From Nonku Williams to Simz and 26 other women: Brown Mbombo puts together female soccer tournament

Brown Mbombo is bringing women from the entertainment, business and philanthropy sectors together for a soccer tournament.

The five-a-side Soccer Fab tournament will take place at the Mall of Africa Level 5 Rooftop Soccer Park in Johannesburg on 26 September.

Twenty-eight women will be divided into four teams, named Blue, Green, Red and Yellow.

Participants and guests will be encouraged to donate toiletries and sanitary towels instead of paying traditional tournament entry fees.

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Giving back through soccer

According to Mbombo, the initiative developed from a social gathering where she and her friends played soccer.

“Soccer Fab actually started as a Brown Fun Day. It was simply a fun day where my friends and I got together and played soccer,” she said.

Mbombo said the response to the first game made her realise she could use the event to support disadvantaged children.

“So instead of simply coming to watch, we encouraged spectators to bring sanitary pads to donate. The response was beautiful, and that’s when I realised Soccer Fab could be about so much more than just soccer,” she said.

The event is being hosted in partnership with the KwaMbombo Foundation, Happy Kidz and Frdm.

The winning team will decide where the collected donations are distributed.

“The winning team gets to choose where the donations go. They decide on the charity or community, as well as the province they would like us to support,” Mbombo said.

She said the winning team at the previous Soccer Fab chose the Free State, where donations were made to four schools.

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Initiative influenced by personal experience

Mbombo said the initiative is also influenced by her childhood experiences.

“This initiative is very personal to me and my sister Ble Mbombo because we grew up in a home with a single mother, so we saw firsthand the struggles she went through trying to provide for us, including something as basic as toiletries,” she said.

She said growing up in the township exposed them to families struggling to afford basic necessities.

“Things like soap, sanitary pads and other toiletries may seem small to some people, but for a child who needs to bathe and get ready for school, they are necessities,” she said.

Mbombo said the event is intended to give women an opportunity to spend time together while supporting women and girls who need assistance.

“Soccer Fab gives us a day where, even if only for a few hours, women can come together, laugh, play, connect, and simply enjoy being themselves,” she said.

She also linked the event to concerns about women’s safety in South Africa.

“As women, we are constantly being told to look after our bodies, to exercise, to go for a run, to go for a walk, to take care of ourselves. But how many women can honestly say they feel completely safe doing those simple things?” she said.

Supporting women and girls

Mbombo said toiletries and sanitary products were chosen because they are everyday necessities.

“I know what it feels like when it’s that time of the month and you don’t have sanitary pads. I know what it feels like to want to bath and feel clean but not have something as basic as soap,” she said.

She said the donations could help women and girls maintain their dignity and confidence.

Mbombo said she hopes participants leave the tournament with an understanding that the event is about more than soccer.

“More than anything, I hope they leave knowing that what we did that day was bigger than the final score,” she said.

“I also want the women to see that giving back doesn’t always have to feel serious or complicated. We can laugh, compete, build friendships and have the best time while still doing something meaningful,” she added.