Who we Are
What we do is what defines us We’re a community of visionaries dedicated to expanding people’s understanding of excellence through football. And we believe that every talent deserves a fair shot at pursuing their visions, whatever they may be. That’s why we’ve created a holistic environment that balances in exclusive football training with world-class education and character development, allowing our student-athletes to develop not just as exclusive footballers, but as leaders and changemakers who will make a positive impact on their communities and beyond.
Where the Vision Begin
This is where it all started – Courage Wesley Sumowar age 23, a survivor of the Liberian civil war who endured significant hardship, initiated the Wesley United Football Academy to empower underprivileged youth in Liberia through education and sports. Despite losing his right hand during the conflict at the age of 1 year six months old at the American Embassy (Graystone) in Liberia where his parents seek refuge, Sumowar’s resilience led him to Ghana and eventually Norway, where he now resides. Motivated by his experiences, he aims to give back to his homeland by establishing a non-residential football academy in June 2021, and the academy is dully registered and affiliated with the Liberia Football Association (LFA) and the academy focuses on holistic development. Currently, the academy boasts over 35 young boys and operates as a third-division team in the Paynesville subcommittee league His first time visit to Liberia after so many years, he saw young kids playing football on the streets of Monrovia. And from that humble beginning, the Wesley United Football Academy was born. Wesley United Football Academy is seeking sponsorship from individuals, philanthropist, investors, or corporate organizations to enable this vision become reality. OUR MANIFESTO “If everything else fell away, this is what would remain. Whatever we achieve, this is the heart of it.”
EXCELLENCE CAN BE FOUND ANYWHERE
None of us are born excellent. It’s earned through disciplined effort and character building. It requires stones, passion, lifelong learning, and commitment. It may also require sacrifice, failure, and heartbreaking disappointment now and then. Each of these things is possible in any human being. So, with a dose of talent and the right amount of love and investment, we believe that excellence can come from anyone and anywhere. What kind of excellence a person develops is an individual journey, it may be found in the classroom, on the pitch, or beyond. But nothing about excellence says it is unavailable to people who came from humble beginnings. And so, we cast our net wide for talented kids and build the methods to help every Wesley United person express their excellence.
THRIVING IN ALL AREAS
It isn’t enough to have a system where one group consistently thrives but others are left on the sidelines, excluded or ignored. No system is truly thriving if it is unbalanced. In our Wesley United system, we value each contributor equally. Our girls’ teams won’t be treated as add-ons to a male-centric program, they will lead equally. Our European players won’t automatically mentor our African academy graduates, it may be the other way around. Equity is a mindset and it keeps us resilient. For our ‘ecosystem of opportunities’ to thrive, it also has to be sustainable. It means our decisions are built on what’s right for the whole group, not just for one part of it. It means we will invest in trusting relationships and long-term successes, not quick transactions and short-term wins. And it means that we will stay mindful of our impact on the community and the environment in our operations.
EXPAND THE DREAM
Football is central to Wesley United, but football excellence isn’t the end of our vision. We know that those people who can make it as professional footballers are rare. It is tough, competitive, and also involves luck. So is a world-class education at a top university. When we scout a talented young person for our academies, we know that the challenge ahead is not easy. But we don’t squash the vision, we expand it. We invest for at least five years in the broad development of every child who comes to a Wesley United Football Academy. This means we aspire to help them to grow as global citizens, as academically capable students, and as footballers. Even though our football success rates are very high, we see Wesley United as a School of Life where we encourage each young person to become the best version of themselves. We are as thrilled when someone wins a Robotics championship or gets a scholarship to a great school, as we are when they score a goal or get a contract with Chelsea FC. We are as proud of students and footballers using their voices on issues they care about as we are of their performance on the pitch. It takes time to grow into potential, to be a leader, and so we stick with them and offer long-term commitments that genuinely create the opportunity for transformation. It is all about serving the vision.
FOOTBALL IS A STORY OF HUMANKIND
We believe in humankind. We see examples every day of the extraordinary capabilities, character, and courage of human beings, both superstars and unsung heroes, and football helps us see those examples. At its best, the game makes us proud of each other, creates joy, solidarity, wellbeing, and connection. It reminds us of what will always be common between us: our human spirit. For us, to be ‘elite’ or the best is about finding the deepest excellence you have in your bones as a human being and expressing it. When we share inspirational and aspirational stories of teamwork and the human spirit, of the exceptional journeys to leadership, success, and giving back that vision people can experience through football, we are also sharing stories of who we all are at our best.
RESPECTING FOOTBALL'S SOUL
Fans – Whether they are pulling on their shorts as a 5-year-old kid on a dust pitch in Liberia, on the pitch as a professional player, in the stands just like their grandparents were before them, on the sidelines in driving rain cheering on their daughter in her debut game, in the dugout for a nail-biting final, in front of the TV or in the community, football is made of fans. They understand the passion. They bring togetherness, dedication, and joy. They know the struggle. They are the heart of this game. Some say football is just entertainment. Just another business. But we know that football has a soul. It creates opportunity and it brings love. It can’t be sold, traded, over glamourized, over-specialized or over-complicated if it takes away the soul of the game. This is part of the game’s excellence. We never forget that it is a game about people, for people.
FAQ
I am above the age of 16 and want to become a professional footballer; can I still join the academy?
First, you need to fill in an online application form on this website and make sure you add all the necessary data and YES you can still join WUFA even though you are already above the age of 16 as long as you have not celebrated your 20th birthday yet. we also believe there are some late bloomers who didn’t start early but willing to work hard to make their dream a reality.
Where is the academy located?
The academy is a non-residential academy for now, and has a plan of constructing a facility along the Robert field highway on a one acre of land. Currently our office is located at SKD Boulevard community, Paynesville City. This is where we train and operate at the moment as we work on our own permanent facility which will be ready soon.
What is the training time for the academy?
Our team train on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 3pm. We participate in the Liberian Football Association 3rd Division league and the community league in the Paynesville Sub-Committee every year as well as the Developmental League along with other tournaments.
How can I register?
To be a part of the team, you can download and fill the application form on this website and registration is free of charge. You will then come with your form or send it to info@wesleyunitedfa.com or wufa2021.lr@gmail.com before resuming training with the academy. You can also contact Midas football academy on any of the contact lines provided on the website.
People say that I am too small for football?
For any football player to be successful in the game, you do not have to be the biggest, strongest, or fastest to be successful. At youth level many players have not fully developed and still have time to grow in height. On the other hand, mentally, a positive attitude goes a long way in helping not only your game, but your teammates as well. For any young footballers there are other aspects which have to be monitored in order to succeed so size does not really matter.
How do I become the best of my age group?
Playing football at any professional level requires hard work, if signing a professional contract is the young players aim, then the hard work will be worthwhile. Hard work includes working on different parts of your game, such as fitness, technique, tactical awareness and other aspects of the game which aren’t your strongest in order to become a better player and stand out.
How do I reach the top?
As professional football can be a relatively short career players need to be at their best abilities at all times in order for them to be recognized and not replaced by other players at youth level. This requires focus and not being distracted by the surrounding environment. To stay at the top of your game you need to work hard on a daily basis and improve on all aspects of your game. This requires learning new things and new ways of training in order to improve yourself physically and mentally.
I based outside Monrovia, is it possible for me to join the academy?
Yes. We assist players outside of Monrovia in need of a place to stay at their own expenses. Kindly reach out to our secretary on 231 777 268 321 regarding accommodation. This is because we are working on the academy permanent home.
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