Liberia: An Unforgettable Experience for Nation One Academy

Being a part of one of the outstanding football academies in Liberia, Nation One Academy, is rewarding all by itself because you need to have some exceptional qualities to be recruited by the Academy.

Established in 2016, Nation One Academy’s program focuses on the development of student-athletes through education, sports, and character development with the primary objective “to develop high-performance student-athletes, capable of building a successful career as a professional.”  

Over the last six years, the academy, with support from its partners through its “pathway program”, has provided numerous scholarship opportunities for outstanding players to pursue their education and football dreams in the United States; a favor that any talented but less privileged kid in Liberia could ever wish for. 

By this, student-athletes back home are not only performing individually on the pitch and academically but have proven to be team players, as evidenced by their triumphs nationally and internationally. In November of 2021, the Paynesville-based academy emerged as winners of the Orange Liberia U-15  Football Challenge after defeating Ansu Football Academy in the Final, 4-3 on penalties.

The kids couldn’t have been proud enough as they stood tall among their peers in Liberia. Amazing to say the least!  This along was fair enough to celebrate, but not enough for the tournament sponsors, Orange.

As a means of offering young people aged 15 and below, who are passionate about football the opportunity to live their passion, Nation One as winners of the Orange Football Challenge in Liberia, were invited to the international “Orange Sponsors Change” in Casablanca, Morocco.

The "Orange Sponsors Change" is a unique program, that combines a passion for football and commitment to the environment, which was first launched in 2018 in Liberia and Cameroon, then extended in 2019 to Egypt and Tunisia. 

Through a participatory approach, the tournament gives all supporters and young players the opportunity to live their passion for football while having a positive impact on the environment and the planet.

These kids had the opportunity to fly on a plane for the time and also had a new environment experience. Not only that, but they also went on to do the extraordinary by winning the first pan-African edition of the “Orange Sponsors Change” after defeating Mali 5-4 on penalties after a goalless draw-in the grand finale on July 2.  

They progressed to the final after defeating Burkina Faso 2-0 in the semi-final; Ivory Coast 2-0; the Central African Republic 2-0; lost to Senegal 1-0 and dragged Morocco 10-0 in the group stage. 

This will not only go down in the history of Nationa One Academy and Orange but as an unforgettable experience that will be remembered by these kids who could become future stars in the near future.
List of Players: Success S. Mangole, Lawrence C. Morris, Timothy Goffah, Abel Freeman, Otis C. Williams, Frank S. Pah, Wallace Garpeh Brewer, Lee R. Zoegar, and Caleb C. Mahn.