Futbolita
Encyclopedia
Ash Hashim better known as Fútbolita™ is a sports journalist and international blog
ger known as the 'Female Voice of Football
'. Her blog, Futbolita.com is known for featuring exclusive interviews with world-renowned sports personalities in the European football world, including David Villa
, Xavi
, Fernando Torres
, Romario
and Jose Mourinho
. She is also known for her extensive coverage of the Brazilian national team
and football cultures of Spain
, Italy
and Latin America
. Her blog has been listed in The Guardian's Top 100 Football Blogs To Follow in 2011 and Yahoo! Southeast Asia
. In the past, she has also received mentions in The Telegraph UK and The New Paper
.
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 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 in 2005, although the site is now being run by other fans.
Fútbolita is also known for its more serious approach to football from a female perspective, where tactics, player development and background information is reviewed. She also reveals the 'lighter' side of the game, which is of interest to the site's male and female following. The Seleção Bootcamp, which follows the Brazilian national team, Futbolita Interview and Sunday Señor are three of the site's most popular features.
In June 2010, she started up the Fútbolita World Cup to coincide with the World Cup 2010 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 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.
In July 2011, Futbolita launched its own web channel Futbolita.TV, with exclusive videos and interviews featuring English Premier League teams Arsenal
, Liverpool and Chelsea.
Some of the players she has interviewed include Luis Fabiano
, Carlos Marchena
, Victor Valdes
, Ricardo Carvalho
, Felipe Melo, David de Gea
, David Silva
, Ricardo Costa
, Dani Alves, Nani
, Lucas Leiva
, Nilmar, Alexandre Pato
, Carlos Vela
, Dirk Kuyt
and more.
She supports the Brazilian national team
.
Besides writing, she has also a keen interest in fashion, beauty, films, world music and coffee.
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger known as the 'Female Voice of Football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
'. Her blog, Futbolita.com is known for featuring exclusive interviews with world-renowned sports personalities in the European football world, including David Villa
David Villa
David Villa Sánchez , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who currently plays as a striker for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national football team. He can also operate as a winger....
, Xavi
Xavi
Xavier Hernández i Creus , commonly known as Xavi Hernández or simply Xavi , is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona, where he has spent his entire 14-year career....
, Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres
Fernando José Torres Sanz , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Spain national team as a striker....
, Romario
Romário
Romário de Souza Faria , better known simply as Romário , is a former footballer who played striker,manager and current politician where is currently running for a mayor like position in his hometown...
and Jose Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
. She is also known for her extensive coverage of the Brazilian national team
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
and football cultures of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. Her blog has been listed in The Guardian's Top 100 Football Blogs To Follow in 2011 and Yahoo! Southeast Asia
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
. In the past, she has also received mentions in The Telegraph UK and The New Paper
The New Paper
The New Paper is Singapore's second-highest circulating paid English-language newspaper, first launched on July 26, 1988, by Singapore Press Holdings . According to SPH, its average daily circulation for August 2010 was 101600....
.
Career
Ash's journalism career started at The New PaperThe New Paper
The New Paper is Singapore's second-highest circulating paid English-language newspaper, first launched on July 26, 1988, by Singapore Press Holdings . According to SPH, its average daily circulation for August 2010 was 101600....
in 2006, where she reported on local sports for a few years while completing her media diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
. In 2010, she joined Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
as a freelance correspondent while completing her degree at Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
.
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 in 2005, although the site is now being run by other fans.
Fútbolita is also known for its more serious approach to football from a female perspective, where tactics, player development and background information is reviewed. She also reveals the 'lighter' side of the game, which is of interest to the site's male and female following. The Seleção Bootcamp, which follows the Brazilian national team, Futbolita Interview and Sunday Señor are three of the site's most popular features.
In June 2010, she started up the Fútbolita World Cup to coincide with the World Cup 2010 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 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
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Valencia and a cultural tour in Salamanca
Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
and Cuenca.
