Better Sport Experiences, Together.

Welcome to Hijabi Ballers in Schools (HBiS)—a program built to close the gap for Muslim girls in school sport systems.

School sports should be a place of confidence, community, and growth. Yet, current data shows that many girls are being sidelined as they grow older.

The numbers reveal a critical gap in our sports systems:

• The Drop-Out Crisis: According to the 2024 Rally Report by Canadian Women & Sport, 1 in 2 Canadian girls stop participating in sports by age 16.

• Compounded Barriers: For racialized and Muslim girls, barriers like cost, confidence, and discrimination are compounded, tracking roughly 10% higher than their White peers.

• The Modesty Barrier: 2 in 5 girls report that public or peer comments regarding their clothing, appearance, or religious attire (such as hijabs) directly discourage them from participating.

• The Activity Deficit: Consequently, only 8% of youth currently meet daily physical activity guidelines (ParticipACTION, 2024).

For many Muslim girls, barriers like a lack of representation, lack of knowledge on religious and cultural accommodations from coaches, missing modest alternatives for uniforms, or uncomfortable sport environments make it hard to stay active and feel included in sports.

HBiS is here to change that. We work directly with Islamic and public schools across the GTA to understand and transform students’ sport experiences so that all girls have fun in sports.

Our Long-Term Commitment

HBiS isn’t just a one-day workshop; it’s a commitment to systemic change. We partner with schools to:

• Understand Girls’ Experience: We perform school visits and listen to students through surveys and focus groups to find out what their experiences are really like.

• Design Resources: We design services and resources for schools to address the most critical gaps (i.e. training, workshops, skills clinics, mentorship pathways).

• Deliver Focused Programs: Our trusted and trained local coaches and community leaders help us deliver programming customized to your school’s specific needs.

What We Build Together

Our commitment is to design and offer a variety of programs and resources that will help fill the gaps in your school’s sport system, including but not limited to:

• Sports Clinics: Community-led clinics in basketball, volleyball, and other sports.

• Equipment & Gear: Assistance with securing sport hijabs, sports bras and other equipment to help girls’ experience sport better.

• Leadership Workshops: Sessions focused on building confidence, mental resilience, and leadership skills amongst Muslim female athletes.

• Mentorship: Pathways to connect with accomplished Muslim women using sports as a tool.

• School Clubs: "Hijabi Ballers" school clubs where Muslim athletes have a chance to connect, grow and play together.

• Inspirational Talks: School-wide presentations from athletes who have broken barriers on the world stage.

• Community Access: Seamless links to specialized local sports programs outside of school, created by and for Muslim girls.

• Training for Coaches & Educators: Roundtable discussions and opportunities for teachers, educators and coaches to better understand Muslim girls’ sport experiences and needs so they can be better allies and advocates.

❋ Let’s Collaborate

Our Collaborative Mission: Creating better sport experience for Muslim girls in schools, while collaboratively working with educators and administrators. We work with schools, teachers, and students to build a legacy of inclusion.

Interested in learning more about the program and how to get involved?

Reach out to our Project Coordinator, Aycha Hamaoui at hbis@hijabiballers.com.

This initiative is funded by Nike Social and Community Impact.