Celebrating IWD with the launch of Sweaty Betty’s new Sports Hijab, designed with sports activist, Lipa Nessa and benefitting the Sweaty Betty Foundation
Sweaty Betty’s vision is to empower women through fitness and beyond, while the Sweaty Betty Foundation (launched in March 2021 by Sweaty Betty founder, Tamara Hill Norton), aims to empower more women and girls to get active and stay active, for life.
This International Women’s Day sees the two brands come together to launch a new Sports
Hijab, re-designed to better suit those that want to preserve their modesty while moving.
The Sweaty Betty Foundation spoke to teenage girls across the UK, including a group from This Girl Can and discovered that the hijab can be a barrier to girls participating in sports, with some schools deeming it ‘unsafe’ to wear and requiring schoolgirls to remove their hijab in their PE lessons. Research carried out by Sport England in 2019 found that Muslim women are more likely to be inactive (doing less than 30 minutes of moderate activity per week) than other women.
Meanwhile, a report published by England’s largest Muslim women’s sports charity, Muslimah Sports Association (MSA) in 2023 found 97% of British Muslim women surveyed wanted to increase their current participation in sports, while 37% are not involved in any sports or activities.
Together with sports activist, Lipa Nessa Sweaty Betty has created a new Sports Hijab, with all sale proceeds going to The Sweaty Betty Foundation. Formally a semi-professional footballer and now a grassroots coach and National Youth Board member for several sports boards, Lipa is a powerful voice for positive change and has the dream: ‘to change the world with a hijab on her head and a ball at her feet.’
The BritAsia TV team were blessed to have the opportunity to trial and test the sports Hijab. This is what Maria Zaman had to say:-
“I tried the Sweaty Betty sports Hijab, and here are my first impressions! The material feels really nice on the head, as it is stretchy, soft, and not rough at all, so it won’t damage your hair by rubbing.
It’s also very secure due to the band inside which secures around the back of the head without being tight and restrictive on the cheeks and chin.
My favourite feature of the Hijab has to be the way the front section is designed to drape across the shoulder, adding an extra little design element that takes it from basic to stylish!
All in all, this Hijab is functional and cute and I can’t wait to wear it to my next gym sesh, I only hope it comes out in more colours so I can buy each and every one to match my outfits!”
Formally a semi-professional footballer and now a grassroots coach, co-founder, sports activist & member of several sports focused boards, Lipa Nessa works directly with the foundation to break down the barriers young girls and women face in sport by engaging with ethnically diverse communities and facilitating change. Lipa’s dream is to ‘change the world with a hijab on her head and a ball at her feet’ and has already become a trailblazer and a powerful voice for positive change in the sector.
Sweaty Betty Foundation; https://www.sweatybettyfoundation.org/
The Sweaty Betty Foundation is an independent registered charity working across the UK to
empower women and girls from every background to get active, and stay active, for life.
