Wales' first female Muslim referee says 'we still have to pave our own way'

Eleeza Khan may only be 20 years old, but she is already helping to change the face of football in Wales. Alongside her older sister Rosheen, 22, she became the first Muslim female football referees in Wales. Their achievement is paving the way not only for women in sport, but for young Muslim girls who may have never believed football could be a space for them too. The sisters’ journey into football was not particularly planned. Instead, it began in the most ordinary way - sitting with friends at their local community hub, Grangetown Pavilion. Eleeza, a second year cardiff -university> Cardiff University student, said: "We were literally just chilling there with our friends and there was a referee there who was promoting the FAW referee diversity programme to try and get more people from ethnic minorities into refereeing." The sisters signed up for the course alongside several others, but only they completed the qualification. "At the time, we didn’t realise we were going to be the first people that looked like us doing it," she said. “We only noticed after people kept coming up to us saying how cool it was to see Muslim girls refereeing." The sisters officially qualified in 2022 and quickly realised they were entering a footballing world where very few people shared their background. Stay in the know by making sure you’re receiving our daily newsletter Yet for Eleeza, football has been part of her life from an early stage. One of five sisters, she credits her dad for introducing the girls to the game from a young age. "My dad really loves football, obviously he had five daughters, no sons, so he kind of shared that love with us instead. Every weekend we’d watch football together and he’d take us to play in the park." As a devoted Liverpool supporter herself (while Rosheen chose Chelsea) Eleeza said football became a huge part of their upbringing despite there being few opportunities locally for young Muslim girls at the time. "There wasn’t really anything that felt appropriate or accessible for girls like us growing up,” she said. “So we never thought football could become something serious for us." Now, the sisters are helping create the opportunities they never had. Outside of refereeing, Eleeza is a qualified football coach who spends much of her time running sessions for children across Grangetown and Butetown. From school programmes to summer sports camps and recreational football in local parks, her focus is on making sport welcoming and accessible. "It’s amazing now seeing how many young girls are playing football," she said. "My little sister is 12 and she plays regularly and she’s really good. When I was younger, I never had that." The sisters also work with Foundation 4 Sports, a Cardiff initiative aimed at keeping young people engaged and safe through sport, while Eleeza balances coaching with university life studying politics. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here She also runs her own photography business, photographing football matches, weddings and other special events. Despite her growing list of achievements, Eleeza remains grounded and honest about the barriers Muslim women can still face in sport. "I think being Muslim has definitely been harder than being a woman in football," she admitted. "There’s more support now for women’s football, but for Muslim girls we still have to pave our own way." She recalled one moment after qualifying as a referee when she and Rosheen were given standard uniform shorts as part of their kit. "We had to awkwardly email and explain that we couldn’t wear shorts and ask if we could wear joggers instead,” she said. “Everyone has always been really understanding, but those conversations only happen because we bring them up.” For Eleeza, visibility matters because it helps normalise those conversations for the next generation. "I think now the important thing is that the girls coming after us won’t have to explain themselves as much," she said. "Those conversations have already been had." Today, she serves as chair of the FAW Youth Council, helping represent the voices of young people in Welsh football which is a role she says gives her hope for the future of the game. Eleeza believes the future looks far more inclusive than the one she grew up with. "There are so many more girls playing football now and so many more opportunities," she said. “It’s really nice to think that girls like us can now see themselves in football and know there’s a place for them."