Futbolita
| Ash Hashim | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 16 November 1988 |
| Occupation | Journalist, TV Presenter, FIFA Players' Agent |
| Website | Official website |
Ash Hashim (born 16 November 1988) better known as Fútbolita™ is a Singaporean sports journalist, FIFA Players' Agent, personality and international blogger known as the 'Female Voice of Football'. Her website and brand, Futbolita (Futbolita.com) is known for featuring exclusive interviews with world-renowned sports personalities in the European football world, including David Villa, Xavi, Fernando Torres, Cristiano Ronaldo, Romário, and José Mourinho.[1]
Based in Asia, Ash is also known for her extensive coverage of the Brazilian national team and football cultures of Spain, Italy, Europe, and Latin America. As a sports presenter and pundit in Singapore and Malaysia, she explores and examines football culture and information in a uniquely feminine voice. She also pens the 'Futbolita' column for Yahoo! and speaks about the beautiful game across various platforms.
In August 2013, she hosted FC Barcelona's press conference in Malaysia and interviewed Lionel Messi and Fabregas.
In November 2013, Ash received her official Players' Agent License from FIFA and FAS, enabling her to represent and work with international players. She was also the first female agent within the region to do so.[2]
Fútbolita has been listed in The Guardian's Top 100 Football Blogs To Follow in 2011 and Yahoo! Southeast Asia. Futbolita has also received mentions in The Telegraph UK, BBC Radio and The New Paper.
Career
Ash's journalism career started at The New Paper [3] in 2006, where she reported on local sports for a few years while completing her media diploma. In 2010, she joined Yahoo! as a freelance correspondent [4] while completing her degree at Monash University.
Ash founded Fútbolita in November 2008 to accommodate growing requests from international friends to read her interviews with sports personalities. She also founded Kakafans.net [5] in 2005, although the site is now being run by fans.
Fútbolita is also known for its more serious approach to football from a female perspective, where tactics, player development and background information are reviewed. The site also reveals the 'lighter' and fun side of the game, which is of interest to the site's male and female following through its weekly 'Los Chicas Chismes' (Offbeat Gossip) column. The Seleção Bootcamp, which follows the Brazilian national team, Futbolita Interview and Sunday Señor are three of the site's most popular features. Recurring series such as La Liga Lunes, Premiership Party, Serie A Sister and The Friday Crackovia Club are also widely read on the site.
In June 2010, she started up the Fútbolita World Cup to coincide with the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Twelve girls from various nations contributed to the site in a month which saw close to 400,000 unique visitors.
In January 2011, Ash announced a partnership [6] between the Spanish Tourism Board and Futbolita, to further promote the culture of the country to her international readers. She did an extensive football trip involving clubs in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and a cultural tour in Salamanca and Cuenca.[7]
In July 2011, Fútbolita launched its own web channel Futbolita.TV, with exclusive videos and interviews featuring English Premier League teams Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea.[8]
In December 2011, Fútbolita launched a new series called "The Fútbolita Insider" [9] which will take fans deep into the culture of England and its football.
As of 2012, Fútbolita regularly appears as a football pundit and columnist on various media in Southeast Asia, including Yahoo! and Starhub's Football Channel.
Interviews
Ash's interviews with world football personalities are a hit with readers in Asia, the United States, South America, and Europe. She is also known to be passionate and enthusiastic about the sport, and often shares her funny experiences [10] when she gets up close and personal with various football personalities.
Some of the players she has interviewed include Sergio Agüero, Xavi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luís Fabiano, Carlos Marchena, Víctor Valdés, André Santos, Ricardo Carvalho, Felipe Melo, David de Gea, David Silva, Ricardo Costa, Daniel Alves, Nani, Lucas Leiva, Nilmar, Alexandre Pato, Carlos Vela, Dirk Kuyt, and more.[11]
Background
Ash speaks English, Spanish and conversational Portuguese. She is of Welsh, Malaysian, Pakistani and Arab descent[12] and often mentions her grandfather and father as the key influences in her life.[13]
She supports the Brazilian national team.
Besides writing, she has also a keen interest in fashion, beauty, films, world music and coffee.
References
- ↑ http://futbolita.com/interviews/
- ↑ http://www.goal.com/en-sg/news/3883/features/2013/10/27/4354242/the-sidelines-singapores-first-female-players-agent
- ↑ http://www.asiaone.com/News/The%2BNew%2BPaper/Story/A1Story20100609-221092.html
- ↑ http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/author/ashikinh
- ↑ http://www.kakafans.net/?page_id=1898
- ↑ http://futbolita.com/2011/01/02/announcement-futbolita-national-tourism-office-of-spain/
- ↑ http://spain.futbolita.com
- ↑ http://futbolita.tv
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkZ-Edk0-ko
- ↑ http://futbolita.com/trivia/
- ↑ http://futbolita.com/interviews/
- ↑ http://www.goal.com/en-sg/news/3883/features/2013/10/27/4354242/the-sidelines-singapores-first-female-players-agent
- ↑ http://www.forzafutbol.com/2010/10/forza-futbol-116-focus-on-futbolitacom.html