Soccer + Life Skills for Hundreds of Youth

The first group of players and coaches arrived in the parking lot at the Blue Pearl Hotel at Mile 4 - Nkwen on the morning of Thursday, August 6th. The coach and team, which consisted of five  players selected to represent their club, Brescia F.C. and the whole city of Kumba, made the journey via public transportation without any troubles, aside from a bumpy ride and police control points which forced occupants off the bus for identification checks. “Bamenda by Night”, as the locals call it, is an overnight bus ride taking more than 10 hours to travel 400 kilometers on both paved and unpaved roads through the Cameroonian jungle of the Southwest and into the grasslands of the Northwest Region. The weary travelers had only enough energy for a breakfast of tea and bread before they retired to their hotel rooms for some rest. They had finally arrived in Bamenda, the host city of the 2015 Super Cup to Develop Young Leaders.

The morning of Friday, August 7th began bright and early with the crow of the rooster and the rising sun. After a light breakfast, everyone headed to the field. Co-founders Peter Ngwane [Cameroon] and Justin Forzano [Pittsburgh] were on site to give a great welcome and words of encouragement to all of the participants, who were reminded that this event was a great achievement and represented the next level of sport for development in Cameroon.

With the group stage came a downpour of rain. Despite the muddy playing grounds, four teams emerged to enter the semi finals and finally the two clubs involved with CameroonFDP the longest, Brescia F.C. (Kumba) and Shalom Future Stars Academy, emerged victorious to meet in the finals.

Both teams stood in line in front of the honorable delegation from the Northwest Region who gathered under the canopy to watch the final match. This was their opportunity to showcase what they had learned from their coaches earlier about the theme of the Super Cup. Spectators listened as players read ‘motivational statements’ about the importance of being a good role model; how community service can improve a neighborhood; and how as footballers specially selected to participate in this event, they are leaders. Many in the audience listened and reflected on the meaning of the Super Cup. It was clear to all that this was about more than the game.

Want to find out who won the cup and what happens next? Check out the full story on our website. 

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• Full Story

The last time we you received an update on our activities in Cameroon, we gave a preview of the season with a summary of the opening day ceremony which saw the first-ever full season of a youth soccer league in Kumba kick off. I'm excited to reconnect now and let you know that this season to date has been a great success and our local management team is busy planning for the final match coming up this weekend to see who will emerge victorious and go down in history as the first-ever Kumba Youth League winner. 

Brescia F.C. takes to the field against Arsenal F.C., a rivalry that will go down in the books for several reasons, one of which is too obvious: their most outstanding leadership. Both of the coaches, Modest (Brescia) and Besem (Arsenal) have grown so much over the last few years as coach- mentors in our programs. They are some of the most respectable and knowledgeable coaches in Kumba due to their open-mindedness and their interest in personal and professional development. This was not the case when we met them a few years ago: both were stubborn, lacked communication skills, and were sometimes outright hostile. They easily got frustrated when things did not go as planned and often shouted negative thing at their players - which is often the case in Cameroon. 

Now, Besem and Modest are mild-mannered, respectful, and view their coaching responsibilities in a different light. They see their players as more than just forwards or defenders, but as children, students, and young citizens. Their approach to coaching has changed. And because of this, the experience for all of their players has also changed. 

It should come as no surprise that these two teams have qualified for the final match. Quality performance and effective leadership off the field - in training and in every day life - can lead to quality performance on the field. And that is what CFDP is all about: using the game of soccer to improve the lives of hundreds of youth (and their coaches) in Cameroon. 

Thanks for supporting our project. We hope you will continue to be inspired by the work we do and continue to stay involved.  

Cheers!

-Justin