In our continuation of the coverage of July 4^th, celebration in Atlanta over the weekend, our reporters were present on the ground to cover the soccer matches from start to finish.

AGERA being the diverse group they are successfully put together a soccer tournament for two consecutive days consisting of twelve (12) teams which contested for the trophy. While other members were busy organizing other events the sports junkies were busy at it putting together what can be regarded as an impressive weekend tournament.

The soccer tournament kicked off Saturday July 4, at 12:00 noon Eastern Time.  There were 12 teams which battled it out for a spot on the final game on Sunday. The final game was played at Memorial College Stadium.  As if they did not set any records of turn out the previous two days, AGERA’s Sunday soccer tournament coupled with BBQs and graced by several local and international artists attracted the largest crowd of the weekend blast.

Many prominent Gambians and friends of the Gambia showed up at the Stadium. Among them was the famous black comedian Micheal Black of BET and Dr. Olugander.. a famous Gambian artist.  There were several vendors with all kind of foods for sale which helped many attendees sweat of the minor rain interruption and long hours of standing.

The most significant part of the soccer tournament was the kids’game between two young teams’ ages ranging from 8 years to 13.  It was quite a scene and really an impressive moment to see these young Gambian stars battle it for almost forty minutes.  Our reporter watched the game with keen interest as these young superstars battle it from one end of the field to the other.

This event was significant because these young kids are the future stars of tomorrow and incorporating them in community activities like these was really a very significant development in the Atlanta Gambian community.  Both of the teams were Gambian kids and one of the teams in Green won the game four (4) goals to two (2). Trophies were presented to these young players and you could see the lights of excitement in their faces.

The final Soccer game was played between two super star teams the Gambian Atlanta Scorpions against the Sierra Leonean team. These two teams also consists of very young talented Gambian and Freetonian players.  The two teams battled it out and were sometimes interrupted by the rain.

As usual tempers flair and the game was marked with some controversies to an extend where some players of the Sierra Leonean team walked out of the field.

But as these two sister countries manage to build a stronger ties in the Greater Atlanta Community, they wouldn’t let their tempers be on the way of a fun competition for the trophy. The game continued and the Gambian team become victorious with 2 goals to Nil. Trophies to the championship were presented Sunday night at the farewell party held at the Kilimanjaro Events Center.

One surprising thing that caught the eyes of our reporter at the soccer tournament was not only the impressive show up of the crowd but an unfortunate circumstance where a few announcements of kids being lost from their parents due to the large crowd.

One little girl was brought to the DJ station wearing all pink and had a cell phone with her. Apparently she had taken off from her baby sitter and parents at the park and wondered around. Our reporter was at the scene and was able to speak to the little girl who appeared to be around 3 years old and couldn’t speak.

After several announcements for the parents to come forward and pick up the child, no body showed up for almost half hour. Eventually some lady showed up claiming that she was the aunty of the little girl and that her parents were ashamed to come forward to claim the little girl.

At this point our reporter had the baby in his hands and wanted to make sure that he identifies the parents before handing off the baby. The reporter walked with the baby sitter with the little girl until he was able to speak to the mom. To the amusement of our reporter the mom did not seems upset or frightened that her daughter almost got lost. She mentioned to our reporter that her husband was not feeling well and that she had some other personal issues going on. For the privacy of the family we have decided not to identify the parents.

However, it is our humble believe that AGERA should take these issues very seriously and speak to the parents and even consider taking serious action against the parents. If these parents are able to let their kids sneak away in such a large crowed,  they are certainly careless enough to do the same at a Mall or some other large gathering.

The whole story fortunately ended in happiness and the little girl was thrilled to see her mom.

Finally, the soccer game was really a big success and AGERA once again deserves a huge kudos for putting together such an impressive occasion. As in many Gambian communities only AGERA executive members were seen organizing everything while everybody else just came and enjoyed themselves.  Other noticeable participants at the park were the famous black comedian Michael Black of BET and several other dignitaries.

The entire Atlanta community really need to be commended for coming out in large numbers and supporting their dedicated organization AGERA. Congratulations to AGERA for yet another successful event.