MONROVIA – Liberia Football Association’s (LFA) first Vice President, Sekou Konneh, has encouraged women’s football clubs to take full advantage of the trainings being offered by the LFA through FIFA/CAF. Konneh believes that learning is a continuous process and that clubs will grow gradually after several trainings. He made the statement at the start of two FIFA-sponsored workshops for clubs across all women’s divisions at the Grand Royal Hotel on February 16.
Konneh acknowledged the partners’ support for the level of women’s football in the country, which has improved significantly over the years. He encouraged club owners to be open-minded and ask questions where clarity is needed so that they can impact their clubs positively.
“This is a glorious opportunity for us as a country and for you as club owners who are investing time and resources. If you look at the level of women’s football in our country today, it is far from where it used to be. This is because of our partners’ support. We must admit that.
We encourage you all to be open-minded by asking questions where it is not clear so that we can be able to impact our clubs at the end of the day.
“At the end of the day, you will also understand that the club licensing [regulations] isn’t the LFA’s way of trying to strangulate clubs. It is the way it is standardized around the world. So, on this note and on behalf of the executive committee, I want to declare this workshop officially opened,” Konneh said.
Third Vice President, Jodie Reid-Seton, praised clubs for supporting the LFA’s development agenda and urged them to take the FIFA club licensing and capacity building seriously. She emphasized the importance of building resilience, taking ownership, understanding strategic planning and financial management, and other organizational matters.
The secretary-general, Kollie A. Dorko, highlighted women’s football as a new era with investment opportunities. He emphasized the need for good governance structures, a good managerial structure, and regulatory frameworks. He urged clubs to devote their time and effort to the capacity building trainings to increase the professionalism of women’s football.
FIFA coordinator, Arbenita Morina, pledged to hold one-on-one engagements with the club administrators to build more knowledge and network. The workshops are being facilitated by Professionalization manager Bruno Van Hellemont, expert and member of the technical study group Doreen Nabwire, and coordinator Arbenita Morina of FIFA women’s football development.
They will conclude with a capacity-building seminar for administrators in the lower, upper, community, and regional divisions on February 17.