In a defining moment for Sierra Leonean sport, the national women’s football team — the Sierra Queens — lifted their first-ever WAFU A Women’s Championship title on Saturday night, defeating regional giants Senegal 1-0 in a hard-fought final in Nouakchott, Mauritania.
The historic victory not only cements the Queens as a rising force in West African football, but also highlights what many see as a new chapter for Sierra Leonean football — one shaped by visionary leadership and a renewed national commitment to sport.
Just weeks before the tournament, Sierra Leone’s participation was hanging in the balance due to financial constraints. But according to sources close to the team, it was the determined intervention of SLFA President Thomas Daddy Brima and his Vice President I, Mr. Harold Nat Johnson, that turned the tide.
The duo, working behind the scenes, reportedly mobilized the resources and diplomatic support necessary to ensure that the team could travel and compete. Their efforts were credited by many as the difference between a missed opportunity and a continental title.
“Without their commitment, we wouldn’t have even been here,” said one team official. “This win is as much about leadership off the field as it is performance on it.”
The victory has sparked praise not only for the players but for the current football administration. Under Brima’s presidency, Sierra Leone’s football landscape has undergone significant transformation — with improved structures, expanded youth programs, and a growing international footprint.
Saturday’s win has become a national rallying point, with football fans and analysts pointing to it as evidence that the game is no longer surviving in Sierra Leone — it is, in their words, thriving.
“Football in this country has regained respect,” said one prominent sports commentator. “This title is proof of what happens when vision, leadership, and belief come together.”
With the championship title expected to be presented to President Julius Maada Bio in the coming days, some in football circles say the win also raises an important political and strategic question: Will the nation continue on this current path of sporting reform and progress?
Observers warn that efforts to undermine the SLFA’s current leadership would not only risk halting momentum but could set back years of progress in local football development.
“This is a legacy worth defending,” said another source within the SLFA. “We need to choose the future of Sierra Leone over politics.”
As celebrations ripple across the country, the message from the Sierra Queens is clear: this win is for every girl who dreams, every fan who believes, and every leader who works behind the scenes to build something greater.
To President Thomas Daddy Brima and Vice President Harold Nat Johnson, the public narrative now includes more than administrative achievement — it includes a place in national sporting history.
And to the Sierra Queens: you did not just win a trophy — you won the heart of a nation.
By Kevin French
