CAF Women’s Football Committee member, Chisom Mbonu-Ezeoke, believes leadership and decision-making roles are the biggest challenges facing sport in its progress towards gender equality.
Ezeoke, who is the first female FIFA football licensed agent in Nigeria, is paving the way for young girls as she continues to break new ground and lead the way in the world of sport.
Growing up, Ezeoke enjoyed watching football with her elder brothers and her passion for the game developed further as she grew older.
This encouraged her to venture into sport journalism where she went on the become the first female football analyst for SuperSport Nigeria – a network she grew up watching and dreamt of working for.
In 2017, Ezeoke was one of the recipients of the Global Sports Mentoring Program and went on to be picked from her class to mentor the 2018 Class of the GSMP in Washington DC.
The BA. Hons. in English Language graduate is the co-founder of Fortem Inspire program – a project that uses sport as a tool to promote education, leadership skills and a healthy lifestyle for young girls.
Speaking with Tatenda Gondo, Ezeoke reveals the benefits of having women in decision-making roles and what needs to be done to ensure gender equality in leadership.
Chisom, thank you for taking your time out to chat with us. You were the first Nigerian female to become a licensed football agent, may you take us through your journey towards obtaining the license.
I get embarrassed when people ask me this question. Obtaining a FIFA football agent license was a means to an end for me. I never wanted to sell players but I had to find a way to get noticed in the industry because during that time we didn’t have a lot of women in the industry. This would help me figure out what I wanted to be and probably get the guidance because I wasn’t sure if sport media was what I wanted to do.
Shortly after I obtained my degree, I came across a FIFA license agent program advert. I started researching about the program and found out that no female had ever attempted to enroll in the program in Nigeria. My application was successful and I passed my final exams becoming the first Nigerian female to obtain the license.
How have you used the license to develop women’s sport in Nigeria?
I feel like there isn’t anything that Nigerian women’s sport has benefited directly. However, over the years, I have found ways to help young girls in sport, hence I have a programme called – Fortem Inspire – where we teach young girls life lessons through sport, introduce them to the game and showing them the opportunities available in the sport industry. Apart from this we also teach them about the dangers in the world like sex trafficking, etc.
Most importantly, obtaining the FIFA agent license gave me the chance to be part of the CAF Women’s Football Committee where we have developed a women’s football strategy for Africa.
What are you doing to ensure that women’s football in Africa continues to develop?
We were able to push for the CAF Women’s Champions League. Yes, the CAF Women’s Champions League is not enough, but we have taken that baby step. Going forward, I am hoping that we will plan and push to improve what we have now and then we grow from there. We have also increased the number of participants in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations from eight to twelve. We are still looking at improving the welfare of the women’s game.
Looking back at the last five years, do you think that there has been a rise in the number of females taking up leadership roles in football administration? If so, what would you attribute this to?
You know what, women are still trying to break therough the glass ceiling as progress in women in leadership positions remains limited. Back to your question, yes, there has been a rise but it’s a slow progress. I feel inspired by Aisha Falode who is the President of the Nigeria Women’s Football League, Jessica Motaung, and Isha Johansen. I think that women are beginning to believe in themselves and acknowledging that they also have the skills to take up leadership roles. Also, men in leadership positions are beginning to believe in women.
What do you think are the benefits of bringing in more women in decision-making positions in sport organisations/associations?
Women represent new and underexploited talents and they bring in a new breath of fresh air and vision. Gender diversity allows the fusion of masculinity and feminity and makes the individual stronger and the organisation more agile.
It is always important to remember that it is not the arrival of women that creates the performance but the arrival of gender balance.
What should be done to ensure that women get a fair share in sport administration?
It is important to have a level competing ground. Let us do away with the stereotype that women cannot hold administrative positions in sport. On the same note, I feel that equality should be practised both in hiring and allocating internship positions to ensure that women can compete on the same ground as men.
What do you think we should do to claim an equal future in the sport?
This is an interesting question – we probably need more diversity in the boardroom if we ever want to tackle some of the pressing threats that are hindering an equal future in sport.
I think that we should support women leaders at all levels of the sport ecosystem. On the other hand, those women in a leadership positions should ensure that they bring in other talented women as we work towards structural and cultural change. This will be a proactive change as we elevate more women into leadership and also support those in high profile roles.
What advice would you give to young women who are interested in pursuing careers in sport administration?
Firstly, try by all means necessary to interact and network with women in a leadership position as this will enable you to get a better understanding of how things work. Work on developing those interactions, networks and utilize those women in leadership to navigate through your career.
Photo 1 Caption: CAF Women’s Football Committee member, Chisom Mbonu-Ezeoke, believes leadership and decision-making roles are the biggest challenges facing sport in its progress towards gender equality. Photo: Supplied
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