Well-known football administrator, Rodney Michael, has said revamping one of the oldest and most successful football clubs in Sierra Leone, Mighty Blackpool is the immediate objective. 

The Freetown based club announced Rodney Michael, who remains one of the most revered administrators in the country, as their new Chairman after a meeting with the committee of elders.

In recent years, the most decorated club in the country has been struggling, something Michael acknowledged and has vowed to help revive the club to its best.

“I am excited and extremely appreciative that Blackpool, with the potential of being the biggest club in Sierra Leone, and without doubt the richest history in Sierra Leone football, considers me the worthy choice to lead the transformation of the club through a very difficult period,” Michael explained while answering questions from FSL News.

The Ex-Sierra Leone Premier League chairman vehemently indicated that their short term goal is to secure a firm financial structure of the club.

“With the blessings of everyone at the club, my short term goal is to ensure financial and structural stability, conducive training and match operations, setting up of right administrative structures and uniting a very divided family. 

Medium to long term is to work on infrastructure to serve as permanent official secretariat, developing a training field with artificial turf and a solid revenue generation that is reliable through marketing and other methods. Blackpool has great potential, and we want to exploit it fully.”

1989, Mighty Blackpool reached the quarter-final stages of the African Cup of Champions Clubs. The first club from Sierra Leone to reach that stage. 

The club became famous in Africa after defeating reigning champions ES Sétif from Algeria further in the second round to eliminate Djoliba Athletic Club from Mali before losing to Tonnerre Yaounde from Cameroon in the quarter-finals.

Presently, Blackpool standing 13th in the ongoing Sierra Leone top tier league, and they will restart their campaign against Central Parade Sunday.

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FIFA Development Manager for West and Central Africa El Hadji Wack Diop has echoed that football infrastructure is central to football development.

The Regional Manager made his statement during a visit to one of Sierra Leone’s poor playing fields, the Approved School, on Thursday.

In May 2021, former FA boss, Isha Johansen, announced five proposed artificial projects at the training field in Kingtom, Approved School in Freetown. Lungi field, Port Loko mini Stadium and the Bo Coronation Field.

His visit is set to pave the way for a vital facelift of the above field mentioned as inspection of various playing areas across Sierra Leone continues.

Diop, who will be travelling to Bo on Friday with members of the FA for further inspections, talked about his meeting with Ex-co members and how infrastructure is paramount to football development.

“We have noticed the large majority of the projects are related to infrastructure,” he told FA media.

On recognising the situation in Sierra Leone, he said, “Infrastructure is vital, is key to football development. Especially in well-populated areas, such as the area where we are right now.” He was referring to Approved School.

“It was important for me to come and visit the area and see the passion people in the area had for football. In other to better support the project. Based on what we have seen and based on what has been told to us, this area, this field, that has very poor quality, unfortunately, is occupied from morning to evening.”

He went further to say their role is to provide quality football pitches to help players develop better. He is expected to conclude his visit on Saturday.

It’s worth mentioning that during Fifa and Caf’s president’s visit to Sierra Leone in May, Motsepe said: “CAF and FIFA are committed to supporting Sierra Leone with the requisite infrastructure to host the African Cup of Nations in the not-too-distant future.”

Sierra Leone has only one internationally recognised stadium that is over four decades old. The Siaka Stevens stadium was built in 1979 with the help of the Chinese government.

Other venues across the country. Bo, Kenema and Makeni have been undergoing rehabilitation in recent years, some through Fifa assistance.

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