The maiden edition of the Sierra Leone Women’s Premier League climaxed on Friday, 31st March 2023 and Mogbwemo Queens FC established in 2004 was crowned champions clinching the trophy with 55 points following a 1-0 win at home against Correctional Service Football Club.
Mogbwemo Queens Football Club registered seventeen wins in twenty-two outings, four draws, and one defeat, scored fifty goals and produced the best defensive record in the league conceding only fourteen, finishing six points above second position Kahunla Queens and eight points above Sierra Leone Police FC that ended in the third position.
Speaking during the crowning ceremony, Mohamed Benson Bawoh Deputy General Secretary of the Sierra Leone Football Association Mohamed Benson Bawoh noted that the day is already in the history books of Sierra Leone and went further to tender appreciation to His Excellency the President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, her wife the First Lady Dr. Fatma Maada Bio, SLFA President Thomas Daddy Brima and his Executive Committee Members, the seven female board members, officials, and players, of the twelve participating teams, referees, match commissioners, coordinators, the fourth estate, and the Gento Group of Companies for sponsoring the league “History will forever remember you” he asserted.
He added by congratulating the management, players, technical team, and supporters of Mogbwemo Queens upon becoming the maiden champions of the league a destination known by many people as where only rutile mining takes place “This part of this country before this time was only known for mining, but today you have changed the narrative that you are also playing football and producing the team to have won the maiden Women’s Premier in Sierra Leone, history will forever remember you” Bawoh accentuated.
During her remarks, Asmaa James Chairperson of the Women’s Premier League Board disclosed that it is an emotional day to have accomplished the landmark task exactly a year ago when they were given the mandate by the Sierra Leone Football Association, she enjoined the SLFA Deputy General to express gratitude to the various parties and eulogizes her board members “Truly, I’m speechless, a year ago we were given this mandate frankly it was not a smooth ride but with dedication and teamwork we are conquerors, we have not only proved that we can even do more better what men can do but most importantly we have broken the barrier and the notion that people had women are not supporting each other, with you around me I’m not even afraid of the task to run the UEFA Champions League” she revealed.
Chairperson Asmaa James who has been a broadcast journalist for over two decades and former President of the Women In the Media Sierra Leone (WIMSAL) extends special gratitude to the media houses ranging from both traditional and the new media for the unflinching support “We were limited when it comes to funding for the media and I’m someone who doesn’t like to take an advantage over my colleagues because we are in the same profession, but I’m truly humbled and forever grateful for your support almost every day, every week I’m hearing and reading reports from various journalists, posts from bloggers that I never knew tagging me, Radio and TV stations hosting us without giving them anything you have celebrated a colleague by supporting me, and to our Head of Media Hawa Dauda I owe you a lot” she gratified.
Chief Executive Officer of Mogbwemo Queens FC Emmanuel Tondoneh stated that emerging as champions of the first-ever Sierra Leone Women’s Premier League is just one of the testaments of the preparations they have been doing over the last four years adding it is a team of national cohesion “This was not a day preparation, we bring players almost from every part of this country including from Kambia District Fatmata K. Turay camped them and by all indications, we have proved to be the champions, our league stats speaks for itself and this is volume one of our journey” he affirmed.
Former skipper of Sierra Queens Rashidatu Kamara created the difference in the match against Correctional Service FC with a brilliant free-kick in the second half marking her tenth league goal after she joined the club in the second leg upon her return from Armenia where she had a spell with Noravank SC and also won the woman of the match expressed joy to have won the league with Mogbwemo Queens stating “I had no hesitations to join Mogbwemo when they make a move for me upon my return from Armenia, and winning the league is a special moment in my career” Kamara averred.
