Women’s access to sports and fitness in Dubai has improved significantly in the last few years.
The UAE Prime Minister is a strong advocate for health and fitness, helping to form — and participating in — large community fitness events.
Throughout the year, Dubai will hold tournaments in sports such as soccer, cricket, rugby, and even CrossFit. The royal family also holds the annual Gov Games, a series of physical and mental challenges meant to bring together the community and promote teamwork.
Therefore, women in Dubai want — and are encouraged — to be involved in fitness. But finding a space for Muslim women to train that allows them to truly be free is hard to come by.
So, two women joined forces to change that.
Gym Accessibility for Muslim Women
Kathryn Fearon had lived her whole life in Ireland. While coaching at a CrossFit gym in Dublin, she came to the realization that she had reached her peak. Fearon had already taken up a managing position on top of her coaching job and felt like she had no more room to grow at that gym.
So when a CrossFit coach position opened up at an affiliate in Dubai, Fearon found a new, exciting adventure to embark on.
“I was like, ‘If I don’t do it now, I probably won’t do it,’” she said.
Right after Christmas on Dec. 30, 2018, Fearon flew to Dubai for a trial period, and after just one week, she decided to sign a two-year contract and move her life to the UAE.
For the next two years, Fearon began to build a large group of personal training clients. However, she noticed many gyms had a lack of accessibility and freedom for Muslim women.
In the Muslim culture, many women cover their faces, hair, and heads with a fabric covering. Most men are prohibited from seeing women without their head coverings on.
Therefore, in Dubai, men cannot be present in gyms while Muslim women are exercising without a head covering. There are co-ed gyms, but these women are required to cover their hair while exercising.
At other gyms, there were designated “ladies-only” times in which the gym would be open to just women for several blocks of time during the day. However, they were instructed to leave as soon as the time was up.
“There was still a problem with it. (Men) would still walk in,” Fearon said. “If they see a man walk in, they will literally run and hide. It’s a very big deal to some people who take their religion or their culture and tradition very, very seriously.”
Luna x CrossFit Moon
In August 2021, Saira — Fearon’s very first personal training client — approached her and said, “Look, I want to do this. I want to open a gym. And I’ll only do it if you do it with me.”
This gym wouldn’t be like every other CrossFit box. It would be the first women-only CrossFit gym in the UAE, specifically dedicated to Muslim women.
The Luna ladies gym opened in August 2022, but it officially became a CrossFit affiliate on Feb. 15, 2023, adopting the name CrossFit Moon.
Finding the perfect space was very important, especially in Dubai, because Fearon said if her members didn’t have a space that was convenient to them — such as parking, location, and good air conditioning — they wouldn’t come.
“We didn’t want it to be small, we wanted to have space for really good equipment,” Fearon said. “We wanted to have everything that we feel is lacking here, especially for women.”
When Luna x CrossFit Moon first opened, they already had around 50 members, many of whom were Fearon’s previous personal training clients. Now, they have over 100.
“There was literally nowhere else for them,” Fearon said.
A Safe Space
Luna x CrossFit Moon was established to provide Muslim women with a safe space to exercise without their head coverings if they choose.
Fearon wanted to open an affiliate where women didn’t feel restricted from training whenever they pleased. Women had access to the best equipment. Women felt free to be themselves, in a space that embodied strength and confidence.
“We want to show them that they’re as deserving,” Fearon said.
One important consideration when opening the affiliate was the windows. Although Fearon wanted natural light in the gym, it is law that the windows must be covered from the outside, to prohibit men from looking into the gym while women were training without their head coverings.
To supplement the lack of natural light, Fearon put in skylights.
Luna also has a sauna, plunge pool, and a coffee shop, providing women a space to gather even when they are not working out.
“It’s just a safe space for them to be free with their friends,” Fearon said.
The biggest challenge Fearon faced when opening her affiliate was changing women’s mindsets about CrossFit.
“Here especially, people are like, ‘I don’t want to be bulky,’ and when they think CrossFit, they think CrossFit Games,” Fearon said. “They don’t think CrossFit, day-to-day everyone CrossFit, which is what we do here.”
But if she can get an interested member on a call or in the affiliate, Fearon makes it clear how scalable CrossFit is for anyone’s goals and fitness levels. The purpose of the Luna is to provide women with a space to relax from the stresses of life.
“There is no need for you to put more pressure on yourself when you’re here, right? When you’re here, it’s a time for you to get away from that,’” Fearon tells her members.
So, when Fearon was looking for her coaching staff, a track record of excellent CrossFit coaching wouldn’t be enough for her clientele. It was essential that her coaches could help boost confidence and provide a support system for every woman who walked through their doors.
Fearon has three full-time coaches, one of whom is three-time CrossFit Games athlete Shahad Budebs.
Ramadan
The busiest month this year at Luna x CrossFit Moon was during the Muslim tradition, Ramadan, in March.
For 30 days, Muslims began fasting as soon as the sun rose and would not eat or drink again until sunset when they gathered with their families and friends and broke the fast. It is a “period of introspection, communal prayer (ṣalāt) in the mosque, and reading of the Qurʾān,” says Brittanica.
It is also a time for Muslims to practice self-restraint.
To become more accessible during that month, the affiliate changed their hours to allow women time to train right before they broke their fast or a few hours after. Classes were held at 9:30 and 10:30 p.m. and at 6 a.m. right before the sun rose.
Fearon even started participating in Ramadan so she had the ability to give coaching and nutrition advice to her members.
“The reason why I fast is so that I’m able to tell them my experience,” Fearon said.
The biggest advice she gives her members is to make sure they are getting enough nutrition and hydration when they are allowed to eat and drink. She also emphasized to them that they may not be PR’ing their lifts or performing at their peak throughout the month.
Just showing up is enough.
“For 30 days, it is tough,” Fearson said. “But, honestly, I love it because it’s like Christmas and Thanksgiving and those sorts of things. You get your family together for 30 days.”
Empowering Muslim Women
Health and fitness may be on the rise in Dubai, but accessibility for Muslim women to train with full confidence is still a work in progress.
Luna x CrossFit Moon has proven how strong women can be, and continues to provide a space for women of all cultures to improve their health and test their potential.
“Muslim women don’t get the same as everyone else … and a lot of times what the perception here is that they can’t do anything,” Fearon said. “In all honesty, some of these girls are really good (at CrossFit). I have two or three girls that, if their families would let them compete in public, they would 100% make it.”
About the Author
Kelley Laxton is a sportswriter and editor for CrossFit, LLC. Graduating from the University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in journalism and sports media, she has become passionate about promoting women in sports through her writing. Kelley has previously written for Her Sport, the first women’s sports magazine in Ireland, and continues to share the stories of strong women in the Sport of Fitness. She currently lives in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and enjoys her morning CrossFit class at CrossFit NCR.
Luna x CrossFit Moon — Empowering Muslim Women in Dubai