Varney Sherman Tournament Nears End
By Julu M. Johnson, Jr.

       The sports department of the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS) has released the final fixture for the Varney Sherman soccer tournament.

      According to the fixture, William V.S. Tubman High School will face the D. Twe Memorial High School in game one on Wednesday, May 19.

     The second match will be between Botswain and the Matilda Newport High Schools.

     All matches are scheduled to be held at the William V. S. Tubman High School pitch on 12th Street, Sinkor.

     The tournament will officially close on Tuesday, May 25 at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) with D. Twe meeting Matilda Newport High School before G.W. Gibson sort things out with the William V. S. Tubman High School.

     Meanwhile, the MCSS Teachers Association will engage the MCSS Central Office Football Team in an exhibition match.


Gardnersville Turns Breeding Ground For Soccer Talents
By Julu M. Johnson, Jr.

    The township of Gardnersville has now become the new breeding ground for rising Liberian stars. A survey conducted by our reporter gathered that majority of the young players that were hired by the bigger clubs, ahead of the current season, are from Gardnersville.

      Although most of these players were with clubs in the fourth and third division leagues of Gardnersville, there was one man who went extra mile in making the players ripe for the bigger stage.

      Youth soccer promoter and coach Jean Wleh Bedell, having previously nurtured the likes of Murphy Nagbe, James Koko Lommel and Francis Wolo for professional football, is at the thick of things of again. He mentioned that his latest discoveries are more than 15 young players.

      Bedell said from the knowledge impacted in the players, majority of them were compelled to join clubs in the second, first and premier divisions of Liberia to show their worth.

      According to him, Mardie Rennie joined LISCR FC from Vikings, Exodus Ciane left Black Stars for Breweries, while Victor Carr moved to Monrovia Club Breweries from Manchester.

      He also named Melvin Kiemett, George Wleh and Adolphus Blamo, all of whom are now with Haja from Royal Stars. Haja also acquired Patrick Doplah from Parma and Marcus Bestman from Super Eagles.

      The other player involved in the mass exodus of players from Gardnersville is James Wrattee, who joined Juventus Olympic from Black Stars. The Black Stars duo of Bobby Nyan and Morris Dukuly has also been linked to Juventus Olympic in division one.

      Haja FC also recruited Augustine Dave and Calvin Siley from Super Eagles as well as Christopher Massaquoi and Wilmot Gbarkay from Royal Stars.

     Mr. Bedell revealed that the efforts that brought these players to light started in September, 2003. At the time, he said the players were placed under the Gardnersville Under-17 team and he made sure they engage larger opponents around Monrovia.

    "I just wanted to sell them to bigger clubs because Gardnersville has a reservoir of talents but they lack push." Bedell said through the series of test matches the players were involved in, they drew the attention of top clubs.

   "I am not really interested in monetary gain, but rather, we are strong advocates of youth soccer," claims Bedell.

    He added, "we want heads of the top clubs to tap these talents. Despite the fact the players have apparently reached the higher level, Bedell insists that the process will be a continuous one. "In fact, we still bring them together on Saturdays because we want to see them in the diaspora."

Disabled Drawn Into Sports

By Julu M. Johnson, Jr.

    From now on, even the disabled will have a fish to fry, as far as sport is concerned.
The decision to get the disabled involved in the game was reached recently with the formation of the Liberia National Wheelchair Athletics Federation in Monrovia.

     When speaking to our reporter, the founding Secretary-General of the federation, Festus Robinson said, "the dream came sometime during the war."

   Robinson indicated, "being an athlete, I thought about what would happen if I were incapable." "It was from there, we thought to form a federation that would cater to athletes in wheelchairs."

     According to Mr. Robinson, the decision is also the result of the need to incorporate the disabled people and bring them in the sporting arena.

   "Since the growth of this country, there has been no sporting program that involves the disabled people," the federation's scribe argued.

    With the federation now being accredited by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Robinson mentioned wheelchair basketball, wheelchair track and field, wheelchair table tennis, and wheelchair volleyball as the events the disabled would be involved in.

    Robinson said due to limited capital, the federation, headed by Jefferson Zoegbeh, intends to involve few sports. However, he said, "we intend to institutionalize the federation to get funds."

    "Our objective is to recruit, train and develop the wheelchair athletes," sated Robinson.

    Meanwhile, Robinson said, "we count on government's support because it the citizenry that would benefit."

    Having already being backed by government, Robinson noted that his federation would now turn to the Liberia National Olympic Committee (LNOC) for recognition.

   Thereafter, as stated by Robinson, the federation hopes to get the blessing of the International Paralympic Committee.