Meet The Team: Debola Adebanjo

In this series, we'll be introducing you to the great people who work at FIFPRO .

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Debola Adebanjo , tell us about yourself, what is your current role, and what’s your background?

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I am a Nigerian living one of her dreams to live and work in Europe, and I am happy to have done that with FIFPRO in the past year, an experience that feels like a seamless transition from my previous role as a journalist telling African athletes’ stories with the BBC.

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What do you do at FIFPRO? What does an average week look like?

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As the Campaign and Internal Communications manager working in the communications team, I co-ordinate the strategic dissemination of the different projects carried out by the wider team at FIFPRO to relevant stakeholders while also ensuring these projects are conveyed to our members through various internal communication channels.

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What are you aiming to achieve with the work you do?

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I hope to contribute to making the important work FIFPRO does more accessible and relatable to all football stakeholders, especially the players who love the game more than anyone else.

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Their understanding of the policies and issues that are relevant to them individually and collectively is probably the strongest catalyst for the changes we want to see in the game.

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Professionally, what are you excited about right now?

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The many changes the women’s game is currently experiencing across working conditions, solidarity, activism, to name a few, and seeing the work FIFPRO and its member unions are contributing to make that happen continues to be an exciting learning and immersive experience for me.

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If you could change one thing about football, what would it be?

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It would be to ensure that the sport is led by individuals who represent a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences. This means having leaders with not only the right qualifications but also a strong sense of empathy. That way, football can be more inclusive, responsive, and ready to face today's challenges.

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What do you do to relax?

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Scrolling through social media and just laughing my head off at memes is my favourite pastime. Lately, I have been spending a lot of time swimming, having only recently learned how to do so.

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How can people follow what you get up to?

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I am on Twitter and TikTok, but I'd rather you follow FIFPRO on TikTok, as I have recently managed our launch there.