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.”.
Masaka’s experiences in the WSL have not quite gone to plan. She made her debut for Brighton as an 87th-minute substitute against Arsenal in November and almost immediately fell, severely injuring her shoulder in the process. She was sidelined for five months, which was hugely frustrating but Masaka used her time out wisely, conceptualising AKM. It was launched last month and well and truly kicked off last weekend with an all-stars charity match, a few days after Masaka received the Female Athlete of the Year award from Tanzania’s National Sports Council.
The prize was in recognition of Masaka’s international record, namely scoring nine times in 16 appearances for Tanzania and being part of the squad that qualified for this summer’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations for only the second time in the country’s history. “It was big pressure,” Masaka says. “I don’t think I have ever experienced that before, but it was amazing for me to qualify for the first time and for the second time as a country. When Tanzania qualified for the first time, I wasn’t even playing football.”
Tanzania are in the same group as the defending champions, South Africa, Ghana and Mali and Masaka is hopeful they will acquit themselves. “I have been a player in two big tournaments: the Champions League and the Women’s Super League but the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations is so special for me because there I represent the country,” she says. “I believe we’re going to perform well and my dream is to get to the quarter-finals.”
Masaka also hopes Tanzania can qualify for Wafcon again, the process for which begins in March next year. She also has domestic ambitions. “At Brighton I also hope we can fight and be top four and then to go to Champions League.”
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