Finland’s FA offers free sports hijabs in bid to boost diversity

Initiative to distribute headscarves is aimed at getting more people from minority backgrounds playing football.

Finland’s football association has begun offering a free “sports hijab” to any player who wants one, in a move designed to attract a greater diversity of players into the sport. So far, the FA has distributed “dozens” of the headscarves, which are made out of technical, stretchy fabric, Heidi Pihlaja, head of development of women and girls’ football, told the AFP news agency. “In Finland, it’s been really hard to get girls of immigrant backgrounds into football clubs,” Pihlaja said.