Imagine a youth program that unites Muslim youth. One that enables and supports the growth of a strong Muslim identity. A coming together of Muslims of all different national origins, ethnicities, cultures, political leanings, madhabs, genders and even ages for the intent to please Allah and nurture Muslim children. Such a framework has been in place for more than 25 years with the Richmond Virginia Team Ansars.
Team Ansars is a Muslim Youth League that started in Richmond, Virginia 25 years ago in 2001. But it is and has always been so much more. Team Ansars describes itself as an organization that focuses on developing youth character and building a strong sense of community through competitive sports. Team Ansars programs are grounded in core values such as discipline, respect, and teamwork, helping young athletes grow both on and off the field.
As Team Ansars observes two and a half decades of youth nurturing and community involvement, we set down with the co-Youth Director of Youth Services, Brother Umar Kenyatta and the present Director of Team Ansars, Tarek Alkebu Lan.
Umar Kenyatta, co-Founder
When the Islamic Center of Virginia was established back in 1983, we had the plan to establish a youth group. I volunteered and became the co-Youth Director of Youth Services. This was the womb from which Team Ansars was born. I was one of the founding members of Ansars Sports.
Let me elaborate. This has indeed been a personal sacred journey towards Al Islam both in Islamic family and community life. Team Ansars has always been a youth focal point. We always had sports for both the girls and the boys. But we grew in numbers and scope over the years. Besides being a youth center with field trips, training and other mentorships, we also began to fill in other gaps.
Look at the goals listed on our website (https://ansarsfys.org/team-ansars/). These goals became the services that we found ourselves offering: promoting family stability and reunification, youth empowerment, fostering community engagement and partnerships, advancing cultural competence and feelings of inclusion. We had programs that address what I observed as our young people struggling with conflict resolution, so we created the Ansars Mediation Council.
The youth in Team Ansars are representative of the American Muslim community. We serve as cultural ambassadors to those in the community who partner with us, or play against us, but also to each other. For instance, I observed how brothers and sisters from other countries who had never been in U.S. urban or interracial arenas were given a safe place to learn how to navigate this environment.
Team Ansars now with Tarek has built on the legacy with a more sports-oriented focus – presence in the Richmond Athletic Association, with additional representation in surrounding counties. As a nonprofit entity, we have more operations under our umbrella now including Sons of Adams, Daughters of Khadijah, Family Traveloque and working towards workforce development for our teens.
Tarek Alkebu Lan, Director, Team Ansars
I played on the Team Ansars sports team for several years and then aged out in 2007. Then I went to college, got married, had children and have since returned to the Richmond area. Team Ansars was less active during Covid, but when I returned, the first thing I did was volunteer and started the run club. That was a big hit.
Team Ansars has always been run by volunteers. For those of us volunteering now, we stand on the shoulders of the brothers and sisters who came before us like Br. Kenyatta and Br. Malik. Look at us – in 2025 Team Ansars was the Richmond city wide Soccer Champions.
And we have always been inclusive of everybody. The sisters can and do play on Team Ansars for as long as I remember and they can be comfortable in their modified soccer uniforms and representative of the Muslim community when playing against others. Currently, we have an exclusive girl volleyball team who also participated city wide. Our girls soccer competed in the American. This winter we also have indoor girls soccer.
Team Ansars itself has always been a space for Muslim youth to express themselves. The Ansars learn how to work together to settle differences or strategize for a positive outcome like putting that soccer ball into that net or recognizing its upon us to hand off to the other teammate to complete the race. This teaches us connectedness. It doesn’t matter who the team member is, because we teach and learn to see the team as one.
If I offer advice and perspective on youth sports teams in general, I would say that the volunteer coaches and mentors need to be young enough to keep up with the youth. Team Ansars teaches the members how to mentor each other, teach and educate themselves, which are life skills that translate to all aspects of life. The coaches, of which we have had many – listen to the needs of the youth and learn how to mentor. So just like the youth, the coaches learn skills that translate even how to relate to your children in your household.
It is fun working with kids = who don’t know what they are doing and then to see the culture of brotherhood, love and kindness for each other – blossom. This blossoming included someone like me who grew up playing with the Ansars and having that good feeling. This feeling of Muslim connectedness and identity was profound and something I wanted to pass forward.
It is an honor and a privilege to volunteer with Team Ansars. It is truly a sadiqah jariyah because the perpetual long lasting effects of Muslim youth coming together as a team. It has a positive impact for their future perspective on the youth – you don’t know how this will impact the youth – look at what it did to me as now I volunteer.
Team Ansars is a 501c3 nonprofit. Donations to support the youth can be made here:
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