How Football Shaped My Journey and Personal Growth

Celebrating FIFA WORLD CUP!

For those of us who believe in the power of convening and connecting, Football is more than a game. Beyond the dribbles, the cheers from the stands, the goals, and the final whistle lies something equally powerful: the ability to bring people together, create a sense of belonging, and build relationships that transcend borders.

But don't get me wrong. I genuinely love the game.

My love for football started early. At just 4½ years old, I created what I did not realize at the time was my first fan club in my family home in Liberia for the Barrolle Football Club. Whenever Barrolle played, I cheered with such passion that I would often lose my voice the next day.

Looking back, football was teaching us something long before we understood it. It had the power to bring people together, create a sense of belonging, and connect communities around a shared experience. In our case, we were just kids gathered together with popcorn, candy, soft drinks, Kool Aid, fruit, and Liberian milk candy, all prepared by us while being supervised by the adults. We cheered at the top of our lungs, made quite a bit of noise (the sweets did not help), and thought we were the most important supporters in Liberia.

What I did not realize then was that this was also an early lesson in entrepreneurship. After the games, people would regularly stop by my candy and Kool Aid stand. Looking back, bringing people together around a shared experience naturally created trust, familiarity, and community. The sales were not the goal, but they were a byproduct of the relationships.

The lesson football taught me as a child was simple. People gather around shared experiences.

Years later, I carried that lesson with me to college.

At Virginia Commonwealth University, I helped build a team and create experiences that brought African students together consistently. Our mission was not simply to gather. We wanted to ensure that future African students would not face the same stereotypes, misconceptions, and bullying that many experienced in high school, college, and, for some, even in the workplace.

We recognized that many of those perceptions stemmed from limited understanding of Africa. So we intentionally created opportunities to showcase the richness of African cultures, the diversity of the continent, and the stories that often went untold.

What began as events and activities evolved into a community. More importantly, it became a platform for education, cultural understanding, and belonging. It continued to grow because people felt connected to something larger than themselves.

In the same light, I realize that the very lesson football taught me as a child was at work in college. People gather around shared experiences, but they stay when those experiences create connection, understanding, and community.

That lesson continues to shape how I approach leadership today.

Whether in public health, business, philanthropy, community engagement, or global partnerships, meaningful change often begins by bringing people together around a shared purpose. Many professionals focus on transactions before relationships; the focus on the pitch before the connection, the proposal before the trust, and the sale before the community. Note, the most meaningful opportunities emerge when people feel connected to something larger than themselves.

Communities create conversations. Conversations create trust. Trust creates opportunities.

As FIFA continues, I am looking forward to the events I have been invited to attend. While I enjoy the excitement of the matches, I am equally excited about the conversations that surround them. The World Cup has a unique ability to bring together people from different countries, cultures, industries, and perspectives.

Some of the most meaningful moments happen off the field, where ideas are exchanged, partnerships are formed, and new opportunities emerge.

The game may last ninety minutes, but the relationships, partnerships, and ideas that emerge from bringing people together can last a lifetime.

Perhaps the greatest lesson from my 4½-year-old self is this:

Never underestimate the power of creating spaces where people want to gather. What begins as a shared experience can become a community. What becomes a community can create opportunities. And what creates opportunities can change lives.

THE POWER OF CONVENING