Fordson High School’s football team has won four state championships and been runner-up another three times, and the team is coming off a season where they lost just one game. The squad also happens to be predominantly Muslim, in the Detroit suburb that this ESPN article notes “is widely known as the capital of Arab-America.”
This combination of football and faith has become particularly important because Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islam calendar, began last week. Muslims fast during the daylight hours of Ramadan, which can be especially hard on football players going through two practices a day. So their coach, Fouad Zaban, came up with a novel idea; practicing at night.
From 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., the team does just that, allowing them to properly rehydrate and eat if necessary while still honoring their religion. In addition, doing so allows the players to avoid the August daylight heat, when they’d be more prone to the risks of heat stroke or exhaustion. As one of the players, Adnan Restum, was quoted, “It feels really great. If we’re doing it during the day, we wouldn’t have water and it would be really hot and everything.” Sure, it means adjusting sleep schedules, but with school not starting until September 7, it’s at least not getting in the way of their studies.
Even so, nighttime practice wasn’t an easy sell for Zaban, who’s Muslim and used to play football for Fordson. As the article notes, “Working it out meant getting the approval of school and district administrators and the blessings of players, parents and police. Then, there were the residents in the surrounding neighborhood, who would hear more noise and the illuminated field. So he sent letters explaining the decision.”
And while it’s certainly an adjustment for the players, I’m sure they appreciate having a coach who’s looking out for their best interests.
Photo by Chris-Håvard Berge via Flickr.