The Beautiful Game & I By Offside Wife
Before the ‘Offside Wife’ handle took over, who were you? Tell us your real name, where you call home, and what the ‘9-to-5’ looked like before you traded the office for the terraces?
Before Offside Wife, I was Carmen Lee — a full-time marketeer that most people around me knew as “the adidas girl.” I’m from Selayang in the Klang Valley, and my early career was built inside adidas Malaysia.
I actually started there as an intern and stayed on for years, moving across brand communications, sports marketing, and eventually retail marketing. My work revolved around bringing the brand to life. Planning campaigns, running events and activations, launching new store concepts, and making sure that marketing didn’t just look good but also translated into real results and sales on the ground.
The “9-to-5” was never really nine to five though. Retail and sport move fast. Late nights, weekend activations, festive season rushes. It was pretty much January to December, constantly building momentum around the brand.
During my time there, I also worked across several key categories like running, football, lifestyle, and women’s training, which meant I was always close to sport culture in different ways.
If I have to sum it up: Before I became Offside Wife, I was already living and breathing sport — just from the brand side of the game.
Every fan has a ‘lightbulb moment’ where football just clicks. When did you fall in love with the game? And be honest—how many drinks were involved when you finally landed on the name ‘Offside Wife’?
Honestly, my story with football is a bit ironic. I was already working in the sports industry for years at adidas, doing football-related work but if I’m being very real, I didn’t actually love football yet.
I respected it, I worked around it, but I was also intimidated by it. It’s a complex game and a very male-dominated space, so even though football was part of my job, I often felt like an outsider looking in.
The moment it really clicked for me was actually very simple. I was at home watching a Manchester United match with my husband Leon. At some point I casually mentioned a few players’ names specifically Casemiro and he looked at me like, “Wait… you actually know them?” He was genuinely impressed, and that small moment made me feel included in a way I hadn’t before.
From there, every match became a mini lesson. Leon would patiently explain the tactics, the players, the little details of the game and because I was already working in sport, things started clicking faster and faster. The more I understood football, the more exciting it became.
And once it clicked, it really clicked. That’s when I properly fell in love with the game.
At the time, I was also really fascinated by Rúben Amorim as a manager. I love leadership, and the way he sees the game and leads a team felt different to me. It made football even more interesting to follow.
As for the name Offside Wife — funny enough, there were actually zero drinks involved. It was a very modern brainstorming session: me, Leon, and a lot of prompting on ChatGPT.
We went through a bunch of ideas, but “Offside Wife” just stuck. At the time we weren’t thinking about building a brand, we just wanted to document football through the lens of a couple and hopefully encourage more women and couples to enjoy the game together.
Now looking back, it’s funny how something that started so casually ended up becoming this whole journey.
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Is there a ‘final whistle’ for this project, or are you just getting started? What’s the dream move? A creative director role at a club, your own label, or something else entirely?
There’s definitely no final whistle yet — if anything, it feels like we’re only just getting started.
At the heart of everything we do is one big goal: to help elevate local football in Malaysia. Leon and I are supporters of Selangor FC, but our mission goes beyond one club. We want to see more people buying tickets, turning up to the stadium, watching matches on TV, and really supporting the Malaysia Super League and Malaysian football culture as a whole.
Right now, we’re known as football content creators, but we actually see Offside Wife as something much bigger. Long term, we’d love to grow it into a creative and production agency focused on football. Producing content, campaigns, and storytelling around the game.
Another big part of the vision is helping Malaysian footballers build their personal brands. There are so many talented players here who are incredible on the pitch but not visible enough off it. We want to help them develop their identity on social media and connect with fans and brands, while they stay focused on training and performing.
And beyond that, we have a lot of creative ideas — collaborations with brands, an Offside Wife podcast or YouTube show, maybe even our own events or tournaments one day.
So, no final whistle yet — this is just the first half.
You’ve been pitch-side, in the studios, and in the thick of the crowds. What’s the on memory that still gives you goosebumps, and on the flip side, what’s the toughest lesson the industry has taught you so far?
Every time I step into a stadium, I get goosebumps. No matter how many matches I’ve been to. There’s something magical about seeing the pitch, watching the players warm up, and feeling the energy building. And the real thrill? When the crowd sings together, chants together, and celebrates every goal as one. That’s the moment that hits differently — it’s raw, it’s alive, and it’s unforgettable. Whether I’m pitch-side or just in the stands, that feeling never gets old.
On the flip side, the toughest lesson the industry has taught me is that football content, like any creative work, is full of pressure and numbers. Social media is always about metrics — views, likes, reach — and brands often judge opportunities based on numbers alone. We’ve had chances to partner with brands that pay very well but didn’t align with our values, like gambling companies. Tempting? Absolutely. But at the end of the day, we’ve chosen to stay true to who we are, to work only with brands that believe in our vision, and to focus on creating content that’s inspiring and meaningful rather than just chasing numbers.
