THE LEAD FAMILY
LEAD Edu is a global nonprofit organization that establishes, supports, and grows programs that empower future leaders around the world. We are LEAD Edu’s flagship leadership hub, and we are part of a growing network of leadership hubs that also includes LEAD Morocco. Click here to learn more about LEAD Edu [+].
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!
Quality Education
We uniquely use football – the most popular sport in Liberia – as a positive-incentive mechanism to encourage our students to attend school and improve academic performance.
Professional Football Coaching
We deliver professional coaching and a comprehensive football curriculum that disrupts bad habits, introduces fundamental techniques, and encourages our student-athletes to "think the game" at a high level.
Gender Equality
We use education and football to break down gender barriers. By studying and training with the boys – and often outperforming them both in the classroom and on the pitch – our girls have a sense of empowerment that they themselves vocalize.
Good Nutrition
We ensure our student-athletes have balanced, nutrient-rich diets. We provide three meals and ample drinking water on a daily basis.
Pastoral care
We provide support and counseling for our student-athletes and staff with emotional, social and learning needs.
Life Skills
Academic classes and football practices are supplemented with life skills lessons on a daily basis. These include topics such as self-presentation, self-confidence, personal hygiene, empathy, effective communication, and much more.
Healthcare
Each of our staff members is insured through Activa Liberia, while our student-athletes receive on-site treatment from our medics. Moving forward, we are exploring options to insure each of our student-athletes at a reputable clinic near LEAD MFA.
