BRAZILIAN JOURNALIST USES VISION TO SUPPORT WOMEN’S SOCCER

As a girl in Brazil, Kika Branco’s love of soccer was considered a rarity among her peers. This passion for sport, combined with her knack for the Portuguese language, led to her pursuit of a career in journalism.

Kika currently works as a reporter for TV Galo and Club Atlético Mineiro, where she also has the opportunity to develop new projects and initiatives for the organization. Through her work, Kika sees the lack of funding for women’s sports and strain of societal prejudices on their experiences, including some athletes who work multiple jobs to support their families, which often forces them to quit playing.

Kika hopes to address these challenges through an initiative she launched called, “Lance de Ouro,” which means “The Golden Bid,” and aims to provide financial support to the club through the sale of equipment and signed memorabilia at auctions. She previously created the initiative called, “Goals for Good,” where Club Atlético Mineiro’s team auctioned similar sports items, once including a goal net from a game with Germany that sold for more than $200,000 USD, which Kika and her colleagues then donated to four institutions in Brazil. With her new initiative, Kika is confident she can keep the dreams alive for aspiring Brazilian athletes while also inspiring others to fight for their own in the future.

For GSMP: Empowering Women through Sports 2019, Kika will be mentored by Julie Eddleman, Global Client Partner for Google, and her team in Cincinnati, Ohio.