Aisha Masaka became the first Tanzanian footballer to play in the Women’s Super League when she signed for Brighton last summer, and she is a pioneer for her country in several ways. Masaka was the first to play in the Champions League, when she was with the Swedish club BK Häcken, from 2022 to 2024, and recently launched the AKM Foundation, aimed at fighting poverty and promoting gender equality through sport.
Masaka started playing street football as a teenager and dabbled in every other sport available to her including basketball and volleyball, much to her parents’ dismay. “We fought a lot because parents, especially in Africa, find it difficult to allow their girls to play football,” says the 21-year-old. “They wanted me to go to school and not be involved in any sport at all.”.
