The government, through the Presidential Delivery Unit recently broke ground for the revitalization of the Didwho Welleh Twe (D. Twe) School sports pitch in the Borough of New Kru Town, on Bushrod Island, Monrovia.
The D. Twe High School and stadium are named after a Liberian politician, Didwho Welleh Twe, who became a representative in the Legislature and a Presidential candidate in the 1951 general elections.
The modernization of the sports pitch according to the Minister of State without Portfolio and also Head of the President Delivery Unit (PDU), Trokon Kpui, is part of the president’s “Sports for Development” project which is aimed at improving sports from bottom to top.
“President Weah has the desire to develop sports in Liberia from the grassroots levels that’s why he has instructed us to develop sport facilities around the country,” the minister noted.
The head of the PDU puts the total cost of the project at US$450,000, revealing that such cost will cover both the soccer pitch and the basketball court.
He also stressed that President Weah can’t preside over a country where sports and youth development isn’t prioritized, citing that the bottom to top approach is being employed by the Liberian leader as a means of rejuvenating the young population for the growth and development of sports in totality.
He also disclosed that the upgrading of the D.Twe sports pitch will ensure that the facility reaches international standards, to be used by both the school and the community.
However, Kpui revealed to the public that the D. Twe facility will only consist of a soccer pitch unlike the other facilities around the city that include basketball courts and children playgrounds amongst others.
He noted that the reason for such action is because of the environment in which the pitch is situated, which is in proximity with the D. Twe Memorial High school.
“The President has advised us not to build a park there on ground as it may distract learning activities at the school when school is in session,” Kpui noted as he gives justification for not giving a full package as it was done at the Invincible Sports Park and other sports parks around the country.
However, he assured the citizenry that a basketball court would be constructed in the same Borough of New Kru Town to provide equal opportunities for young athletes who are interested in other sports.
Kpui emphasized that the soccer pitch at D.Twe will include improved sitting capacity, locker-room, offices, and electricity, amongst many other components.
He called on residents of the community to be patient and await the implementation of the project which, according to him, will be realized in three months.
Also, the President’s lieutenants urged community dwellers to take ownership of the project on ground that the facility is for the uplifting of sports in the country.
For his part, District 16 Lawmaker, Dixon Seboe expressed excitement over the groundbreaking of the project, citing that they have long expected the President’s developmental caravan to reach their doorstep.
He added that the groundbreaking signifies that the project will be a realization because the CDC government doesn’t promise what it can’t fulfill.
The politician also stated that he was hopeful that the President’s project of sports development would have reached the Borough of New Kru Town because one can’t discuss soccer in Liberia without mentioning the Borough of New Kru Town.
He maintained that soccer has always been tied to New Kru Town, adding that there have not been soccer stars that did not play at the D. Twe Sports pitch, naming the likes of George M. Weah, James S. Debbah and George Gebro amongst many other Liberian stars.
The lawmaker underscored the impact the President’s sports project would have on the Liberia population, especially young people who have fallen prey to drug addiction.
He pointed out that the facilities will provide an alternative for people who have been rehabilitated and want to stay away from drug addiction.
“When you build stadiums in communities like New Kru Town, Logan Town, West point, you give people an option from drugs. You give them somewhere to stay as a means of avoiding drugs,” Representative Seboe said.
In furtherance, the Liberian lawmaker assured his constituents that the souls of people who lost their lives during the human stampede during a worship service a year ago will be memorialized.
He maintained that the memory of these people will be protected regardless of the transformation of the stadium as he called on residents to rally their efforts with the contractors to ensure the project becomes a reality.
The Sports for Development project which has been implemented by the President Delivery Unit around Monrovia has been extolled by many Liberians both in and out of Liberia.
The project which has witnessed the construction of sport parks around Monrovia has been tipped by scores of Liberians to be the turning point in the development of sports in the country.
