By Foday Jalloh
Team Manager, Saint John Rovers, Amadu Barrie has in an interview with FORUM NEWS SLexpressed his desire to raise the team to a divisional, national Premier League unto international standards.
According to Barrie, the club’s focus is to use football to preach peace, love and unity in their locality and beyond.
He counted it as a great honour to be among football club team managers regardless of his age. Largely driven by the passion of the sport, Barrie disclosed that he was chosen by the community to specifically revamp the foot club that has been in existence for several years.
Amadu Barrie furthered that the club has recently promoted eight members to the technical wing to help groom players at all levels to attain their fullest potential for the benefit of club and players.
Players within the Saint John community and its environs are priority of the club despite we continue to cast your nets wide for youthful talented players, the Team Manager disclosed.
Manager Barrie revealed that monthly salary, travelling allowances internally, regional and internationally to encourage players.
It’s the desire of the management of Saint John Rovers to have players from the club having international contract in Europe’s biggest clubs, so that they can give back to the country by playing for the country’s national team, Leone Stars.
He called on companies and other businesses to borrow a leaf from Aureole Insurance Company and Juma Enterprises in financial and other forms of support.
Football in Sierra Leone is growing gradually in a snail pace, despite the many challenges associated with providing the necessary materials and financial support needed for players to live up to the task.
In Sierra Leone, years back, football and its benefits are less visible in the status of many prominent players that had once rolled the leather for the country and various clubs.
Challenges thrown by Saint John Rovers serve as a wakeup call to many clubs of like nature across the country.
Champions of the just concluded National Premier League, Bo Rangers have suddenly established itself as space setters by owning their own stadium they personally funded for which majority of the household names in club football continue to operate without stadia.
