The Council Of European Jamaats

A dedicated team of ladies from Birmingham Jamaat worked hard, over several months, to organise and put together a spectacular event for the Millennium. No stones were left unturned to provide the ladies with special effects! The use of the swimming pool as a relaxing activity, for those out of the competitions on the first day, was greatly appreciated. The "Midnight Feast" on Saturday night was especially enjoyed by the young girls, and the "Facial and Massage" sessions on offer were popular amongst those who wanted to be pampered! The highlight of the tournament was by far the Presentation Evening. The presence of the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Teresa Stuart created an atmosphere of great achievement, certainly for the winners. Some of Birmingham's Sports Development officers, on the VIP list of invitees for the presentation, honoured us by attending the evening's programme. They talked very highly of the efforts our community puts into encouraging sports activities for women, and supported us by presenting each and every participant with a token to remember the event.

For those who missed the tournament, here is a full account of the two days of fun. The tournament began on Saturday with the first participants arriving at the King Edwards Sports Centre, in time for registration at 9.00 am. Breakfast was already laid out for those who had had a very early start to the day. By 10.00 am the centre was filled with girls proudly wearing their team T-Shirts. At the sound of the whistle the Sports Hall was packed with the participants who were briefed on the general games and centre rules after a Recitation from the Holy Quran.

Alhamdullilah, we were blessed with beautiful weather and so the games could start promptly both inside and outside the centre on the netball courts. The swimming pool bustled with excitement from the youngest participants. The 12&Under teams were divided into age categories, and competed in three different races with lots of encouragement and cheers from the onlookers. The girls were allowed to splash and have fun after their competitions were over. It was a rare sight to see girls from different parts of the world enjoying themselves together! It was then left to the organisers to work out the winners with the best timings in each age category.

The Badminton and Table Tennis organisers were having a difficult task of grabbing the participants onto the courts! Most of the under 20's were out on the Netball courts competing or cheering their teams. The team of umpires, under excellent guidance from the overall Netball umpire, Chris Flaherty, were busy at their job. Competitions were well underway for 2 age groups, 15&Under and 15&Over, with 4 matches going on at the same time! The high level of efficiency brought the Netball competitions for this age group at the Finals level by lunch time.

Just before midday, the lobby was filled with the delicious smell of food. This brought the participants flocking in for a much needed, and for some well deserved, break. The volunteers were kept busy serving, with over 250 hungry mouths to feed! This did not stop the games for some, although the Table Tennis organiser, Jenny Cox, did have to come out from her corner to look for participants busy eating in the lobby! Facilities were made to pray Namaz in one of the Squash Courts. The Birmingham Sports Official, who came to watch some of the games, was highly impressed by the importance attributed to Namaz during the games.

Soon after lunch the Netball Finals took place with a great deal of cheering from spectators from the Birmingham Jamaat. Thank you ladies for turning up and supporting the teams! The rest of the afternoon was taken up by the 12&Under Netball competitions outside, and 16&Over Badminton inside the Sports Hall. The organisers were keen to get all the matches for this category played by the end of the day, as the next day was reserved for the much awaited Football competitions at the National Indoor Arena. The budding Netball players competed with great enthusiasm and remarkable team work. Especially commendable was their attitude and fairplay on the day. Healthy competition and sports comaradeship was seen hand in hand all through the games. Our young stars well deserved the positive comments from the umpires on their achievement. The pakoras donated by Karachi Fried Chicken were warmly welcomed at tea time!

Two minibuses, driven tirelessly by Abbasbhai Khoja and another driver, transported over 200 ladies from the centre to the mosque, where a delicious dinner awaited them. By the time the facial and massage team turned up after Maghrib and Isha Prayers, the Iambara was filled with sleeping bags spread everywhere. Groups of girls were getting ready to settle in for the night, obviously not intending to sleep or let others sleep! Groups of girls were enjoying chatting and playing board games, while the ladies were being massaged! The Sports Coordinators finally found time to get together to exchange views and discuss the future of this annual event. At the stroke of Midnight, a feast of Pizzas was brought in for those who had ordered some.

