Religion, faith and belief
People who belong to a faith group are less likely to be physically active. For the most part, Ultimate provides an inclusive environment which supports opportunities to build spaces that could encourage participation within these groups.
Historically, religion and sports were closely intertwined. Sporting events often had ties to religious ceremonies or festivals. These events acted as powerful symbols or metaphors of the transcendent. For example, the Olympic Games, held by ancient Greeks, were more of a festival or celebration for their gods than merely a sporting event.
While sports have become more secular today, religion still continues to have an impact. On a psychological level, studies have shown religion and spirituality enhance performance in sports. As with any human beings, athletes face their own challenges and some cite religion as a key factor in overcoming their adversities.
However, research shows that people who state they have no religion are more likely to be physically active compared to those that belong to a faith group.
Research also shows there are differences in the types of sport and physical activity that people of different faiths do. For some faith groups, there's also a greater difference between levels of physical activity between men and women. This is influenced by certain cultural expectations, specifically around dress and behaviour.
Many of the patterns in sport participation by faith reflect those seen between different ethnicities, which highlights the closeness of the relationship that exists between faith and ethnicity amongst many groups and communities. Most faith groups have some restrictions and / or expectations.
These can include:
Clothing requirements
Days of worship
Religious festivals and holidays
Periods of fasting
Interactions between men and women
Some simple ways promote inclusivity in your club:
Clothing. It is often normal for teams to have a long sleeved warm up or training top which is a different design to competition kit. Consider having a long sleeved top option which matches the playing kit for those that request, or even simply feel more comfortable, in more modest clothing. Allowing someone to wear full kit as opposed to having to provide their own long sleeved underlayer can feel more inclusive.
Trainings. In hot summer months, make sure that heat and water breaks are ingrained into your sessions in order to support those that are wearing more layers, or head coverings.
Fasting. Recognise that this might be a time where a person fasting might not be able to attend training all together. They also might want to train in their own way during times that suits them within the month. However, if they do attend, check in with energy levels and offer breaks should they wish to take them. Ensure a level of flexibility in your session plan. This way people can balance their energy levels themselves and are empowered to self manage.
Weekends. Some religions call for protected days e.g. the Sabbath (Saturdays). In Ultimate we mostly train and compete over weekends and this might mean it is challenging for some to make regular sessions or that they can only play on one day over a competition weekend. Although there is not much influence over the Ultimate calendar when it comes to competition, being mindful of this fact when training or selecting your team is important. Try to provide opportunities for flexibility of attendance.