By Elijah M. Boimah
GRAND CAPE MOUNT – As Liberians brace themselves for yet another entertaining round of the country’s 15-county most exciting traditional annual sporting events, the National County Sports Meet (NCSM), Grand Cape Mounty County’s Superintendent, Foley Kiatamba, has appointed a nine-man Sports Steering Committee headed by Mohammed Kughan Daramie, to ensure victory for the western Liberian county for the 2024-25 version of the NCSM.
Following their appointment, Daramie and team immediately appointed other sub-committees including Sales and Marketing, Logistics, Technical, for both Kickball and Football, among others, so as to fast-track the work of the Sports Steering Committee.
Between late September and October, the various committees have been engaging stakeholders of the county, as well as recruiting players to represent Grand Cape Mount County at this year’s sporting fiesta in the NCSM.
Former Liberia national team shot-stopper Nathaniel Sherman heads the Football Technical Team of the county, while C. Tonia Fahnbulleh heads the Kickball Technical arm.
As part of an open justification process, the Nathaniel Sherman-headed technical team selected three venues for all interested footballers to justify their inclusion in the Cape Mounty County team.
Initially, it was the Lofa Bridge Sports Pitch, in Gola Konneh District, then the Madina Sports Pitch, and lastly, the Bea Mountain Football Club’s pitch at Kinjor Town, also in Gola Konneh District, where the Cape Mount side was engaged in series of training programs meant to test the players, after which the technical staff made its selection for those who will represent the county in the 2024-25 NSCM.
At the start of the exercises, 102 footballers expressed interest to represent Cape Mount but 20, drawn from several local clubs, justified their inclusion on the technical staff final list, which is also made up of a set of guest players to shortly be selected by the technical team.
Meanwhile, Technical Directors Nathaniel Sherman’s and C. Tonia Fahnbulleh’s sides will this weekend be tested, when they play host to the kickball and football teams of Garwula District, in both kick-ball and football test matches at the Madina Sports Pitch.
This weekend’s encounters are intended to internally test the abilities of the county teams ahead of the period for official friendlies against other county teams, according to our reporter in Grand Cape Mount County.
For the 2024-25 NCSM, Grand Cape Mount County is drawn in zone with defending football champions, River Gee County, and County Meet giants, Nimba County.
The last time Grand Cape Mount County lifted a trophy in the NCSM was in 2012, when she won the football category. Since then, it’s been over a decade and the county continues to struggle to produce the needed results to clinch another trophy, as Cape Mountaineers’ are eager this year, with their hope high that their teams will soar high in the 2024-25 NCSM.
Edited by Olando Testimony Zeongar