By Edward Kabba Sesay and Abdul Hassan Fackie, Freetown, Sierra Leone, January 26, 2024.

Miss Mariatu Haja Conteh, Skipper for Mena Queens FC has told the Executive Chairman of the Bo Rangers Football Club  and Chief Executive Officer of the Southern Arena, Mr. Babadi Kamara that by the look of things, it is  now clear that he, Babadi, did not choose football but rather football chose him.

Skipper Conteh made this statement while she was expressing gratitude to Mr. Babadi Kamara for what she described as a timely support to both Mena Queens FC and Albitaya Queens FC on  Friday 19th January 2024 in the presence of a cross section of the North East Region Football Association ( NERFA) at the  Azzolini Highway in Makeni.

The Skipper appreciated the timeliness of the  donation of NLe 25,000 and ten footballs each to both female teams by Mr. Babadi Kamara especially so when the 2023/2024 Sierra Leone Women's Premier League season is on.

Handing over the items to the teams, Honourable Mohamed Papa Bangura re- echoed Mr. Babadi Kamara's  passion and commitment towards the development of football in the Sierra Leone.

The lawmaker noted that this was not the first time that Mr. Babadi Kamara is supporting teams from this regions.

He recalled Mr. Kamara's huge donation in 2021 following the death of Makarie FC players in a road accident.

In his remarks, the  Chairman of the Bombali District Football Association, Mr.  Sulaiman Sillah Sesay appreciated Mr. Babadi Kamara gesture in aiding the efforts of the current administration of the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) to make the game visible in terms of playing at all levels.
In another development, the recent attempt by the  National Consortium on Public Accountability (NCPA) to track development, challenges and achievements  of government and private individuals across the country identified the Southern Arena as a stadium of international standard, owned and managed by Mr. Babadi Kamara.

Scores of Sierra Leoneans who spoke to 40 Acres Canada are of the  opinion that the Southern Arena gives opportunities for the practice of  sporting activities by  young people as well as well as  give them hope and strengthen them to engage in various competitions to enable them to be fit  for international  adventures.

As its stands, the livelihood through games and sports in the Southern region serves as a peace building initiative, the  National Consortium on Public Accountability (NCPA) tracking revealed.

The NCPA also noted  out that Mr. Babadi Kamara is also a  philanthropist who is  widely noted and acclaimed in the  Bo District and its environs as well as in other parts of the country, while it described  Babadi Kamara's hardwork as a symbol of testimony for the present, future and unborn generations: "If such a bold step taken by Ambassador Babadi Kamara could be replicated across the country, Sierra Leone would have become an ambiance of sports center in the region," NCPA observed.

According to the  tracking, the  Southern Arena  has a sitting capacity of over  sixty thousand,  which makes the facility accredited by the football world governing body, the Federation of International Football Associations ( FIFA).