Monrovia — The fifth edition of Anything is Everything (AIE) Richard T. Mator Cup annual youth football tournament kicked off over the weekend at the Bardnersville Estate Sports ground. Darlington Martor, founder and Executive Director of "Anything is Everything," told FrontPage Africa at the start of the tournament on Saturday, April 15, that 12 teams from four different groups will participate in the tournament, and the first two teams from each of the four groups will advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament.
According to Darlington, the tournament quarterfinals will be played on April 22 and 23, 2023, and the final will be played at the Bardnersville Estate Sports pitch. "Our organization's aim is to help develop youth talents and community engagement in football, and we have also established a vocational training center in Lofa County where children usually go to learn for a better tomorrow, and we look forward to establishing extra-curricular activities such as basketball and volleyball courts in the same town," Darlington Martor said.
He named the 12 teams expected to participate in the tournament as ANSSA, AIE, Christ United, and Liberia Football Academy. The AIE Executive Director is therefore calling on officials of the participating teams to try their best to follow the rules governing the tournament. "I'm making this call because we have called several meetings with officials of the 12 teams, and we made it clear to them the aim of the tournament is to help develop the skills of the youth of our beloved country Liberia, and we should all work hand in hand for the common growth of our athletes' talents," Martor urged.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
AIE is a nonprofit organization founded in 2016 as a charity campaign towards youth development in Liberia. "Our core goal is to provide youth with the necessary tools and opportunities to build a better life for themselves and their families. Remember that those on AIE program, we believe the highest form of investment is the proper nature and empowerment of youth, as Frederick Douglass put it, 'it is easier to build strong children for the future development of Liberia society."' He added.
The winner and runner-up of the tournament would receive cash prizes of 700 and 300 USD, respectively, with medals and trophies, including individual awards such as MVP, best goalkeeper, and best sportsmanship awards, and the awards will include school materials such as book bags, school books, and other related academy materials, in addition to a one-year scholarship at their respective schools for the 2023 academy year.
In the tournament's opening game on Saturday, Christ United beat ANSSA 1-0, AIE settled to a 0-0 draw with On Goal in the second game, ANSSA drew 1-1 with MFA in the third game, On Goal lost 1-0 at the hands of Duport Road in her second game while Christ United dumped MFA 1-0, and AIE wins 1-0 against Duport Road in the day's last battle. Scholars FC defeated LFA 2-0 in Sunday's early kickoff, AIE and Young Star played to a 0-0 draw in the second game, La Masia beat LFA 1-0, and Chrisdee SA went down 2-0 at the hands of AIE.
