Cambridge United Builds Community Relations With Mill Road Mosque

The club has provided gifts for the Muslim community in time for Ramadan, which began on Monday.

by Ben Phillips

Wednesday April 14 2021, 1:00am

Cambridge Fans United Supporters’ Trust recently set up and established a new community relationship on behalf of the football club with the Cambridge Central Mosque on Mill Road. The mosque was first opened to the public in 2019 and is Europe’s first eco-mosque, holding up to 1,000 worshippers at any one time. It also provides teaching areas and meeting rooms for use by the local Muslim and non-Muslim communities.

The trust is working alongside the football club towards becoming more diverse and inclusive. The trust wants the football club to be at the centre of the community in the multicultural city of Cambridge and the Abbey Stadium to be a welcoming place for everyone.

Through Cambridge Fans United’s contacts with Fans for Diversity, a national project organized by the Football Supporters’ Association and Kick It Out, Cambridge United were able to lead the way with Charlton Athletic in being one of the only EFL clubs to provide a number of gift packs in time for Ramadan, which covers the month from 12th April to 12th May. The gifts included food items that can be used throughout the period, club calendars and footballs which were provided by the Cambridge United Community Trust.

Shahida Rahman Trustee, Cambridge Central Mosque said: “We’re delighted to welcome everyone involved in the project celebrating diversity in football. On behalf of the mosque I would like to thank those involved for the generous Ramadan packs that were presented to us. We hope to continue and expand our relationship with Cambridge United Football Club and our local community, for projects that will benefit the youth, both boys and girls in the future”.

Cambridge United: A football club at the heart of its community

Anwar Uddin from Fans for Diversity added: “I think it’s brilliant that the club are working with the Fans for Diversity campaign to engage with the whole city. The Muslim community celebrate Ramadan this month and for the club to acknowledge and support that is testament to their work on inclusion. The club has a great history and a terrific fan base and it’s important as many people in the city have an opportunity to be part of that and support their local football club”.

The club and its corresponding Supporters’ Trust hope to build on these positive steps to engage more communities in such a diverse city, spreading the word about the football club, and giving it a more visual presence within the city.

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