WeeklySA_AdminCAUSE: Brown Mbombo will bring 28 women from entertainment, business and philanthropy onto the football pitch for a tournament that combines sport with support for disadvantaged women and girls…
By WSAM Reporter
Model, entrepreneur and philanthropist Brown Mbombo is rallying women behind a charitable cause through Soccer Fab, a five-a-side football tournament aimed at collecting sanitary products and toiletries for communities in need.
The event will bring together 28 women at the Mall of Africa’s Level 5 Rooftop Soccer Park in Midrand on September 26.
Drawn from the entertainment, business and philanthropic sectors, the participants will be divided into four teams — Blue, Green, Red and Yellow — for a day of competition, camaraderie and giving.
Instead of paying conventional entrance fees, participants and spectators are being encouraged to contribute toiletries and sanitary towels. The winning team will choose the charity or community that receives the collected products, as well as the province in which the donation will be made.
At a previous Soccer Fab tournament, the victorious team selected the Free State, where supplies were distributed to four schools.
Mbombo said the initiative was intended to create a space in which women could enjoy physical activity, friendship and competition while supporting women and girls who lack basic necessities.
“Soccer Fab is really about bringing women together in a different way,” she said.
“We are used to seeing women at events dressed up, networking or supporting from the sidelines, but this time we are getting on the field, having fun, competing and giving back at the same time.”
The tournament is being hosted in partnership with the KwaMbombo Foundation, Happy Kidz and Frdm under the theme: Play. Donate. Make a Difference.
Mbombo said the initiative was particularly meaningful to her and her sister, Ble Mbombo, because they had been raised by a single mother and had witnessed the difficulties she faced in providing for the family.
“Growing up in the township also meant seeing how many families struggled from month to month,” she said.
“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.”
Soccer Fab began as an informal “Brown Fun Day” at which Mbombo and her friends played football. Growing interest from spectators persuaded her that the occasion could be transformed into a platform for helping disadvantaged children.
Spectators were subsequently asked to bring sanitary pads to matches, laying the foundation for the charity tournament.
Mbombo said access to sanitary products and toiletries could have a direct effect on the dignity, confidence and daily lives of women and girls.
“I know what it feels like when it is that time of the month and you do not have sanitary pads. I know what it feels like to want to bathe and feel clean but not have something as basic as soap,” she said.
“These are everyday necessities that can easily be taken for granted when you have access to them.”
The event will also provide a safe and supportive environment for women at a time when gender-based violence continues to restrict their freedom of movement.
Mbombo said many women could not exercise, walk or run outdoors without worrying about their safety or constantly looking over their shoulders.
She hoped Soccer Fab would allow women to reclaim, even for a few hours, the freedom to play, laugh, compete and connect without fear.
The tournament would also honour women whose lives had been lost to violence, she said.
“Every donation, every conversation and every woman who shows up matters,” Mbombo added.
“This is not only about who scores the most goals. It is about what we can do when we come together.”
Food and refreshments will be available for purchase at the venue. Spectators can support the initiative by attending the matches and donating toiletries or sanitary towels.
