Monrovia – Players of the Chocolate City Old-timers Sports Association (CCOSA) have started intensive training in preparation for the 2023 Liberia National Old-timers Sports Association (LONA) national league. The LONA national league, which is for inactive footballers above 40 years, is scheduled to kick off in April 2023.
By: A. Macaulay Sombai, [email protected]
In an exclusive interview with FrontPage Africa, the team captain of Chocolate City Old-timers, Tommy K. Kolley, said his team has resumed training with the hope of preparing for the 2023 LONA national league. Captain Kolley explained that Chocolate City Old-timers ended the 2022 LONA league in 7th place, which he described as very untimely. He called on his teammates to focus on their training so that they will be able to achieve the necessary results for their team in the upcoming national league. According to Kolley, despite being established for 16 years, Chocolate City Old-timers are yet to win the LONA championship. He said that, in a move to change the narrative, they as players are training twice a week and hope that they will all keep focused on their training process to better prepare themselves for the challenges ahead.
“We have just celebrated our 16th-anniversary, but yet we have not won the LONA championship. However, we will continue to intensify our training with the hope of better preparing ourselves for the 2023 LONA national league challenges, on and off the field of play, for the common growth of CCOSA,” Kolley said.
He continued that CCOSA’s focus as an old-timers team is not only on football but also to continue to help the children of the Chocolate City community with food items and toys for every Christmas and July 26 celebrations.
“We have tried to change our team focus to other aspects of life, which is to continue to visit our community members to help less fortunate people with food items and financial support for their children’s school fees. I can say here that we have continued to get positive responses from the schools we are paying the children’s school fees,” Kolley added.
Captain Kolley paid tribute to his team president Joe Karpeh, members of the team officials, staff, and members of the Chocolate City community for their continued togetherness, which he described as a big boost not only for members of the Chocolate City Old-timers Sports Association but for the entire residents of the Chocolate City community.