Maya Jama's early YouTube series as the 'Football Virgin' on Copa 90 has resurfaced, showing her journey from novice to choosing Bristol Rovers as her team.
A Blast from the Past
Maya Jama, now a household name in the UK, started her rise to stardom 13 years ago as the 'Football Virgin' on the Copa 90 YouTube channel. The 31-year-old presenter, known for hosting Love Island and various TV and radio shows, also reached a new audience through her relationship with Manchester City defender Ruben Dias, which ended in May after 18 months.
Long-time football fans who remember the early 2010s YouTube scene, with personalities like Poet, David Vujanic, and a young KSI, may recall seeing Maya without realizing it.
The 'Football Virgin' Series
As an ambitious 18-year-old, Maya hosted a series on Copa 90 where she played the role of a 'Football Virgin'—a complete novice eager to learn about the beautiful game. The first video, uploaded in May 2013, showed her explaining her journey, from visiting local pubs to experiencing German fan culture at the Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley.
Throughout the series, Maya traveled from Portsmouth to meet John PFC Westwood (Mr Pompey), visited defunct Hereford United (now Hereford FC), broke down on the motorway returning from Villa Park, watched Bradford vs Northampton in the League 2 play-off final, and even went to a waterpark in Brazil before watching Fortaleza on the eve of the World Cup.
Fan Culture and Fun
Maya enjoyed German fan culture and food, showed off her skills in a kickabout, and even tried refereeing. She also played FIFA against Spencer Owen (the founder of Hashtag United) in a crossover that became the most viewed video in the series.
The series culminated with Maya spending a day in a German pub in London, drinking steins, wearing lederhosen, and eating sausages with Bayern and Dortmund fans.
Choosing Bristol Rovers
Despite claiming to know nothing about football at the start, Maya's family were huge fans of Bristol Rovers, with her dad holding a season ticket at the Memorial Stadium. At the end of the series, she chose to support Bristol Rovers, saying: "I went with Bristol Rovers because I am from Bristol. My family support Bristol Rovers, that's their local team."
Maya also responded to fans who recognized her from YouTube, tweeting: "For those that don’t know I used to be a football presenter on @Copa90 when I was like 18 and one of the series I hosted was “football virgin” still on YouTube now. Ended up choosing Bristol Rovers as my home team cause of the fam and later loved West Ham."
