As the world marks International Women’s Day 2026, Brila Media celebrates Debbie Izamoje Okolie, CEO of Brila Media Group and founder of Football for Girls Africa, as a woman building the future for women in sports.
Debbie’s initiative, Football for Girls Africa, extends beyond encouraging girls to play football; it introduces them to the wider ecosystem, from careers in media and administration to marketing and healthcare, therefore, helping girls see themselves as part of the entire football economy.
“It’s about producing confident women who understand that football is an economy they can be part of, in any way they choose” she explains in a conversation with Brila Media.
Debbie’s work at Football for Girls Africa, truly demonstrates the principle of Give to Gain: Women Building for the Future of Women in Sports, which Brila Media is spotlighting this International Women’s Day, 2026.
Brila Media’s correspondent sat down with her and she gave a lot of insight into her work.
Interviewer –
At the core of everything you’re building, what is your personal “why”?
Debbie Izamoje Okolie –
My why is simple: access.
I grew up seeing talent everywhere but not access everywhere. Especially for girls.
Football For Girls Africa exists because I believe exposure changes ambition. When a girl sees the industry, not just the pitch, she expands what she thinks is possible for herself.
This is not about producing footballers alone. It’s about producing confident women who understand that sports is an economy and they belong inside it.
My why is building a future where a girl doesn’t have to fight to be taken seriously in sports. She walks in knowing she belongs.
Interviewer–
You’ve consistently given your time, influence, and energy to this work. What does “gaining” look like for you?
Debbie Izamoje Okolie –
Gaining, for me, is long-term. It’s not applause. It’s not viral moments.
It’s systems changing.
It’s when a school that once said “football is for boys” now asks how they can start a girls’ team.
It’s when a young girl emails us asking how she can become a sports lawyer or a referee because she attended one of our workshops.
Personally, gaining looks like alignment, knowing that my leadership at Brila Media and my work at Football For Girls Africa are moving the industry forward, not just occupying space in it.
If we can shift even 5% of how women are represented or positioned in African sports, that’s gain.
Interviewer –
In your specific work, what has changed for girls or women because you chose to invest your effort here?
Debbie Izamoje Okolie –
Three things have shifted:
First, Awareness.
Many girls didn’t know sports had career paths beyond playing. We introduce them to media, law, medicine, coaching, merchandising, governance.
Secondly, Language.
Schools are beginning to speak about girls’ football differently. It’s no longer “let them try.” It’s “how do we support them?”
Thirdly, Confidence.
When girls see women leading in sports media, league management, and international events, they start to imagine themselves there too.
Representation is not cosmetic. It is catalytic. And we’re starting to see that shift.
Interviewer –
Have there been moments when the gain didn’t feel commensurate with the giving? What keeps you building anyway?
Debbie Izamoje Okolie –
Absolutely.
There are days when funding is tight. When sponsors hesitate. When the workload outweighs the recognition.
There are days when you’re building infrastructure nobody sees, but I’ve learned something about leadership: not every seed grows in public.
What keeps me building is understanding that equity in sports will not happen accidentally. It requires intentional builders.
And if not us, then who?
Interviewer –
Is there a girl, real or created, that you carry with you as you do the work?
Debbie Izamoje Okolie –
Yes.
She’s 14. She’s brilliant. She’s opinionated. She loves football but doesn’t know how to say it out loud yet.
She thinks she has to choose between being “serious” and loving sports. I build for her. I build so that when she says, “I want to work in football,” nobody laughs.
And more importantly, she doesn’t doubt herself.
Despite challenges such as limited funding and invisible work, Debbie has remained committed to long-term impact through Football For Girls Africa; proving that leadership is not only about success, but about opening doors for others.
Well done Debbie.
Also read: International Women’s Day: Give to Gain — Brila Media Celebrates Women Building for the future for women in sports
This International Women’s Day, Debbie Izamoje Okolie exemplifies how vision, leadership, and dedication can create lasting opportunities, inspiring the next generation of girls to participate, lead, and thrive in sports.
