(Photo: Mamour M. Mbenga)
Gambian journalist cum football club manager, Mamour M. Mbenga (Kifa Barham) has completed an Executive Advanced Certificate Programme in Football Business Management and HR, recently.
He did the 6-month course from March to August this year at Linked Sports Business College (LSBC) in partnership with Valley View University (VVU) in Ghana.
Mbenga, the only Gambia in the cohort of students from various African countries on 28th August graduated at the Valley View University Campus in Dodowa, Accra, Ghana.
The Journalist, also manager football a local club (Dolphin Stars F.C), during the course learnt various modules such as sports First Aid, sports finance, children safeguarding, laws of the game, sports administration, contract negotiation, branding and marketing segmentation.
“This course is an advanced certificate programme level that gave me the understanding, and knowledge needed in the transfer market skills, communication, public relation in football business management, sports marketing, branding, sports administration, facility Management and managing the athletes career as a career coach, and sporting organizations especially, sports business,” he told this reporter the importance of the programme.
The journalist cum football club manager is prepared to work with athletes, clubs, and sporting bodies to impact professional standards by coordinating the operation and activities of sporting bodies.
The course would add up to his knowledge and skills to better manage football business activities, and understand the wider football industry, as well as stakeholders involved in the game.
“My goal and passion is to give back to my country (The Gambia) and work effectively with all stakeholders in the sporting industry, especially the football industry, to support and implement projects; especially at grassroots level; to conduct trainings in the following professional areas and create the room for improvement for clubs and athletes; (and) to share the skill set in order to professionalize our football industry, and create the parachute avenue for our athletes to benefit and participate in the international football arena,” he told this medium.
Mamour is one of the founders and board members of Africa Sports Agency (ASA), a newly established group of young potential sport stakeholders within the continent meant to support and promote African football to the wider world, through organizing training, development programmes for athletes, and marketing platforms through digital media networks.
The 30-year-old is a Diploma holder in Journalism and Communication from the Media Academy for Journalism and Communication (MAJAC).
He started his journalism career at Foroyaa Newspaper in 2012, and has since been practicing journalism and later started engaging in football management.
His engagement in football management led to his enrolment for the Executive Advanced Certificate Programme in Football Business Management and HR at Linked Sports Business College (LSBC) in partnership with Valley View University (VVU) in Ghana.
