LEAD Monrovia Football Academy opened in 2015 as the first school in Liberia to combine High-quality education with elite football training.

LEAD Monrovia Football Academy (LEAD MFA) provides Liberia's talented youth with full-time academic classes, football training, and life skills lessons to improve academic performance, break down gender barriers, and prepare our students to lead positive change in Liberia. For the 2023-24 school year, we have 173 student-athletes, 56 girls and 117 boys, ages 10–20, in grades 4–12. Our students live with us on campus. The school day runs from 8:00 am-6:00 pm, Monday-Friday, with breakfast, life skills lessons, and academic classes in the morning, lunch in the early afternoon, and football training in the late afternoon. On Saturdays, our students enjoy our unique special speaker series – when they interact with prominent young leaders making a change in their communities.

From 2015-20, LEAD MFA operated out of rented facilities in Monrovia, Careysburg, and Konola. In January 2021 school year, we moved into our own 10-acre residential campus in Careysburg, Montserrado Country.

LEAD MFA is an independent Liberia-based nonprofit organization. We are not linked to any one academic institution, football club, political party, or ethnic origin. LEAD MFA exists to build a generation of ethical, empathetic, and entrepreneurial Liberian leaders. We hope that you will join us!

2024-25 Orange-LEAD MFA Youth Football Festival – TBA

The 2024-25 Orange-LEAD MFA Youth Festival will commence on TBA. The festival will bring together talented boys and girls from across Liberia. The festival games will be played across counties in Liberia. The final will be at Venue TBA on Date TBA. In addition to the football tryouts, we will administer entrance exams on each tryout date. See all the details below:

All Boys and Girls between the ages of 8-14 are encouraged to apply. Follow our social media pages (Instagram: leadmfa; Facebook: LEAD Monrovia Football Academy) for more details.

Important Announcement (COVID-19 Pandemic)

Due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, back in March, we suspended all activities related to the Orange-LEAD MFA Youth Football Festival including our 2020-21 recruitment process. In October, with the easing of the spread of COVID-19 and the national government's new timetable to urgently reopen schools, we resumed our 2020-21 recruitment process.

However, we decided to do micro-level recruitment to avoid spreading the coronavirus. Instead of posting on our social media pages and website to draw big crowds, we allowed the community leaders in each county to help organize the process by doing outreach in their own communities and selecting the talented kids, leaving our recruitment staff to administer the entrance exams and football tryouts. It was a big success! On October 31, 2020, we held our Open Application Day in Monrovia completing the 3rd step (interviews) of our recruitment process. From November 16 to 20, our staff conducted a one-week camp (4th step – Training camp) for top applicants – those who performed well on the exam and football tryouts – to make final acceptance decisions (5th step – Selection).

2024 Open Application Day in Monrovia – TBA

Applicants from Montserrado County (and other counties) will have the opportunity to apply. See all details below:

• Date: TBA

• Time: 9:00 am GMT

• Location: BYC Field (Lynch Street & UN Drive, Central Monrovia)

• Contact: 0776-097-470/0770-550-124

Applicants who missed the Open Application Day in Monrovia also have the opportunity to apply on specific dates in their various counties (see details above).

Background

LEAD Monrovia Football Academy will begin the application process for the 2024-25 school year on TBA. In addition to conducting targeted recruitment of Liberia's most talented boys and girls, we will accept unsolicited applications from anyone who meets our eligibility requirements. In the 2024-25 school year, we will have about 173 student-athletes in the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. With student-athletes returning in the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades, most of the open slots will be in the 4th grade.

Eligibility Requirements

In the 2024-25 school year, we will have children between the ages of 11 and 21. Therefore, applicants born between September 1, 2003 and September 1, 2013 are eligible to apply. Boys and girls of all academic and football backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Our student-athletes live with us on campus. If you live outside of Monrovia and are interested in applying, please continue to follow our website and social media pages (Instagram: leadmfa; Facebook: LEAD Monrovia Football Academy) for updates on potential 'open application days' in your community.

Applying

All applicants are required to complete one of our three entrance examinations. The first is comprised of end-of-3rd-, end-of-4th-, and end-of-5th grade test questions. The second is comprised of end-of-6th-, end-of-7th-, and end-of-8th-grade test questions. The third is comprised of end-of-9th-, end-of-10th-, and end-of-11th-grade test questions. In Liberia, academic standards vary greatly from school to school. Instead of creating nine separate entrance exams and guessing which one an applicant should take, this approach enables us to assess academic ability regardless of age and previous grade.

In addition, all unsolicited applicants are required to compete in a one-day football tournament. These football tryouts are organized by age group. 

Step 1: Academic Proficiency
To be considered, the applicant must achieve 50% or higher on the entrance exam, and he/she must present an academic transcript or a letter from a previous teacher that shows a history of strong academic performance. Education is our top priority, and we must ensure that our student-athletes are equally engaged and capable in the classroom.

Step 2: Football Potential
Once the applicant achieves a 50% or higher on the exam, then LEAD MFA staff observe the applicant's football ability and potential. Applicants are not required to be polished footballers. In fact, they might not have played football before. What we are searching for is children with potential and the determination, enthusiasm, and grit required to succeed as a footballer.

Step 3: Interviews
If the applicant meets our academic and football standards, then the applicant and his/her parents are called for an interview with LEAD MFA staff. These interviews are brief, and their purpose is to give LEAD MFA staff an understanding of the applicant's home environment. Can he/she study at night? Does he/she have siblings who are in school? Where do his/her parents work? None of these questions is determinant – we do not select our student-athletes based on the answers. Rather, they serve to give LEAD MFA staff a complete picture of the applicant's background so that we can more accurately assess the applicant's academic and football potential. 

Step 4: Training Camp
After the interviews, LEAD MFA staff select a final set of applicants for a one-week training camp in August. Those selected participate in a normal week of classes, football training, and life skills exercises, giving LEAD MFA staff a chance to see them as student-athletes at LEAD Monrovia Football Academy.

Step 5: The Selection
At the end of the training camp, LEAD MFA staff hold a final meeting and select the new members of LEAD Monrovia Football Academy. All applicants in this final phase are notified of our final decision.

School Fees

Overview

The actual cost of one student-athlete at LEAD Monrovia Football Academy is US $2,500. However, LEAD MFA raises funds all over the world to ensure children of all backgrounds have access to our programs. Student-athletes are not required to pay any fees. However, we strongly ask the parents and guardians of our student-athletes to encourage and support them to do their best to succeed at the Academy.

**PLEASE NOTE: We select our students based on merit, without regard to external factors such as income, ethnicity, gender, religion, etc. So, please do not let any of the mentioned factors stop you from applying!

Supplies provided by the Academy

Each student-athlete receives:

- A safe and comfortable sleeping environment
- 7 vitamin-enriched breakfasts per week
- 7 nutritious lunches per week
- 7 nutritious dinners per week
- Clean drinking water throughout the week
- Post-training snacks throughout the week
- School uniform
- All textbooks
- Notepads and copybooks
- Pens/pencils
- Weekly computer literacy class
- Football uniform
- MFA t-shirt - Sanitary pads - Personal hygiene materials/products
- Football boots
- Football shorts
- Football socks
- Shin guards
- Any other relevant academic supplies and football equipment