Brown Girl Sport continues to cut through isolation and provide support

Farah Chowdhury (front right with banner) among Arsenal fans in 2023. ‘In fan forum meetings and other meetings I’m often the only ethnic minority in the room,’ she says. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

There was a different kind of energy in an upstairs room at Stamford Bridge after escaping the buzz of the match-going crowd before Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat of Chelsea in the Women’s Super League 10 days ago. There was a celebratory, empowering energy, but also a determined and hopeful vibe.

The room was full of people celebrating the third anniversary of Brown Girl Sport, the award-winning online platform and community that aims to highlight the stories of South Asian women and girls in sport in order, according to its website, “to smash stereotypes that Brown women don’t do, care or know about sport”.