I can't tell him - or his parents - what to do. But if his decision is to play, the water thing becomes a problem.


TameBritishMuslim

172 posts

82 months

Saturday 26th March 2022
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Why not just speak to him and his parents and see what they say and what they prefer?

Plenty of professional athletes who are Muslim still compete in the US. It really comes down to the individual and how their body performs (sleep is a big aspect).

Radec

4,412 posts

54 months

Saturday 26th March 2022
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Plenty of Muslim players in the premier League fast, like Salah and Mane even on game days.

You want to play him and he wants to play, if he's a key player I'd start him and see how he gets on throughout the match.

You never know he might want to prove to you he can do it so puts in an even better performance or his body might just say f-it and he decides not to do it on game days.

Only he will know how his body will react so no point in making an issue of it before you know.

anonymous-user

61 months

Saturday 26th March 2022
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The real issue for sportspeople is the no drinking rule, you could get seriously dehydrated even in a shorter game. A healthy person could probably cope with eating before sunrise and after sunset.

Vee

3,101 posts

241 months

Saturday 26th March 2022
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My son is U16, since U14 there have been boys fasting. These are first choice starters. They're happy to play and with parents agreement the coaches are happy to play them. If they start showing tiredness they're subbed.
This is a very competitive Premier league in NW London. Most teams have players fasting and manage it the same way.
Agreement with parents is critical.