By S. Siapha Mulbah
Ever Green Football Club is reporting that the grass-root soccer community in Liberia appears to be abandoned by the Football Association, thereby causing alarming challenges to club administrations.
Bernard S. Williams, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the New Kru Town Subcommittee Third division club said over the past years the third division and community league teams have had numerous disadvantages that the football governing body in the country LFA is paying deaf ears to.
According to Williams, in order to have the national league sustain and put out its best for sport lovers in the country, the football association needs to set a scope for grass-root football and support teams that are building the foundation.
Speaking to this paper, Williams indicated that even the stakeholders of grass-root teams under the association are being disrespect because they have no voting rights that could influence the leadership to look in the direction of the lower divisions and sub-committees.
“Over the past years at our level, we had so much disadvantages and difficulties. As defending champion and a newly promoted third division club of New Kru Town Sub-committee 2021/2022 national league season, we are pleading with the Liberia Football Association (LFA) to try and focus on grassroots football because to get a better senior national team, you must have a good foundation,” he said.
Some other challenges he revealed include the purchasing of players during league seasons and the compulsory buying of playing cards for the same players every season.
“We spent more money with no reward, having spent at the end of the League; no reward for championship, no program to appreciate players, grassroots stakeholders are being disrespected because we do not have voting right, but LFA still depends on us to bring up disciplined and good kids to help make Liberian football better,” Williams lamented.
He intimated that the owners of grassroots clubs are struggling; some of which are even doing better than the first and second division clubs that are reportedly receiving thousands of dollars from LFA.
Williams further said, “All of the players who are currently playing on the junior and senior national team came from grassroots clubs, but LFA still does not want to focus on grassroots football. Under 15, 17 national team players are grassroots players; how these kids got there might have been through the effort of grassroots stakeholders.”
In a release issued on the club’s Facebook page recently, the team said that being the defending Champion of the oldest Sub-committee 2021/2022 league season, they are therefore calling on LFA and its sub Associations to please see reasons in helping grassroots stakeholders.
“We’re pleading with you people to please try and pay attention to our league, and to sponsor the league as well. We’re the future of the national league,” William envisaged.
