Sport
27
Goliath Gaming ZA
Website
Busisiwe Cindy Masango-Steenkamp, 27, is setting out to change the status quo. She is a Fifa player for the South African esports team Goliath Gaming — being one of the few women signed to a pro-gaming team in SA — as well as the founder of Bring the Ball (BTB).
BTB is a football webpage started in 2021 with a focus on women’s soccer in Africa. Busi is on a mission to get more women involved in the game. She is helping teams with team logos and getting sponsorships, as well as helping inform the ladies about soccer trials happening in their area.
They post articles on the website, while Busi also does podcasts and videos to spread the news and updates on women’s football on the continent. She co-hosted “Play Fifa Like A Girl”, a women-only workshop to provide a safe space for girls and women to learn about Fifa, improve their game and build a sense of community among women in a male-dominated field.
“A woman playing soccer for Fifa was seen as wrong. I was judged and perceived as a strange girl growing up, especially when there were Fifa tournaments in the community (Midrand and Tembisa),” Busi says. “I would like South Africa to be a prosperous and inclusive nation with a thriving economy, high-quality education and healthcare systems, efficient infrastructure and equal opportunities for all citizens.”
- Grade 1-7 Bedfordview Primary
- Grade 8-12 Primrose Technical High School
- Project Management, Oxbridge Academy
- Higher Certification
- Sports Management
- Athlete 365 (International Olympic Committee)
- Becoming the first woman in South Africa to sign an Esports organisation under the Fifa banner.
- Being the only African to take part in this year’s ECL completion
- Host the Play Fifa Like a Girl workshop with Sam (Tech Girl) Wright.
Becoming the first girl in the school’s history (primary school) to receive full colors for soccer (while playing in the boys’ team). Scoring my first goal in the boys’ soccer team. It has motivated me to inspire and encourage more women to play the sport of soccer regardless of their gender. Working hard does get you the results you want to see.
Being unique is okay, choosing to travel a different path than others is okay.
I would like South Africa to be a prosperous and inclusive nation with a thriving economy, high-quality education and healthcare systems, efficient infrastructure, equal opportunities for all citizens regardless of their race or socio-economic status, and a stable political environment that promotes democracy and human rights.