E139 | Sarai Bareman
Episode summary | Sarai Bareman
Sarai Bareman is one of the most powerful, and influential women in world sport. She has been FIFA’s chief women’s football officer since 2016, when the role was first created.
Her mandate included doubling the sport's global female player base from 30 million to 60 million and she's ultimately responsible for all levels of the game – from grassroots through to elite international competition – across 211 countries.
It is a long way from her humble beginnings as a bank teller who opened a first bank account for her now world-class UFC coach brother Eugene Bareman and their City Kickboxing gym. She left the finance world for Samoa and began a journey with football that has seen her rise all the way to the top encountering sexism, misogyny, and corruption along the way.
This one was special – and after making it to the end – you'll be able to see why Sarai holds the position she does. She’s sharp, articulate, empathetic – and perhaps most importantly, authentic.
Show notes | Sarai Bareman
0:00 Sarai and Che’s mum approve
3:12 Match Day minus one and the lead up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup
6:46 The morning of New Zealand v Norway
12:11 The Football Ferns kick off with a win
18:56 Australia v France: The match of the tournament
23:55 The FIFA Women’s World Cup experience
26:59 Sarai Bareman and Eugene Bareman
33:38 Helping to set up City Kickboxing
36:10 Conversations in the Bareman household
41:59 Leaving the finance world for Samoa
48:13 Interlude: an international football star?
50:13 Starting in football in Samoa
56:18 Learning about the power of football through Special Olympics
1:01:46 Speaking up
1:09:46 The rise to FIFA via crisis
1:18:01 Why Sarai wears a flower in her hair
1:21:03 Becoming the Chief Women’s Football Officer
1:27:02 The first day in the office
1:31:21 Being Kiwi in Switzerland
1:35:43 Building a global women’s football strategy
1:41:23 Interlude: Meeting Maradona
1:42:46 The challenging moments in the role
1:45:36 Interlude: what next?
1:47:29 Family
1:55:27 Last words from Steve, Seamus, and Sarai
