ASM You are about to make history in Sierra Leone Football can you tell us who Isha Johansen really is? Isha Johansen: Well Isha Johansen is a new breed of African Women who are now daring to step into male dominated walk of life. She is not a dedicated feminist but she believes in taking on challenges and does not believe that a woman should concede to be second best simply because she is a woman. She is an ardent believer in building the next generation.... our youth.
ASM: What really moved you to set up a team like FC Johansen who are now playing in the highest level of Sierra Leone Football, the Salone Premier League? And what is it like for you to see these boys in the Premier league?
Isha Johansen: Believe it or not, FC Johansen was never set up with the intention of creating a football team. When FC Johansen was formed in 2004, Sierra Leone was still in her recovery days socially and economically. There were a group of neighborhood kids who literally would be playing football just meters away from where my husband and I live. My interest in football stems from childhood and so I was naturally drawn to the boys. Our relationship was initially purely humanitarian. I promised them I would provide them with footballs, jerseys, and rubber sandals( locally called stiletto ' s I cannot for the life of me understand why) if they agreed to stay in school. That was the beginning of the FC Johansen story..... Football for Education. Seeing the team and the boys rise from virtual oblivion to national youth football ambassador is very emotional for me each time I have to talk about it. It is a true example of how if you really believe in something or in someone you can ACHIEVE.
ASM: What really motivated you in setting up the team and how did you come about it?
Isha Johansen: Like I said, FC Johansen was a just a progression of events at the time. When the young boys then, between nine to eleven / twelve made the commitment to go to school and in turn I would support their Football passion which luckily was also my passion, the succession of events like playing in the under 12 and under 14 tournaments, and other local tournaments started.
ASM: What are some of the constraints you faced in starting the team and what has been the success story so far for you and FC Johansen? Isha Johansen: Well I guess the initial and most obvious constraint as you put it was being a woman. I was not a known face or personality in the football family in Sierra Leone even though my father, Mr Tejan- Cole was one of the Grand patrons and football stalwarts with the East End Lions football club. This is where I inherited my passion and drive for football success. Gradually I was accepted in the football family. I came with a different mindset towards the game and how to set up structures. The success story speaks for itself. Our national achievements and International success stories with our participation in various youth football tournaments in Europe, USA and Africa. We are also the first and only club to have hosted an international youth football tournaments in Sierra Leone, bringing in teams from Brazil, Norway, South Africa, and many other teams from West Africa to play international standard football in Sierra Leone.
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