In our sixth episode, we are joined by Professor Andrew Silke of Royal Holloway University of London. Andrew discusses sports venue security, including why terrorists target sports venues, the measures in place to deter them, and how the threat has evolved over the past decades. We delve into the role of technology, lessons for the future, and how fans can play a critical role in ensuring security. Highlighting the significant progress in venue security, Andrew notes that sports venues were once considered soft targets but are now considered hard targets.

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The focus of this episode is the prevention of violent extremism within sporting clubs and events. For this, we are joined by Steven Lenos, whose expertise is polarization and radicalization. Mr. Lenos explains the impact football club supporter groups have on individuals and how clubs, communities, and organizations are vital in providing an environment of diversity, inclusivity, and integration.

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In this episode, we are joined by Somali-born athlete Suad Galow, former captain of the national Women’s National Basketball team. Galow takes listeners on a personal journey and talks about her love of basketball and what it is like to be a female athlete in Somalia. Galow also discusses her work providing safe areas for girls to engage in sports and gain an education through a non-profit organization she founded in 2018.  

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In our third  episode, we speak to Dr Simon Rofe, a university lecturer who pioneered the field of sport diplomacy and teaches its only existing course at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in the United Kingdom. Simon talks about the role that athletes and sports fans play in representing their countries and how sporting events can be used as a platform for communities and leaders to come together at the same time and space when regular political channels may be fractured. We hear about cricket diplomacy between India and Pakistan; projects addressing communicable diseases in sub-Saharan Africa and how sports played into Qatar’s National Vision 2030 Vision.

*Disclaimer: the episode was recorded before the start of 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup and refers to it in the future.

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The second episode of our podcast features Khalida Popal, one of the founding members and former captain of Afghanistan’s Women’s Football Team. Khalida takes us on a captivating, sometimes perilous personal journey and shares her story of perseverance, resilience and success against all odds. We accompany her through the years of chasing her dream - to play sport despite facing discrimination and adversity. In the process, she has managed to empower and unify new generations of women and girls from diverse backgrounds through her organization Girl Power. 

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In our first episode, we are joined by Alan Fraser, PCVE practitioner and Director of community partnerships at Cranford Community College in London, United Kingdom who discusses sports as a preventive mechanism for violent extremism. Alan has developed a variety of programmes and activities designed to reduce the risk of radicalization among young people through sports over the past 10 years and shares his insights on addressing vulnerability and antisocial behavior in young people. Highlighting that sports interventions are not only for athletes, he also walks us through an example of sports leadership programming that trains young people in sports management, so that they can run sports events and re-kindle their love for the pitch.  

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