After a night of practically no sleep for some, everybody was woken up for Fajr Namaz. Preparations for breakfast started a few hours after that and the organisers had a difficult task of waking everybody up yet again. Football was the priority of the day for the 12&Under teams. The Minbuses were ready at 8.00 am to transport everybody back, this time to two centres. Everybody finally managed to get into the right buses and games could start well on time. The organisers had a hard day ahead, making sure everybody had their lunch on time wherever they were.

At the National Indoor Arena the Football competitions for the 12&Under and 15&Under groups were progressing very well until there was an injury. This delayed the games a little, but the centre staff soon managed to handle the situation and the casualty was taken to Hospital for an X-ray (no broken bones by the Grace of Allah!). The winners had little time to celebrate, as just before lunch they were whizzed back to the main centre for lunch and Badminton matches. At the same time the finals for the Ladies Badminton and Squash were well underway. The matches got very exciting and were thoroughly enjoyed by the spectators. It was clear to all that the standards of play had much improved over the past years. The Badminton organisers worked non-stop, getting matches played and running around the centre calling for players to be on court. As soon as the ladies finals were over, the younger players were on court, all ready for an afternoon of competitive play. The 12&Under group soon reached the final stage both in singles as well as in doubles. What a performance from our younger players! The next tournaments look very promising with the standards displayed that afternoon.

Even Jenny, the Table Tennis organiser, was extremely busy all day getting all remaining matches played. What a relief it was for her when the final matches were played at last and she could emerge from her hidden corner! Her only regret was that nobody, but the participants themselves were able to watch the fantastic matches going on! We promise you a well deserved, prominent place for the Table Tennis next year, Jenny!

The afternoon at the National Indoor Arena deserves a final paragraph in this account. What great matches and enthusiasm was displayed on the indoor courts! However, it did cost us another rush to the Hospital for an X-ray (again, no broken bones alhamdullilah). The two umpires were well impressed by the standards of Five-a-side Football from girls of our community, which are improving greatly year after year. Girls are learning the importance of teamwork and ball skills which are vital for improving their game. Why not have a COEJ Euro 2001?

Back at the main centre, the swimming pool was busy again with a fun session. Our lifeguard, Jess, was finally soaked by the girls after a second day of threats! She must have been secretly pleased, as the day was very hot! Finally the Minibuses were in action again at 4.00 pm. Abbasbhai must have been driving with his eyes closed by now! Excellent job, Abbasbhai, the ladies have voted you the best in the Midlands for such complicated transfers! The King Edwards Centre was gradually getting quiet and by now the remaining few participants were looking for food!

The Presentation was scheduled for 6.00 pm so everybody had to be at the Imambara by 5.30 pm. Our VIP guests all turned up for the event to our delight. The Lord Mayor arrived promptly at 6.00 accompanied by her daughter Sylvie. She was greeted by the main organiser, Shamimbai Abidi, nicknamed 'The Boss' for the event. The Lord Mayor showed a lot of respect for our customs and removed her shoes upon entering the Imambara. She was escorted in and introduced to the Chairlady and the Ladies Committee.

The Hall looked impressive with all the trophies shining on three tables at the front. In her speech, the Lord Mayor began by explaining why she was addressed as Lord Mayor and not Lady Mayoress. She said that she was very impressed to see such a large gathering of girls and women, of an ethnic minority group, celebrating their successes in sports events. She acknowledged the efforts put in by the organisers to encourage such activities and talked of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. She patiently presented over 100 trophies, standing for nearly 2 hours, shaking hands and having photos taken with each and every winner and runner up. She took time to talk to each of them and even went over to the injured participants to present their trophies! Presentations are always the highlight of any event, and this one was made even more special with the presence of Di Wyler, the Area Manager for Sports in Sparkbrook and Sparkhill, Stevie Prior, Operationals Officer City Council Birmingham and Zubaida Chaudry, Asian Womens Sports Development Birmingham.

Time now to list the winners in each sport:

The event ended with a lot of 'thank yous' and hugs and goodbyes. The event alhamdullilah proved to be a great success. Exhausted but happy, all the participants left for their long journey home and I am sure they had a lot to talk about on their way home. The organisers were left feeling empty, but still having the tedious job of tidying up the Imambara. The serious business of accounting had to left for a later date, as the minds were too exhausted to deal with that part of the organisation! DON'T MISS OUT ON THE NEXT TOURNAMENT, we are sure it will be even better! See you again in ….?… Peterborough? … Leicester? … Portsmouth? …Paris?