30TH SEPTEMBER 2021, FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE
Umbro South Africa is pleased to announce a new partnership as the official technical sponsor of Sierra Leoneโs FC Johansen.
Globally recognised as one of African footballโs greatest inspirational stories, FC Johansen was founded in 2004 by Isha Johansen as a platform for changing the narrative of Sierra Leone through football and the upliftment of Sierra Leonean youth, many of whom had been orphaned or displaced by the countryโs brutal civil war.
Mrs Johansen, the former president of the Sierra Leone Football Association and presently the only African female serving on the FIFA Council, also serves as a CAF Executive Committee member and as Vice President of the CAF Womenโs Football Organising Committee.
Talking of the clubโs origins, she has been quoted saying: โIt all started with being drawn to a group of neighbourhood kids whose entire life seemed to revolve around football on what was, and still is, a precarious slope that they called a pitch.”
“What started gradually as supporting them with enough to get some bread and refreshments, soon escalated to a ball, boots and kit and before we knew it, we had inherited a football team which the boys named FC Johansen.โ
Since then, FC Johansen has become one of Sierra Leoneโs most structured and successful youth football outfits with numerous national accolades and undoubtably the most international trophies of any club in Sierra Leone.
The club debuted professionally in 2011 and spent one season in the Division One league before being promoted to the Sierra Leone National Premier League in 2012. They would be crowned FA Cup champions in 2014 and qualified for the CAF Confederation Cup the same year.
Beginning in October, Umbro will kit FC Johansenโs playing squad in high-performance competition, training, and off-field apparel. A supporterโs range will also be made available for fans.
โWe are strongly committed to the credible support of West African football as shown through our technical partnership with the Sierra Leone national teams and we are thrilled that FC Johansen will join the Umbro ranksโ, says Umbro South Africaโs Bevan Yon.
Malik P. Hilger, CEO of FC Johansen commented: โFC Johansen has always taken pride in subscribing to the bigger picture and using the power of football for positive change. The Umbro partnership will play a big role in the football development and visions of the club, on and off the pitch.โ
FC Johansen will join 9 national federations and more than 35 professional teams across the continent in wearing Umbroโs double diamond.
ยฉ๏ธ Umbro.co.za
