Bea Mountain Leads Lone Star Fundraising With US$50K Pledge | Sports

Bea Mountain Mining Company has emerged as the biggest contributor so far to a new national fundraising drive for Liberian football, pledging US$50,000 as President Joseph Nyuma Boakai launched an ambitious campaign to raise US$10 million for the Lone Star and the broader development of football across the country.

The pledge was announced during the Rally Liberia Presidential Dinner, organized to mobilize private-sector and national support for Liberia’s campaign toward qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

President Boakai used the occasion to challenge concessionaires, corporations and other private-sector institutions to take greater responsibility for supporting sports, youth development and the communities in which they operate.

He singled out Bea Mountain for commendation, not only for its US$50,000 pledge, but also for honoring an earlier commitment to construct two football academies in Liberia. The President described the facilities as an important investment in developing the country’s next generation of footballers.

Boakai said the Lone Star represents far more than a team competing for results on the football pitch.

“When the Lone Star rises, Liberia rises,” he said, describing the national team as a symbol of Liberia’s flag, identity, pride and the aspirations of millions of Liberians.

The President said Liberia has already demonstrated its ability to produce players capable of competing at the highest levels of world football. The challenge, he said, is creating a system capable of continuously finding, nurturing and developing the talent scattered across the country.

“Talent is everywhere in Liberia,” Boakai said.

He said the proposed US$10 million fund should therefore not be viewed simply as money for the current AFCON qualification campaign, but as an investment in the long-term future of Liberian football.

That investment, he said, must extend to youth and women’s football, coaching, competitions, facilities, grassroots programs and talent identification.

The President said Liberia must build a football development structure reaching all 15 counties, with a clear pathway taking talented young players from their communities through district and county competitions, professional football and ultimately the national team.

He commended the Liberia Football Association for establishing the National Football Academy as part of efforts to identify and develop young players under FIFA’s Talent Development Scheme.

Boakai also pledged more predictable government financing for the Lone Star, saying the national team’s next budget would be no less than US$3 million.

Players representing Liberia, he said, should not have to worry about transportation, preparation or basic logistical requirements ahead of international matches. Their primary responsibility should be to prepare, compete and deliver for the country.

Youth and Sports Minister Cornelia Cooper Kruah said the US$10 million campaign has two objectives: meeting the immediate financial requirements of the Lone Star’s AFCON campaign while establishing a sustainable sponsorship structure for the national team.

She said the money would help finance training camps, transportation, accommodation, equipment, technical preparation, player welfare and other match-related expenses.

Kruah called on concessionaires, banks, telecommunications companies, state-owned enterprises, private businesses and development partners to contribute.

The minister also announced a significant increase in payments to national team players.

With President Boakai’s approval, she said, Lone Star players’ appearance fees have increased from US$1,000 to US$2,500, while winning bonuses have similarly risen from US$1,000 to US$2,500.

The increases, which took effect beginning with Liberia’s match in Rwanda, represent the first such adjustment in more than two decades, according to the minister.

Kruah said Liberia must move away from the longstanding practice of scrambling for money whenever the Lone Star enters an important qualifying campaign. Instead, she called for a predictable, multi-year financing and sponsorship model that gives the national team adequate time and resources to prepare.

She described private-sector participation in football as an investment not merely in sport, but in national pride, youth empowerment, community development and Liberia’s international image.

President Boakai similarly argued that sports should not be treated simply as entertainment. He said organized sports can build discipline, teamwork, leadership, resilience and responsibility while opening career opportunities for young Liberians.

The Rally Liberia Presidential Dinner brought together government officials, football administrators, current and former Lone Star players, coaches, business leaders and supporters as Liberia seeks to turn enthusiasm for the national team into sustained investment in the country’s football future.