In college football, dominance is not an accident, it is expected. Regional and national powerhouses rise and fall all the time in the sport, but what remains is the mystique and prestige of success from years gone by.
The Limkokwing football team stands as one of the winningest with 6 gold medals, 2 silver medals and 1 bronze medal. Since its inception in 2007 it entered eleven competitions and won nine of them, five of which were consecutive wins. The team is made up of 18 student players from across faculties.
We had an opportunity to chat with the coach and the players to let us in on the secret of their soaring success and inspiration:
“First, I would like to point out that sport constitutes a social subsystem, which has an important function in society as a whole. Students’ choice of free-time activities can have a significant effect on their personality development and quality of life,” said Arash Aminian, the Limkokwing University football coach from Iran.
He also mentioned that one of the wonders of football is bringing people together, “People from different backgrounds that have nothing in common at face value are brought together when football is involved. Friendships are one of the many extraordinary effects of football,” he conceded.
On what makes keeps the team motivated and on top of the charts he mentioned that team trains 3 days a week and that training incorporates hard work and fun to encourage bonding and friendship.
Team Captain, Osa Valentine Osemwengie, said his love for football started at a young age of 6. “Growing up in Nigeria it’s every boy’s dream to be a footballer. As the scene of football changes my inspirations change as well, right now because I am a central defender my inspiration is John Terry who plays for Chelsea and stands as one of the best Premier League defenders,” he adds.
When asked how they keep the balance between their studies and playing football Osemwengie mentions they go by only one rule; Discipline.
“One has to be strict because we are here mainly for our studies, but we also have to find time for extracurricular activities because as the saying goes ‘all work and no play makes jack a dull boy’; after all the stress from studying we need to do something physical, this I believe will keep us mentally balanced and ultimately it leads to a healthy lifestyle.
Sayed Husain Ali from Bahrain, studying Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Business Administration beamed that he did not discover his love for football but he was born for it.
“From an early age, like for many, football was a part of my daily life. The feeling of a passionate community and of a shared goal is crucial to me. Ever since I joined the Limkokwing Football club I have made great friendships that otherwise I would never have found.”
“What I love most about my team is that they don’t play to get money; they play because they love football and this makes us the best, we don’t get discouraged easily we stay motivated, the more we win the harder we work to remain the best,” said Husain Ali.
The team’s Mauritanian attacking midfielder, Haimoude Gharaby; a semester 3 student in Bachelor of Business (Hons) in International Business shared his experience when he plays.
“There can be no denying the fact that football is the biggest sport in the world. It is the most watched sport, the most played sport and the most talked about sport. I can’t confirm the exact numbers of people who are fans of the game but it is played in over 200 countries,” said Gharaby.
“When I play, I’m not only experiencing a game but everything that comes with it. The noise, the colour, the community, all these things and so much more are unmatched in any other part of modern life,” he added.
As Gharaby is on his last semester, he is saddened that he may have venture on the next phase of his life but said he’s confident that the team will remain stronger as ever.
Recently, the Limkokwing Football team bagged another championship title and a gold medal. “We intend to remain the conquerors of football and we hope to see ourselves going further than this, I am really proud that Limkokwing University gave me a chance to be part of this victorious team,” Arash beamed.
What the Limkokwing University Football Club has in common with the best football teams around the world is the accumulation of victories, trophies, and prestige. No matter their current status, the team has earned the right to be among the elite.