Ramadan: Chelsea Foundation launches Open Iftar at Stamford Bridge

On Sunday (26), the Chelsea Foundation started an Open Iftar at Stamford Bridge, which is a first for the club and a Premier League stadium.

The event was announced earlier, as the club pledged to champion the first-ever open Iftar during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Open Iftar is the UK's largest community event during Ramadan, providing Muslims observing the fast with an opportunity to break it together, while also creating a safe environment for dialogue and engagement.

A number of local mosques and members of the Muslim community, including supporters and school students, were invited to attend the Open Iftar event alongside Chelsea FC staff.

The event was organised in collaboration with the Ramadan Tent Project, an award-winning charity established in 2013 with the aim of promoting community cohesion and enhancing understanding of Ramadan.

This year, the Ramadan Tent Project celebrated their 10th anniversary and continued to organise the annual Ramadan Festival – a yearly celebration of art, culture, and creativity inspired by the holy month of Ramadan.

Omar Salha, founder, and CEO of the Ramadan Tent Project, said, "For the past decade Ramadan Tent Project has connected and convened over half-a-million people from all backgrounds through its annual Ramadan Festival and flagship initiative Open Iftar.

"We are honoured to bring Open Iftar to Stamford Bridge, on the occasion of our 10-year anniversary and our 2023 theme of “Belonging”, and work in partnership with Chelsea FC who have been driving inclusivity in football. To such an extent, the “Pride of London” will be the first Premier League club in history to host an Open Iftar event.

"Football and Ramadan brings people together over shared experiences and we are thrilled to share this important celebration with football supporters from all backgrounds, representing a community of communities."

Ramadan is recognised at Chelsea FC and Chelsea Foundation as part of the No To Hate campaign, a club-wide programme dedicated to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion and targeting hate and discrimination while educating stakeholders within and outside of Chelsea FC and football.

No To Hate's key focus area includes promoting religious tolerance, with other religious festivals highlighted throughout the year.

Simon Taylor, head of Chelsea Foundation, expressed his delight in announcing the Open Iftar event in collaboration with the Ramadan Tent Project.