The three-day FAMEHERGAME boot camp offered 24 of the best women FIFAe players an extensive programme designed to improve their skills and support them in their professional and personal development as a football esports player.
Hosted at the Home of FIFA and the FIFA Museum in Zurich as part of the FIFAe FAMEHERGAME initiative, the event provided participants from around the world with unique experiences and expert sessions around mental and physical health, gameplay coaching and content creation.
Hosts included Findus Krantz from anti-cyberbullying organisation Ditch the Label, FIFAe World Champion Coach Daniel Fehr, former World Champion August Rosenmeier, TV host Rachel Stringer and many more.
The event was wrapped up after two intensive days of competition in a state-of-the-art setting at the FIFA Museum in the heart of Zurich. The winner of the competition, Cecilia_1707 (Maria Cecília) from Brazil, and the runner-up Naladinho, Fabienne Morlok from Germany, claimed the big prize – an all expenses-paid trip to attend the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
In addition, different social activities during and after the boot camp promoted exchanges between the participants, who came from 17 countries including Brazil, Lithuania, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Poland, Canada, England, Finland, France, Germany, India, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, South Africa and the USA.
During the boot camp, former FIFAe World Champion Francisco Cruz and two-times FIFAe World Champion Alfonso Ramos were inducted into the FIFAe Hall of Fame as only the third and fourth members.
The FAMEHERGAME boot camp not only provided valuable resources and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the players, but also fostered community building among the participants, celebrated and promoted the presence of women competing at a high level in FIFAe, as well as addressing some of the main challenges that women in esports and the gaming community face.
FAMEHERGAME aims to increase visibility, build grassroots opportunities and create a safe space for women competing in the FIFAe ecosystem.
English FIFAe player Lisa Manley: “You know what, I think it’s quite hard to get women into eSports, especially with all the hate we get online, but I think maybe orgs, organisations, picking up women because it means that they can go full time and they can put more time into the game.”
On message to young female players: “I think you know what, just try and forget about the hate – I know it’s really hard – but I think, you know, just if you love what you do, just try and drive through that. Do whatever you can possible and just go for it.”
Brazilian FIFAe player and winner of Fame Her Game tournament, Maria Cecilia Rocha Fonseca
Fernandes: “Well, it’s a quite good opportunity, because they can see that it’s possible [for us to have a career in this game], we can enter these environments and enjoy the incredible structure put in place [for us]. So, an event like this one is very important to inspire more girls to get into the game.”
“[It] really does unite [the world]. We had the opportunity to get together with many nations, so we can get together frequently. So, it’s very important to be at a football match or on FIFA, because it allows you to meet more people from other nations.”
