Zainab Alema plans UK’s first Muslim women’s rugby team
Alema hopes to recruit around 20 players who will rotate on and off the pitch to give as many women as possible the chance to play
LONDON (MNTV) — Zainab Alema, the trailblazing Richmond RFC player known to teammates as “the Bulldozer,” has announced plans to launch what would be the United Kingdom’s first dedicated Muslim women’s rugby team, as first reported by Hyphen.
The team, to be called Muslimah Rugby, is aiming for a 10-a-side debut friendly in London later this summer against Black Girls Ruck, an organisation that creates space for Black women in the sport.
Alema hopes to recruit around 20 players who will rotate on and off the pitch to give as many women as possible the chance to play.
Alema is the first Black Muslim woman in a hijab to play and score in England’s top-tier Premiership Women’s Rugby competition, a distinction she earned while playing as a loose-head prop for Richmond in south-west London.
But health challenges have recently kept her off the premiership pitch, and the absence has sharpened her sense of urgency about what comes next.
“Now that I’m not playing in the premiership at the moment, there’s no one else,” she told Hyphen.
“I need to build something that hopefully will open doors for other Muslim women to climb up the ladder.”
From PE class to premiership
Alema is a British-Ghanaian Muslim, a mother of three, and a former neonatal nurse.
Her father’s reaction when she first told him about her love for rugby was blunt: it was a male sport, an elitist sport, not the place for an African Muslim woman.
The stereotypes she encountered went beyond her family — she was often the only Black person on her team, the only Muslim, and the only player who didn’t drink.
She had no idea what rugby was until a PE class at school when she was 14, where two female teachers introduced her to the game.
She went on to play for clubs including Barnes, Millwall Venus, and a stint with Leicester Tigers before settling at Richmond. It was at Millwall Venus that she earned her nickname — the Bulldozer — a moniker she says represents more than just physicality on the pitch: it’s about clearing a path for others.
Her achievements have earned widespread recognition, including the Sunday Times Grassroots Sportswoman of the Year award in 2020, the Woman of the Future award in 2022, and the Muslim Woman Award for sport that same year.
She is also the founder of Studs in the Mud, a project that provides rugby boots and support to women and girls in less privileged areas, particularly in Africa. She serves as a trustee of the Muslim Sports Foundation and featured in Amazon Prime’s documentary No Woman No Try.
Building community, not division
Alema has been clear that the initiative is designed as a gateway into rugby, not a wall around it. Asked whether a faith-based team risks being seen as divisive, she pushed back: “If you call yourself a Muslim, you’re a woman, and you love rugby, or you want to get into rugby, this space is for you. We support you and we want to celebrate you.”
Her own experience of isolation in the sport drives the project. As a Black, hijab-wearing Muslim woman in a space overwhelmingly dominated by white men, she described a persistent sense of being the only one in the room — something she is determined the next generation of Muslim women players will not have to endure.
What began about a month ago as a group chat and an Instagram page has already grown into something much bigger, with over 25 members worldwide, including players, referees, coaches, and directors of rugby.
The group’s first in-person meet-up was hosted at Richmond Athletic Ground — a historically significant venue that hosted the UK’s first women’s international match in 1986 and the inaugural Women’s Rugby World Cup in 1990.
Response and what’s next
Since announcing the team on Instagram on April 10, Alema — who currently has no budget for the project — put out a call for players, kit sponsors, photographers, videographers, and community supporters. She says the response has been overwhelming and that her main challenge now is sorting through the flood of messages.
She is in discussions with potential sponsors and venues, and is focused on finding partners whose values align with the team’s mission. The Rugby Football Union has also shown early interest, with representatives reaching out to ask how they can support the initiative, and Richmond RFC has backed the project.
Alema’s vision extends well beyond a single friendly match. She wants to build a proper pathway into the sport — training sessions, regular fixtures, and eventually international connections.
“I want us to be able to go on tour and do it in a halal way,” she said.
For Muslim women who might be unsure whether they belong in rugby, her message is straightforward: “Come and join. Even if you feel you’re not a rugby player, you’ll still have a space.”
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