Published: April 9, 2026
BARCLAYVILLE — Grand Kru County is set to receive its first artificial turf sports pitch, a significant boost to football development in one of Liberia’s most historically rich sporting regions.
Youth and Sports Minister Cornelia Kruah announced the project, which will be carried out through a partnership involving the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Liberia Football Association and local county authorities.
“We want the president to boast in his next annual message that he brought life to football in Grand Kru,” Kruah said. “We will construct a modern sports pitch for the people.”
Kruah said the initiative aims to improve football infrastructure in the county while creating new opportunities for youth engagement and talent development. She added that the project is part of broader preparations for this year’s National County Sports Meet, with Grand Kru selected as one of the host counties.
Grand Kru is widely recognized as the home county of Africa’s only Ballon d’Or winner and former Liberian President George Weah. The county has also produced notable footballers including Anthony Laffor, Christopher Wreh, Joe Nagbe, Francis Doe and George Gebro.
Despite its strong football heritage, the county has long faced challenges related to limited sports infrastructure, and it remains the only southeastern county that has never hosted the preliminary rounds of the annual sporting festival.
The announcement has been welcomed by young people in the county, who view the project as a long-overdue investment in sports development.
Grand Kru, a five-time winner of the tournament’s football category, is among the host counties for the 2026-27 National County Sports Meet, scheduled to begin in December.
With less than eight months before kickoff, however, it remains unclear whether the government and the Liberia Football Association can complete installation of the artificial turf in time for the competition.
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