Published: September 30, 2025
Ganta — Liberia’s football future received a major upgrade Monday as FIFA inaugurated new facilities, including a FIFA-standard artificial turf at Gompa Stadium and two mini-pitches in Montserrado and Margibi counties.
The $750,000 Gompa project, funded entirely through the FIFA Forward program, includes a state-of-the-art artificial surface, modern drainage and irrigation systems, floodlights, and upgraded stands. The investment will provide Liberia’s men’s, women’s and youth national teams with a professional, all-weather venue while also serving school leagues, grassroots festivals and community football year-round.
Officials say the project will also boost local businesses through more matches and tournaments, create jobs during construction and strengthen Liberia’s chances of hosting regional and international events.
“FIFA Forward is the largest football development program in the world,” FIFA said in a statement. “By the end of 2026, FIFA will have invested a record $5 billion globally to make football truly accessible.”
More than 3,000 children are expected to benefit directly from the two newly opened mini-pitches, part of FIFA’s global “Arena” initiative. The program aims to provide safe, sustainable spaces for children in disadvantaged urban and rural areas to learn, play and grow through football.
At the inauguration ceremony, FIFA Deputy Chief Member Associations Officer and Regional Director for Africa Gelson Fernandes said Liberia holds a “special place in the global football community,” citing 1995 Ballon d’Or winner George Weah.
“These pitches are more than just playing surfaces — they are platforms for dreams to take flight,” Fernandes said. “I’m confident that among the young players here today, some will follow in his remarkable footsteps.”
The ceremony was attended by Minister of Youth and Sports Jeror Cole Bangalu, retired Defense Minister Geraldine Janet George, and Davidson Fayiah Forleh, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of Liberia.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino pledged the Arena initiative in 2024 at the Sustainable Sports Summit in Paris, linking it to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Georgia was the first country to benefit, followed by Algeria and now Liberia. The global goal is to install at least 1,000 mini-pitches worldwide by 2031.
Discussion about this post