Football Uniting Libya's Young Spirit
February 1, 2025

Rayayinah municipal football stadium with FIFA-standard dimensions
Dribbling a football with only your feet mirrors the challenges of life—requiring focus, strategy, and resilience.
In Libya, stadiums come alive with football enthusiasts, proving that the sport is more than just a game. It keeps minds and bodies engaged, fostering unity, building trust, teamwork value and resilience while paving the way for peacebuilding across regions.
Recognizing football’s potential to inspire and unite, UNDP has prioritized rehabilitating key football fields and stadiums across Libya. These efforts aim to provide safe, inclusive spaces for communities to come together, fostering teamwork, resilience, and peace.
In Kufra

Abdeladeem Ajaj
In southeastern Libya, UNDP has transformed Kufra’s only football hub, the ‘Sports City’, located in the heart of the municipality. As part of the rehabilitation, UNDP upgraded the changing and exercise rooms and installed artificial grass on the football pitch, creating a more welcoming and professional environment for players and enthusiasts. Before this initiative, Kufra Municipality’s sole football stadium featured only a clay ground, limiting its use.
Saad Mshagen, the Manager of the Sports City in Kufra, reflected on its history: “The Sports City was established in the 1980s, but years of armed conflict and instability caused severe deterioration, leaving it unfit to host matches and support athletes.”
He added, “Since the reconstruction, the Sports City has been hosting training sessions and matches daily, even welcoming teams from neighbouring municipalities, Jkhira, Jalu, and Awjila .”

Abdeladeem Ajaj
Player Number 10 for Al-Hawaria Club, Anwar Ali shared his experience of training with his teammates at the Sports City three times a week. “It's a fantastic way to channel energy constructively and make the most of my time,” he said.
In Rayayinah

Abdullah Hussein
With a population of around 30,000, Rayayinah lacked a proper municipal football stadium for years. Instead, an empty sandy plot served as a makeshift 'stadium' for sports activities. The recent rehabilitation has transformed this space into a functional and safe space meeting international standards, with FIFA-standard dimensions, a running track, administrative headquarters, changing rooms, toilets, showers, and upgraded electricity and lighting networks.
“This rehabilitation has alleviated the challenges young people faced in participating in sports, as they previously had to travel to other municipalities to join matches and local football leagues,” says Mr. Rasheed Ahmed, Mayor of Aryayna Municipality.
This initiative ensures that the Rayayinah community can enjoy the football playground, fostering unity and community engagement through sports.
In Brak Al-Shati

Ahmed Alhadeeri
“In a remote area like our municipality, we recognized the need to create a space where young people could channel their energy and spend their time productively. This led to the idea of rehabilitating two football fields, a plan that emerged from a series of community meetings arranged by UNDP,” said Abdullah Saied Ali, a representative of the Municipal Council in Brak Al-Shati.

Player Abubaker Mosbah
Abubaker Mosbah, a young player from Al-Majd Football Academy, shared his thoughts: “We used to play on makeshift sand pitches, which caused many injuries. Now that the two stadiums have been rehabilitated, we hope to organize municipality-level leagues for local teams.”
The rehabilitation of the Brak Al-Shati playgrounds, which include two football pitches, one tennis court, and a volleyball court, is located near Wadi Al-Shati University. These playgrounds provide community space for players and fans and enable opportunities for individuals and organisations alike. This initiative was made possible through the Baladiyati project, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP, AICS, and UNICEF in close collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government. Together, these efforts promote recovery, stability, and socio-economic growth across Libya.
The Impact: In numbers
Annually, these three rehabilitation projects will directly benefit approximately 1300 local residents and many more indirectly, providing opportunities to engage in sports that unite fans and players alike.