It’s taught me that success in this space isn’t about shortcuts — it’s about consistency, integrity, and patience. The industry can be tough, and it will test you, but if you stick to your beliefs and take things one step at a time, you can build something that lasts. Something real.
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Your husband has been the ‘player-manager’ in the background since day one. How does he handle the chaos of your world, and how much of this journey is actually a team effort between you two?
Honestly, I’ve always been an extreme extrovert — I get excited, I get swept up, and I bring a lot of energy wherever I go. I can be chaotic, too. And Leon has never just tolerated that, he fully accepts it. He doesn’t see me as “too much” or embarrassing; he sees it as part of what drives me, motivates me, and makes Offside Wife what it is.
Leon is more of an introvert — the guy who works behind the scenes, quietly managing the big picture. But he trusts me completely to be the face of the brand, and I trust him to have my back in every way. He’s my emotional anchor, my creative partner, and the person who turns what others might see as “too much” into confidence and faith.
From day one, this has always been a team effort. Even though I’m at the front, every important decision — content strategy, brand partnerships, creative direction — we discuss together. He manages the financials, the big ideas, and the logistics, while I bring the creative execution, video editing, and storytelling.
Our strengths complement each other: his perspective as a guy, my perspective as a girl — together, we make things happen. He’s my manager, my videographer, my collaborator, and sometimes, he’s the person whose vision I help bring to life.
Offside Wife isn’t just my journey — it’s ours, every step of the way.
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Being a woman in a male-dominated space can feel like playing an away game everyday. How do you hold your ground, and what’s your pitch to the girls who are still hesitant to join the madness of football culture?
Being a woman in football can feel like playing an away game every day, but for me, it starts with mindset. I’ve always reminded myself that football isn’t just a guy’s game — it’s a game for anyone who loves it. Confidence comes first, and knowledge comes second. I’ve learned from watching, asking questions, reading, and listening to people in the community from my husband to fans at the stadium so I can hold my ground and genuinely understand the game.
Respect comes from showing up prepared, but it also comes from being yourself. You don’t have to fit into someone else’s rules about how a football fan should act or who you should support. I love teams and players for many reasons — leadership, skill, personality, or even style — and that’s enough. There’s no right or wrong way to love football.
My pitch to girls who feel hesitant? You don’t need to know formations, tactics, or player numbers. Start wherever it excites you, even if that’s because of a player’s skill, their style, or just because you like two clubs at the same time (yes, even if your husband, boyfriend, or friends think you can’t!). Who says you can’t? The important thing is to feel welcome, enjoy yourself, and let your passion grow naturally. Once you find what you love about the game, football culture will welcome you, and soon you’ll be part of the madness too.
The internet can be a rough stadium to play in. How do you protect your peace when the comments section gets loud? And being real—when you’re out there in the mix shooting content, do you ever have those moments where you feel vulnerable or have to watch your back?
The internet can definitely feel like a rough stadium, and yes, the comment section can get loud. But honestly? It doesn’t shake us. Some comments are helpful, and we take them in. The rest? If it doesn’t align with our frequency, we just let it go. No need to explain, no need to dwell — we’re on a different level, and that’s okay. Even the negative stuff isn’t all bad; at least people know we exist, right?
When it comes to shooting content, we’ve never felt vulnerable or like we have to watch our backs. We strongly believe in what we do which is creating meaningful, positive contributions to football culture. And the community has our back, too. Fans in the stadium always call us “Offside Wife,” say hi, share their excitement — those moments remind us why we do this.
Most importantly, Offside Husband always has my back. With that kind of support, we feel empowered, not exposed. It’s not about avoiding noise, it’s about trusting yourself, your team, and your community, and letting that confidence drive you forward.
The energy in the women’s game right now is unmatched—it’s pure, it’s loud, and it’s growing. Do you see yourself pivoting more into that space down the road, or perhaps using your lens to tell the stories of the ballers who are changing the game for girls everywhere?
The energy in women’s football right now is honestly amazing, and it’s definitely a space we want to explore more. In the early days, Leon and I actually went to watch a few women’s matches and we loved the experience. The energy is different from the men’s game but in a really refreshing way. It’s passionate, it’s raw, and it’s inspiring to watch these athletes play with so much heart.
Right now, most of our content still focuses on the men’s game because we’re still learning, building our platform, and trying to bring more people into local football culture. But supporting the women’s game has always been part of the bigger vision behind Offside Wife. After all, the whole idea started with a woman stepping into a space that has traditionally been male-dominated.
In Malaysia especially, women’s football still needs more visibility and support from fans, brands, and media. The talent is definitely there, but the ecosystem is still growing. So, while we may not be heavily focused on it today, it’s absolutely something we want to contribute to over time.
And honestly, if someone feels intimidated by men’s football, women’s matches are a great place to start. The atmosphere is welcoming, the entry is often free, and the football itself is exciting. Sometimes all it takes is one match to realise how good the women’s game really is.
For us, supporting women in football isn’t just a content idea — it’s part of why Offside Wife exists in the first place.