By: Madi Senghore
The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) has allocated D700,000 to the Gambia Schools Football Association (GSFA) to support preparations for the upcoming National School Football Qualifiers.
The funds are intended to assist with logistical and organisational costs for the nationwide competition, which brings together school teams from across the country and serves as a key platform for identifying and developing young football talent at grassroots level.
However, concerns have been raised over a significant funding gap that could affect the smooth staging of the tournament. Sources within the GSFA executive indicate that the current allocation is well below the estimated budget of over D3 million required to effectively run the competition.
The shortfall is reported to raise challenges in areas such as team participation, transportation, accommodation, and match organisation, with stakeholders warning that additional funding may be needed to ensure the quality and scope of the qualifiers are not compromised.