Inclusion through football: The case of Diverse City FC

In this piece we document how a football club has proved to be an important mechanism of integration for young Muslim women in Ireland. As been evidenced elsewhere,[1] and discussed piece, Islamophobia is reality Irish society, whether as proximal lived experiences hostility discrimination, or structural elements that deploy anti-Muslim tropes. the face such exclusion, individuals, supported by local civil society actors, have taken it upon themselves develop platform, namely Hijabs Hat-tricks project, not only enables inclusion, develops meaningful integration, but also challenges head-on those tropes cast them their communities ‘other’. Football, form Diverse City FC, forms focal point platform. Based on these Muslims, argue football, indeed sport more broadly, can act incredibly effective societal integration. Finally, importance understanding marginalised groups, players, drawing from design future strategies inclusion society. [1] James Carr, Experiences Islamophobia: Living with racism neoliberal era (London: Routledge, 2016).