Liberia Explores Capelli Sport Partnership for Grassroots Development, Kit Support and Talent Pathways
Liberia Explores Capelli Sport Partnership for Grassroots Development, Kit Support and Talent Pathways
New York City, USA, September 16, 2026- Liberia’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Hon. Minister Cornelia Wonkerleh Kruah, has held a strategic meeting with representatives of Capelli Sport Group in New York to explore potential collaboration in grassroots sports development, kit sponsorship, talent identification, coach and referee training, and pathways for young Liberian athletes to access international opportunities. The Minister was accompanied by the Deputy Minister for Sports, Hon. G. Andy Quamie.
The meeting focused on several potential areas of cooperation, including connecting Liberia’s grassroots Echo Sports System to international development and talent opportunities, exploring a potential sports kit sponsorship and supply arrangement, and developing pathways for talented Liberian players to be identified, scouted and supported toward professional opportunities.
Discussions also covered possible coach and referee training programmes, lessons from Capelli Sport’s youth development model, including its relationship with Cedar Stars Academy, and opportunities to connect Liberia’s sports development initiatives with Capelli Sport’s international network.
Minister Kruah reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to developing a structured grassroots sports system that creates meaningful opportunities for young people.
“Grassroots sports is the heartbeat of our national sports agenda. It is where talent is discovered, character is built, and communities are united. Our discussion with Capelli Sport is about creating a real pathway, from the community field to the national team, and even to professional leagues abroad.
“We are particularly interested in their model with their grassroots program, their coach and referee training programmes, and their global network across the USA and Europe. This is about giving our young people hope and opportunity.”
The Ministry of Youth and Sports has identified grassroots sports as a foundation for Liberia’s long-term sports development and national growth.
Its grassroots agenda includes community- and school-based sports initiatives, talent identification, the Echo Sports System, and capacity building for coaches and referees.
Beyond athletic development, the Ministry views grassroots sports as a tool for promoting discipline, health, education, peace and social cohesion among young people.
Capelli Sport is a global multi-sports brand headquartered in New York City. It was established in 2011, building on the GMA Group, which was founded in 1990. The company introduced its full soccer line in 2012 and has since expanded into several sports, including basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, football, flag football, field hockey, lacrosse, tennis and wrestling.
The company operates a direct-to-club sales model and has an international network spanning 31 countries, with partners, offices, factories and distribution centres across five continents.
Capelli Sport also owns and operates professional soccer clubs, including HB Køge in Denmark, Barnsley Women’s FC in England and Inter Allies FC in Ghana. The company is closely aligned with Cedar Stars Academy, a youth and amateur soccer programme with more than 2,500 players across the USA, Denmark and Ghana.
In the United States, Capelli Sport is headquartered in New York City and operates sports complexes in New Jersey and New York. Its European network includes offices and partners in countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Austria, Serbia, Switzerland and Poland.
The meeting concluded with an understanding that technical teams from the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Capelli Sport will continue discussions to determine the scope, structure and modalities of any potential partnership.
No agreement has been signed at this stage. The discussions remain exploratory and are focused on identifying practical opportunities for cooperation.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports remains committed to building partnerships that directly benefit Liberian youth, community clubs, schools and the country’s long-term sports development.
