By: Naneka Hoffman
Acting Liberia Football Association (LFA) President Wilmot Smith has encouraged coaches to strive for excellence regardless of their levels of involvement in football development.
Mr. Smith notes that football development starts and ends with coaches, especially those at the grassroots levels.
He gave the urge at the start of a two-coaching seminar organized by the United States of America-based Surge International, in collaboration with the Liberian Football Coaches Association (LIFOCA) at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville on 22 February.
He hails the partnership between Surge and LIFOCA, which was made possible by former Liberian international Doco Wesseh, who was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“Let me also welcome the facilitators who have come from the United States to Liberia and I am sure you have already started to enjoy Liberian hospitality. The LFA is glad that you have come to share your wealth of experience from the United States and other places, including in Africa, with our coaches”, he says.
Mr. Smith expresses optimism that coaches will use the knowledge acquired from the seminar to help drive the development of football, especially at grassroots level.
“And so, on behalf of President Mustapha Raji and Vice President Sekou Konneh, who can’t be here because they are out of Liberia [on footballing duties], I now declare this coaching course officially opened and entreat you to acquire knowledge,” he further urges.
Earlier, LFA technical director Henry Browne thanked the facilitators for coming to Liberia to share knowledge about the game, having left Burundi.
More than 30 coaches attended the seminar free of charge.
