By S. Siapha Mulbah
The Liberia Football Association (LFA), in a partnership with Lonestar Cell mobile company, has officially launched a grassroot sporting program targeted at growing and nurturing youth talents and providing a platform for exposure.
The programed is dubbed the “Momo Community League” and is worth US$80,000 for a period of three years. According to the sponsor, both partners under the project stand to have a possible extension and other benefits, predicated upon the response and achievements of the targeted outcome in the first three-year period.
According to Lonestar Cell Brand and Communication Manager, Abigail Nufeatalai, the mobile company is intending to contribute to the lives of youth athletes and the Liberian community through its social cooperate responsibility, and will work with the football house to ensure that the Momo Community League becomes one of best football programs in Liberia.
According to her, sport, especially football, is a unifying tool to the world’s population, and Liberia has invested too much into it but not achieving what is actually behind football to be reaped.
The Momo Community League, in her words, will be that platform that will attract the dignity that is needed for harvest in football across the country, with focus on the grassroot level.
She added that the new league that is expected to kickoff May 11 of this year, will implement all efforts of the company in empowering the football association so that Liberia can get on the path of history-making, to possibly produce the next greatest footballer to be recognized internationally.
Abigail Nufeatalai named influencers that the company and the football association will work with in making the youngster that will be participating in the competition motivated to tell their stories, show their talents, and move to the world.
Joel Freeman, the Competition Manager, on behalf of the Liberia Football Association, explained that the competition will make an outreach to the communities and will create a playing field for the presence of youth football to be felt across Liberia.
He said, for the first time and edition of the Momo Community League, there will be 16 teams representing 16 communities in Montserrado County.
The competition will run for a period of four months per season and the second edition is expected to kick-off in this same year, 2024.
At the launch, the first teams participating in the program were presented balls and other sporting materials, along with the startup preparation and participation fund, in the tune of L$72,000.
