For the past two weeks senior officers from the Sierra Leone National Sports Authority have been busy engaging key stakeholders in the fields of sports and football in Locations across the United Kingdom.
These engagements come in the wake of TEAM SIERRA LEONE’S solid showing at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in the English city of Birmingham.
This year’s brilliant performance at the Games, which has been proudly described by Sierra Leone’s Commonwealth Chef de Mission Unisa Deen Kargbo as “the nation’s best so far”, resulted in a Paralympian and all four Sierra Leone Boxers reaching Quarter Finals with contestants in Wrestling and the 200 meters race going as far as the semifinal stage.
Following this commendable achievement by Sierra Leonean representatives at the Games the National Sports Authority of Sierra Leone has held series of very productive meetings with key stakeholders in the UK football and sporting world.
The National Sports Authority- SL (NSA-SL) is the agency established by an act of Parliament to oversee the organisation and development of sports in Sierra Leone and reverse the downward trend that had characterised these crucial areas in years gone by. The NSA-SL’s mandate covers everything in the field of sports, ranging from implementation, monitoring and supervision of all our national sporting activities.
It could be recalled that following the election victory of HE President Julius Maada Bio in 2018, he enthusiastically and energetically embarked on a total revamping of football in particular and of sports in general. This ongoing interventions are in welcome fulfilment of a key manifesto promise to create opportunities for young people in avenues where they could explore their natural potentials and maximise the effects of their given talents, in a drive to ensure a wholistic positive change in society. This is also in seamless tandem with the general thrust of the president’s vision to grow what he rightly describes as “Sierra Leone’s most valuable resource”- its Human Capital!
During the UK meetings the key agenda for the National Sports Authority, as articulated by Kenneth Braima, Executive Director, and Steven Kaifala, Director for Participation and Sustainable Sports, has been marked by a rigorous pursuit of all areas of sporting endeavors that could serve to benefit the nation. To achieve this, Kenneth Braima stated “we are knocking on all doors and scratching every available window that might open possibilities for sports development in Sierra Leone”.
The meetings have all been facilitated by the mission in partial fulfilment of its assigned mandate to connect MDAs, individuals and Organisations in Sierra Leone to key individuals and relevant Organisations within the United Kingdom and accredited countries.
Although some of these meetings have been held in locations such as Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham, yet the vast majority of the engagements have been conducted inside the SLHC chancery in London, in what is a still-unfolding run of a fairly loaded schedule:
Tuesday 09/08/2022, 5pm, the NSA meets with the Carlton Cole foundation to map out plans for the foundation’s practical involvement in the development of Sierra Leone sports.
Wednesday 10/08/2022, 5pm, the NSA meets with the executives of London Inner City World Cup Tournament, a body that is gearing to bring retired world-renowned footballers to participate in a tournament in Sierra Leone and stimulate tourism in the country.
Thursday 11/08/2022, 11:30am, the NSA meets with the Sierra Leone Young Diaspora Footballers Association, a group that has dedicated itself to recruiting under-17 Sierra Leonean stars playing at top premier league clubs in the UK and Europe, in the hope of encouraging them to eventually play for Leone Stars, in that category and ultimately at the adult level. According to members of this association there are currently over 40 identified Sierra Leoneans and people of Sierra Leonean descent playing at the under-17 stage for premier league clubs in the UK and across Europe.
Thursday 11/08/2022, 2pm, the NSA meets with TACKLE AFRICA, a UK-based sporting group that incorporates Health, Education and Sports into a single platform for the holistic development of young people.
Monday 15/08/2022, 12pm the NSA meets with UK SPORTS INTERNATIONAL, an elite body that focuses on the top end of sports while also creating opportunities for the development of other areas of sporting activities.
Monday 15/08/2022, 4.30 pm
The NSA meets with THE SPORTS CONSULTANCY, a strong team of world class UK-based global professionals dedicated to developing all aspects of sports across the globe taking into consideration the specific needs and requirements of the partnering nation. Their specialties range from capacity building to infrastructural development.
The NSA executives travel to Manchester to meet with the Rugby League Regional Manager for Africa and Asia, Remond Safi. The discussion was center around the revival of the Rugby League sport in Sierra Leone.
Mr. Safi requested the NSA to facilitate that process by supporting the setting up of the governance structure to establish Rugby League clubs in various categories in four different communities, and market Rugby to the schools and universities in Sierra Leone, in line with a standard work plan that would map out key objectives to be accomplished.
Following the meeting in Manchester the NSA executive members travel to Leeds city where they visited the leeds Community Rugby club and had extensive discussions with the people on the ground including the club’s CEO. The NSA executives were taken on a tour of the grounds and other facilities at the end of which there was a commitment to link the Leeds Rugby team with the clubs that would be set up in Sierra Leone. An undertaking was also registered to facilitate exchange programs between the two sides with the Leeds Rugby Club pledging to send sports equipment to the Rugby clubs that would be set up in Sierra Leone.
Earlier on today, speaking to Kenneth Braima, Executive Director of the NSA-SL, the passion was palpable. He expressed a lot of enthusiasm and affirmed strong optimism that the engagements they have had so far with various individuals, Organisations and foundations “would yield positive dividends” that would ultimately help ensure resounding success for HE President Julius Maada Bio’s bright vision for the nation.
Echoing the sentiments of the Executive Director, Steven Keifala the Director of Participation and Sustainable Sports was equally upbeat: “We are genuinely excited, and every Sierra Leonean has the right to be delighted by the conduct and direction of these meetings, and I am particularly pleased to affirm that the foundations of Sierra Leone’s Human Capital Development are taking roots and growing stronger”.
Prior to their imminent departure, the NSA-SL team is still busy knocking on doors to create productive connections with more positive engagements that would eventually translate into vast avenues for the many young women and men in Sierra Leone with latent sporting potentials to showcase on the global stage.