By Alhagie Babou Jallow
Mansawally is a second division female team from Sittanunku Village in North Bank Region. The team is an embodiment of young school-going girls mainly from the villages of Sittanunku, Aljamdu, Toubakolong and Bakalarr, who are all students of Sittanunku Upper and Senior Secondary School.
The team is one of the only two teams North Bank Region has at the National Inter Schools Football Championship. They are currently playing their second year in the Gambia Football Federation Second Division League.
The team was formed as a result of the joint efforts of Mansawally Football Academy of Sittanunku and the Sports Department of Sittanunku Upper and Senior Secondary School.
The main objectives of forming the team are to keep their young talented girls in the school who have been lured by other schools mostly in Kombos; in order to improve their role, to strengthen the relationship between the school and the communities, to expose rural talents, to promote female football in rural Gambia, to promote education through sports, and to help in nurturing the raw talents of young girls who have chosen football as a career.
The team has been doing very well in raising the flag of the school and rural Gambia as a whole due to its spectacular performance and rapid growth.
Some of the major achievements of the team include: the team helped a lot in improving enrolment at Sittanunku Upper and Senior Secondary School.
The team also helped in making Sittanunku a renowned school due to its exceptional performance at school football competitions.
The team became the champions of the first-ever GFF/FIFA girls’ development league in The Gambia in 2021 while playing in the North Bank Regional Football Association (NBRFA) Third Division League.
The team got four of its players selected in the national U-16 team in 2021 and also became the first and only Second Division League team in Upper Nuimi after gaining promotion to the 2022/2023 season.
The team also has two girls in the national U-15 team who recently won the Pan African U-15 Zone A championship in Mauritania.
Moreover, the team is serving as an image of female football development in rural Gambia.
However, officials of the team said they are devastated as their struggle for support continues. “The image and sustainability of the team are at stake as a result of financial constraints due to the lack of support. We fear that if the trend continues, the team might end up relegating or losing its valuable players and students to other teams and schools,” added the team officials who appealed for assistance from all and sundry through sponsorship as the team is finding it very difficult to transport itself to the scheduled games as well as give proper welfare services to its young girls.
“We are equally ready for any partnership from any company or business entity as we can equally help promote and advertise their valuable goods and services through sports while our girls continue aspiring for their dreams in football,” the finally said.
