Last year I joined forces with my friend Gabbi Brondani to host the first ever Play FIFA Like A Girl. In 2023 we followed up with the second iteration of the event and partnered with Busisiwe Masango-Steenkamp, who was spotted and signed to esports team Goliath Gaming at the first event, to introduce ladies in South Africa to FIFA and help them improve their FIFA game.
My first love is First Person Shooter Games. I’m obsessed with Counter-Strike and soon found a love for Battle Royale (how you doing PUBG?). BUT FIFA is arguably the most played game in South Africa. It is also one of the most accessible, with the title being released locally on older generation consoles. Console gaming is really popular in South Africa as well. So while I have my first love, I wanted to try create a space where women could feel safe picking up a controller and playing some FIFA!
What you need to know
We had more than twenty participants at Play FIFA Like A Girl 2023. Some ladies wanted to become more competitive, while others wanted to just learn to play the game. It started with a lot of ladies staying away from the consoles BUT by the end of the morning everyone was competing in a fun Queen of the Hill tournament we set up. The final game was a nail biter and so much fun to watch. My good friend Pregan “Nerdform” Pillay is one of South Africa’s best esports and gaming photographers. He came to the event to get some pictures and then also made this amazing video, which explains exactly what happened at the event and why initiatives like this are so important.
This is not something to be monetised
In the past year we’ve had a lot of brands approach us wanting to use the concept to promote their own brand. But this event is run by women in esports FOR women in esports. It isn’t meant to be a marketing tool or something to be “sold”. The intentions behind it are pure and, we hope, it will keep growing as a community led initiative. A lot of brands do support us though. Nerdform offered up free photos, the folks at Mettlestate gave us an incredible venue with all the gear we needed at no cost and Red Bull insured we had wiings available for all the ladies. A few brands also supported a fun goodie bag for all the participants to go home with:
Bigger and better
I was so overwhelmed by the support on the day and I really hope all the ladies had the best time playing, learning and competing. The goal for Play FIFA Like A Girl is to help more ladies start competing in the various FIFA leagues and competitions that are hosted in South Africa. I really hope we’ll see more ladies competing in 2023!
If you’d like to see all the photos from the event, there is a photo album here.