Cuenca, Spain
-History:When the Iberian peninsula was part of the Roman Empire there were several important settlements in the province, such as Segóbriga, Ercávica and Gran Valeria...
In July 2011, Futbolita launched its own web channel Futbolita.TV, with exclusive videos and interviews featuring English Premier League teams Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, Liverpool and Chelsea.
Interviews
Ash's interviews with world football personalities are a hit with readers in Asia, the USA, South America and Europe. She is also known to be passionate and enthusiastic about the sport, and often shares her funny experiences when she gets up close and personal with various football personalities.Some of the players she has interviewed include Luis Fabiano
Luís Fabiano
Luís Fabiano Clemente , commonly known as Luís Fabiano, is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays for São Paulo and the Brazilian national football team as a striker.-Early career:...
, Carlos Marchena
Carlos Marchena
Carlos Marchena López is a Spanish footballer who plays for Villarreal CF and the Spanish national team.Mainly a central defender with an aggressive approach, he can also pitch in as a defensive midfielder...
, Victor Valdes
Víctor Valdés
Víctor Valdés i Arribas is a Spanish football goalkeeper who currently plays for FC Barcelona in the Spanish La Liga.He is the most successful goalkeeper in Barcelona's history and is widely considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world, having won a total of 17 titles including five...
, Ricardo Carvalho
Ricardo Carvalho
Ricardo Alberto Silveira de Carvalho OIH , is a footballer who plays as a centre back for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid.Carvalho was born in Amarante where he played for the local team, Amarante Futebol Clube. By his great performance as a youngster, he was spotted by the Portuguese powerhouse,...
, Felipe Melo, David de Gea
David de Gea
David de Gea Quintana is a Spanish footballer who plays for Manchester United as a goalkeeper. Born in Madrid, he started his career aged 10 with Atlético Madrid and rose through the academy system at the club before making his senior debut in 2009...
, David Silva
David Silva
David Josué Jiménez Silva is a Spanish footballer who plays for Manchester City and the Spanish national team. Silva is capable of playing on the wing, as a traditional number 10 and sometimes as a supporting striker...
, Ricardo Costa
Ricardo Costa
Ricardo Costa may refer to:*Ricardo Costa , Portuguese*Ricardo Costa , Portuguese*Ricardo Costa *Ricardo Valter da Costa, Brazilian footballer*Ricardo Mion Varella Costa, Brazilian footballer...
, Dani Alves, Nani
Nani
-People:*Nani, a Portuguese footballer who plays for Manchester United*Gianluca Nani, former technical director at West Ham United*Nanabhoy Palkhivala, nicknamed Nani, an Indian jurist and economist*Nani Roma, a Spanish rally racing driver...
, Lucas Leiva
Lucas Leiva
Lucas Pezzini-Leiva , often known as simply Lucas, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a Defensive midfielder for Premier League club Liverpool and the Brazilian national side...
, Nilmar, Alexandre Pato
Alexandre Pato
Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva , commonly known as Alexandre Pato or simply Pato, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Italian Serie A club Milan and the Brazilian national team. His nickname, Pato, refers to his place of birth, Pato Branco...
, Carlos Vela
Carlos Vela
Carlos Alberto Vela Garrido is a Mexican association football player, currently playing as a striker for La Liga club Real Sociedad on loan from Arsenal. He also plays for the Mexico national football team. He started his career at Mexican club C.D...
, Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt is a Dutch footballer who plays for English club Liverpool. He started his career as a striker, but he has been converted into a winger and plays the position for both Liverpool and the Netherlands national team....
and more.
Background
Ash speaks English, Spanish and conversational Portuguese. She is of Welsh, Pakistani and Arab descent and often mentions her grandfather and father as the key influences in her life.She supports the Brazilian national team
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
.
Besides writing, she has also a keen interest in fashion, beauty, films, world music and coffee.