28 WOMEN. FOUR TEAMS. ONE POWERFUL CAUSE

On 26 September 2026, football will become more than just a game when model, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Brown Mbombo is bringing women from across entertainment, business and philanthropy together for Soccer Fab, a special 5-A-Side Ladies Soccer Tournament at the Mall of Africa Level 5 Rooftop Soccer Park.

Hosted in partnership with the KwaMbombo Foundation, Happy Kidz and Frdm, Soccer Fab is built around a simple but meaningful message: Play. Donate. Make a Difference.
The tournament will see 28 women divided into four teams – Blue, Green, Red and Yellow – taking to the field in a celebration of sisterhood, sport and giving back.

The charity football line-up will bring together celebrities, A-listers, philanthropists and businesswomen, creating an environment where women can connect, compete and contribute to a cause that affects women and girls every day.

Rather than traditional tournament entry fees, guests and participating teams will be encouraged to enter through donations of toiletries and sanitary towels, helping turn every goal scored and every cheer from the sidelines into a tangible contribution to women and girls in need.
For Brown, Soccer Fab is about creating an experience that feels joyful while still making an impact.

“Soccer Fab is really about bringing women together in a different way. 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,” says Brown.

The event comes at a time when conversations around women’s safety and violence against women remain deeply personal and urgent.

“As women, we are constantly being told to look after our bodies, to exercise, to go for a run, to go for a walk, to take care of ourselves. But how many women can honestly say they feel completely safe doing those simple things?

“Sometimes a woman wants to put on her running shoes and go for a jog, but she is thinking about the street she is going to run on, who might be behind her, what time she will be home and whether someone will get to her before she gets home. That is heartbreaking. We should be able to run because we want to get fit, not because we are running away from danger.”

Brown says Soccer Fab is her way of creating a space where women can reclaim joy, movement and community.

“I wanted us to have a day where women could come together and feel, safe, free – to play, laugh, sweat, compete and support each other. But I also want us to remember the women who don’t have that freedom, and the women whose lives have been changed or lost because of violence. Every donation, every conversation and every woman who shows up matters.”

More than football
The initiative also speaks to the work of the KwaMbombo Foundation, Happy Kidz and Frdm, with the organisations using the platform to encourage practical acts of support and community participation.
At the heart of Soccer Fab is the belief that giving back does not always have to feel formal. Sometimes it can look like putting on a football kit, calling your friends, showing up, cheering from the sidelines and bringing something that another woman or girl genuinely needs.

“Whether you are playing, supporting a team, buying food, donating toiletries, or simply coming to watch, you are part of the difference. This is not only about who scores the most goals. It is about what we can do when we come together.”

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS FROM BROWN MBOMBO

Where will the donated sanitary towels and toiletries go?
The winning team gets to choose where the donations go. They decide on the charity or community, as well as the province they would like us to support. At our last Soccer Fab, the winning team chose the Free State, and we were fortunate enough to donate to four different schools. I love giving the winning team that choice because it allows them to support a community that may be close to their own hearts.

Why is this initiative close to your heart?

This initiative is very personal to me and my sister Blue Mbombo because we grew up in a home with a single mother, so we saw firsthand the struggles she went through trying to provide for us, including something as basic as toiletries. Growing up in the location also meant seeing how many families struggled from month to month. 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. Those experiences stayed with me, and they are a big part of why this initiative means so much to me.

What personal experience or moment made you realise that you wanted to create Soccer Fab?

Soccer Fab actually started as a Brown Fun Day. It was simply a fun day where my friends and I got together and played soccer. After that first game, so many people wanted to come and watch the next one, and I realised we could turn this fun experience into something with a bigger purpose.

I thought, why not use the opportunity to help disadvantaged children at the same time?

So instead of simply coming to watch, we encouraged spectators to bring sanitary pads to donate. The response was beautiful, and that’s when I realised Soccer Fab could be about so much more than just soccer.

What does it mean to you personally to create a space where women can feel safe, free, celebrated, and connected, even if it is just for one day on the football field?

Seeing women come together, have fun, and feel free while doing it for a beautiful purpose genuinely makes my heart happy. Especially at a time when so many women in South Africa are living with the reality of violence and feeling unsafe. Having to constantly look over your shoulder is painful and frightening.

Soccer Fab gives us a day where, even if only for a few hours, women can come together, laugh, play, connect, and simply enjoy being themselves. It is also a space where we can honour and remember the women we have lost – women whose lives were taken simply while they were living their lives. I want every woman who steps onto that field, and every woman watching, to know that she is loved, valued, and celebrated.

Why was giving back to women and girls such an important part of the event?

Giving back to women and girls is important to me because I’m a woman, and I understand our monthly needs. I know what it feels like when it’s that time of the month and you don’t have sanitary pads. I know what it feels like to want to bath and feel clean but not have something as basic as soap. These are everyday necessities that can easily be taken for granted when you have access to them. For another woman or young girl, however, receiving those basic items can make a real difference to her dignity and confidence. That is why giving back will always be such an important part of Soccer Fab.

When you picture the 28 women walking onto that field on 26 September – celebrities, businesswomen, philanthropists, and everyday women coming together – what do you hope they take away from Soccer Fab beyond the final score?

More than anything, I hope they leave knowing that what we did that day was bigger than the final score. I want them to remember that somewhere out there is a child who may not have much, and that something as simple as us coming together, having fun and giving what we can may make that child feel seen and cared for.

I also want the women to see that giving back doesn’t always have to feel serious or complicated. We can laugh, compete, build friendships and have the best time while still doing something meaningful.When they go home, I hope they tell their families, colleagues and children about how much fun they had, but also about the greater purpose behind it. And maybe that inspires someone else to find their own way of giving back.