Rimla Akhtar: Awards help showcase female role models

FA Council Member Rimla Akhtar says events like the Sunday Times and Sky Sportswomen of the Year Awards play a crucial role in showcasing female role models.

Akhtar sits on the FA’s Inclusion and Advisory Board and has championed women’s sports initiatives for several years.

The 32-year-old, who is a former British Muslim women’s futsal team captain, believes it is imperative that successful women in sport are given a platform to inspire.

It brings them all under one roof, all under one banner, and says ‘These are sportswomen and these are women we are celebrating’.

“Women’s sport does not get enough coverage as it is so to have a show like Sportswomen and have the Sportswomen Awards is vital,” Akhtar told Sky Sports News HQ.

“They are critical to increase awareness and we need to see more initiatives like that. The Awards are hugely important because they bring through people from grassroots right through to the elite level.

“It brings them all under one roof, all under one banner, and says ‘These are sportswomen and these are women we are celebrating’.”

Akhtar is chair of the Muslim Women’s Sport Foundation and was the recipient of the 2013 Sportswomen Community Award.

Fantastic

She says receiving the accolade 12 months ago is a credit to how far the charitable organisation has come since its inception in 2001.

“Winning the award came as a real shock to be honest because there were three other fantastic women on that shortlist,” she said.

“But it’s testament to the work the Muslim Women’s Sport Foundation has done really. We’ve spoken up about lots of issues as well as helped work with organisations in the community to develop sports initiatives for all women.

“It’s a massive achievement for absolutely everyone associated with the foundation, but ultimately it’s about those women and girls that we’ve worked with, and the difference that has made to their lives and the lives of the people around them.

“It’s a reflection of the progress we have made as an organisation over the last 14 years.”

Sportswomen is live on Sky Sports News HQ on Tuesday at 1130 and repeated at 7pm on Sky Sports 4 that evening before becoming available On Demand.