We recently spoke with Burhan Ali, Founder of the Muslim Ski Club, about how he set up the club, the challenges he faced, and his advice for others looking to launch something new.
You founded the Muslim Ski Club to create more inclusive access to snowsports. What gap were you trying to address, and what has the early response been like?
I never grew up skiing, as winter sports weren’t something anyone in my family had an interest in. But once I started, I realised there was a clear gap in representation for Muslims, not because people were being stopped from going to the mountains, but because of a few key barriers. These included not having a community to ski with, not knowing where or how to start, and feeling that the traditional experience didn’t cater to their needs.
That’s the gap we’re trying to address through our three core pillars: connect, learn and experience. The uptake has been higher than expected, and demand is already outstripping what we can deliver, so we’re now looking at how we grow further.
As a new club, putting the right policies and structures in place early on can be challenging. How did the London Sport Welfare team support you in getting those foundations right from the start?
As the club grew, I knew it was important to have the right systems and structures in place to scale effectively. The challenge was that I didn’t know where to start or what support was available.
Working with Kamilla from the welfare team has been a game changer. She went above and beyond to signpost relevant resources and help me understand the key things that needed to be in place. Without that support, I would have spent a lot of critical time trying to find the right answers myself.
How has having clear safeguarding and welfare processes in place shaped your confidence as a founder and helped the club grow?
As a founder, you don’t always know what needs to be in place until you’re already moving forward. Once the right governance is there, it gives you confidence because you know you have processes to deal with anything that might come up.
Without that, things can quickly become chaotic and difficult to manage. Getting those foundations in place early just makes everything easier to manage as you grow.
What difference does having a safe, well-structured environment make to your members, particularly those who may be new to the sport?
Having a well-structured environment gives our community reassurance that we’re doing things properly and working within proven frameworks, while also going further where we can.
For people who are new to the sport, that reassurance really matters. It shows a level of professionalism that not all groups offer. When issues do arise, people expect them to be handled properly, and having the right structures in place means we can do exactly that.
For other new or emerging clubs, what would you say about the importance of getting welfare and safeguarding right early, and what difference can that support make in practice?
Any club that wants to grow quickly and safely should put the right governance in place early. It allows you to focus on your day-to-day delivery, while knowing you have systems to rely on if something happens.
Getting support from people like Kamilla and the wider welfare team is just as important. Setting up a club is already a steep learning curve, and governance can feel overwhelming. Having the right support makes that process much more manageable and helps you move forward more quickly.
