To begin with, it was a football club that ended up being a family.
Background
They were teenagers, 13 to 16 years old, and I was about 18. They came to me from nothing. Some were homeless, and most didn’t expect to have the three daily meals. Some of them could not afford school, and those who did had no aspiration for higher education. The only thing that makes them happy is playing football, even though, among their peers, they are underdogs. One day they came to me in numbers and requested to be their coach, which I accepted after several discussions.
Why accept the offer?
As a role model and prominent coach-player at the time. I was already part of the best team in town, with a promising future. Knowing how much I hated losing makes me wander, and by then I was a youngster playing in the first-division league. However, the quest was bigger than me and my dreams because over twenty-five youths were trying to make a living and requesting my help. It was a big risk and challenge for my football career, which was dear to me, but on the other hand, their success was going to be worth it.
Don’t be comfortable! The bigger the risk and challenge, the bigger the reward. People first is a win-win.
They took me in as a brother, friend, leader, coach, mentor, player, trainer, and manager. They did whatever I asked of them, and we saw each other as family. We created five senior members who finalised the decision.
If you do not accept to be led, you cannot be a leader!
Training
Dragons were what we called ourselves, which we embodied in our actions. We were bold, and we pursued our objectives with focus and dedication. We trained twice a day, six days a week. The first team to arrive and the last to leave the pitch. Regardless of the weather or events, we train. We train with the ball more. The rules were simple: if you don’t train, you don’t play. We never had pre-seasons simply because we never had an off-season.
The harder you train, the easier you fight…
Finance
The finances of the club were built by playing weekend games against other clubs, saving some in our coffers, and sharing the rest for the daily meals. Those who could afford training boots and gear for themselves bought them; those with some we subsidised; and those who couldn’t were taken care of by the club.
Always Depend on yourself rather than others.
Style football
There were no individual players; I mean, we do not have Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. We used teamwork and endurance. We did not have the physical size to match the other teams; we had to let the ball do the movement and avoid physical contact.
_Understand your strengths and weaknesses; have a game plan! _
Motivation
Every goal scored and Man of the Match in every game we won had a price, which was given to the player before the end of the day.
We all need a little tap from the back…
Clubs Success
The club rose from an underdog to one of the best clubs in town. We elevate to the level of divisional teams and are happy to have test games with us. We have the most representation in the town team, which was a selection of players from various teams. The club has the best career progress players playing second-division, first-division, African club championship U17, U20, and national squad.
Individual Success
I will share the success of two brothers, Haruna and Musa Camara, in the Dragons family as an example.
Haruna Camara, on the left side of the photo, is the eldest and the leader of the club. He did not gain a higher education because of poverty, which he felt was going to deter him from achieving his dreams. The hardships of life forced his family to move out of town to the provinces. Musa and Haruna decided to stay because they didn’t want to start a new life but rather stay with the Dragon family. However, this bold decision made them homeless and accommodated by friends.
Haruna and two others came to me and said they needed a profession. I was an electronics engineer working part-time on electronics repairs, terrestrial, and satellite installation. I trained them on terrestrial and satellite installation. Haruna turned this into a business, supplying and installing cable TV in the community. Not only did he succeed as a business owner, but he was also a member of the Council with the title of Honourable.
Haruna's younger brother Musa (on the right side of the photo) was our goalkeeper and the shiest in the club. He was going to school and learning carpentry at the same time. He eventually stopped schooling and continued with carpentry work. He was humble and naturally gifted, which worked out for him. He had no goalkeeper trainer because I was mostly busy with other players. The only thing he got from me as a coach was instructions, and he was spending most of his time training inside the field rather than goalkeeping.
Musa is a national icon with amazing track records in football. In 2009, he was a member of the U17 Gambia national team and won gold in Algeria. When they came home from the competition, the president gave them each 1 million dalasi, from which he bought a house for the family. He continued playing, and in 2011, he was the U-20 AFCON captain in South Africa. In 2012, he played against Algeria for the Gambia national team as the first-choice goalkeeper.
Conclusion
Dragons FC was a success in general. 95% are all married with families. They live all around the world, in the USA, UK, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, and Greece. They are all professionals, ranging from engineers to accountants to civil servants.
Last year (2022), we lost one of our own, Babu Dixon, a striker who was the most adorable. May his soul rest in perfect peace.
The moral of the story is that regardless of your background and shortcomings in life, you can achieve your dreams. Remember, as the saying goes, success never comes without challenges, sacrifice, and bold decisions.
Top comments (0)