In Liberia, football has always stirred the soul. Now, it’s about to sharpen the mind. In a visionary meeting on May 1, Liberia Football Association (LFA) President Mustapha I. Raji and Tubman University (TU) President Dr. Olu Q. Menjay agreed to a bold new play: bringing football into the academic arena.
Their game plan? Launch Liberia’s first university-level football-focused programs — blending Coaching Education, Sports Medicine, and other specialized disciplines straight into TU’s curriculum.
Imagine a Liberian coach with UEFA-grade tactical knowledge, or a team medic trained to international sports therapy standards — and all certified right here at home. That’s the goal.
“We’re not just grooming better players — we’re building better professionals,” Raji said after the meeting. “This partnership with TU is about raising the IQ of Liberian football, on and off the field.”
The upcoming programs aim to create an educational pipeline feeding directly into Liberia’s football ecosystem. Graduates won’t just leave TU with degrees; they’ll enter the world of sport equipped to manage teams, rehabilitate athletes, and lift Liberia’s competitive edge.
A joint working group will begin shaping course structures and rollout timelines, with both institutions emphasizing speed and quality. If all goes as planned, Tubman University could soon become the brain trust behind Liberia’s football renaissance.
For Dr. Menjay, the collaboration is a perfect match for TU’s spirit of innovation: “We want our students to dream bigger — to see football not just as a game but as a global industry where they can thrive.”
From chalkboards to scoreboards, Liberia’s next great football story may just start in a lecture hall.
#footballdevelopment #capacitybuilding #sporteducation #sportmedicine
