FLASHBACK Last County Meet excitement
By Jerome C. Willie, Jr., boyzwill26@gmail.com
Liberia’s Most Watched Sporting Festival Which Has Lasted Since 1956
Anxiety is in the air, as Liberia’s most watched sporting festival, the National County Sports Meet is expected to kick off on Sunday, 12 January, 2025.
This is an annual sporting festival organized and hosted by the Ministry of Youth and Sports in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The National County Sports Meet is the most watched football tournament across Liberia, with over 1.5 million football fans tuning in to listen to the games on Radio and watch live on television from different locations around this West African nation.
This year’s sporting festival will be hosted at 4 venues across the country that include host Grand Cape Mount, Bong, Sinoe and Grand Gedeh Counties.
In an exclusive interview with this Reporter who’s host Super Sports on a local community radio station in Kakata, Deputy Minister Henry Yonton reconfirmed that all is set to launch the National County Sports Meet on Sunday.
The Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Youth & Sports confirmed that Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount County is the official host of this edition of the most prestigious sporting festival the National County Sports Meet. “It is clear that the Chief Patrons of Sports President Joseph N. Boakai will do the official kick-off in Grand Cape Mount though the other three venues will kick-start on the same date,” Minister Yonton added.
Deputy Minister Henry Yonton
At the same time Minister Yonton that the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Youth & Sports has provided US$10,000.00 out of US$15,000.00 to all of the 15 counties, saying that in addition, each of the house counties received additionally USD 3,000.00 for preparations at the various venues.
When quizzed on the issue of how many disciplines this year’s edition will showcase the DM/A Yonton said that the upcoming tournament will stage only three out of the six disciplines, which include Liberia most traditional sports, kickball as well football and basketball.
Minister Yonton also said in the intevie that the Minster of Youth & Sports Cllr. Jerry Cole Bagulu chaired this edition which include other members like himself, the Director General of the Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS), Eugene Fahngon, among others.
With just two days to start of the preliminary rounds of the tournament of which the tournament will be play under theme,” Inclusive Development Through Sports,” several of the team have already arrived at the various venues as of Friday, 10 January which include Margibi, Nimba, Grand Kru Counties, amng others.
The preliminary rounds of the tournament will be outside Montserrado County which will run from 12-18 January with the SKD Sports Complex in Paynesville hosting all of the knockout stage games to the grand final, which is scheduled for 2 February.
Rivercess and River Gee Counties clinched the Kickball and football versions of the last edition championship. The Liberian National County Sports Meet is Liberia’s top knockout county tournament of the Liberian football inaugurated in 1956.