About ONA
ÓMÓ Naija Athletes is a community born from a simple truth: the resources exist, the talent exists, the dreams exist. What was missing was the village to connect them all. ONA is that village.
Who We Are
ONA is an initiative dedicated to connecting young athletes of African descent at home and across the diaspora with the opportunities, resources, and community they deserve. We are here to ensure that the fire we see in our children is never dimmed by a lack of access, visibility, or support.
A village where African and African diaspora families raising athletes in America can find each other, support each other, and celebrate each other at every level of the journey. No family should navigate this system alone.
Free, honest, practical information about club soccer pathways, college recruiting, scholarships, the NWSL professional pathway, and what it truly takes to arrive and thrive in American football. No gatekeeping. Ever.
ONA is building toward the day when our community identifies, develops, and sends young Ómó Naija athletes to represent Team Nigeria at international youth competitions, bringing the diaspora and the homeland together through the beautiful game.
For Nigerian players signing with American clubs and the families supporting them from home, ONA provides honest guidance, community anchors, and the village that makes the difference between surviving a season and building a career.
Our vision extends to the homeland. ONA is committed to supporting and amplifying grassroots football development in Nigeria, especially for girls, where investment is lowest and the need is greatest.
ONA believes that athletic ambition and academic excellence are not in conflict. They are partners. We celebrate our children's report cards with the same pride we celebrate their goals. Whether our children go pro, pursue careers in sport, or build entirely different lives, their education is never a liability. For African families especially, this is not negotiable. It never has been.
We also believe deeply in mentorship. It takes a village to raise a champion, and sometimes that village includes an older athlete who has already walked part of the road ahead. Through mentorship, we want our young athletes to see what is possible, learn from those who have gone before them, and know that someone is in their corner.
Our Focus
ONA carries a special and intentional commitment to African and African diaspora girls in sport. The resources are fewer. The pathways are harder. The visibility is scarcer. This is not accidental, and closing that gap is not optional for us.
We believe that every girl who laces up her boots and steps onto the pitch deserves a community that sees her, a village that supports her, and a pathway that does not ask her to be twice as good to get half as far.
ONA's focus on grassroots football in Nigeria is anchored in this belief. The talent is there. The dreams are there. What is missing is the infrastructure, the investment, and the village. We are building it.
"Wherever you find yourself, on the sideline, in the stands, at a tournament across the country, if you see another family from the African diaspora, go to them. Introduce yourself. Welcome them into the village. We are only as strong as we are connected."
The ONA Framework
Because no athlete or family should navigate the journey alone. The village finds each other here.
Because talent needs knowledge, mentorship, and support to become possibility. Resources and guidance, no gatekeeping.
Because our athletes deserve opportunities to be seen, supported, and celebrated on the biggest stages.
Our Initiatives
Active programs and upcoming events. No need to go anywhere else to find them.
ONA leads Team Nigeria at the Youth World Challenge, Rio de Janeiro, August 10-14, 2027. U10 Boys, U12 Boys, U14 Boys, U12 Girls.
Register Interest →An Ómó Naija Athletes initiative
An athlete in their corner. One-on-one mentorship connecting young African and African diaspora athletes with college athletes who understand the journey.
Learn More →Connecting young athletes across Africa with young athletes around the world through sport, friendship and cultural exchange. Ages 10-18. Parent supervised. Always.
Register Your Young Athlete →On Nigeria's Independence Day, every Ómó Naija family posts a photo of their child in their kit and tags ONA. Let's see how many of us there are. #OmoNaijaRollCall
Join the Village →ONA in the World
From Bay FC to the Youth World Challenge, ONA families show up for athletes of African descent wherever they compete.
About the Founder
Within ONA, Bisi leads overall strategy, external representation, Nigeria-based engagement, and the YWC relationship for Team Nigeria.
Olabisi "Bisi" Matthews, Esq. is a Nigerian-born attorney, executive consultant, and speaker who grew up in Lagos and immigrated to the United States at 19. She is licensed to practice law in California, New York, and New Jersey. Bisi has spent much of her professional career in public service and government accountability, most recently serving as Director of Enforcement at the San Francisco Ethics Commission.
But Ómó Naija Athletes was born from a different part of Bisi's life: motherhood.
Bisi and her husband, Steve, are raising three young athletes, Liza and twins Nora and Lia, all of whom play football. As her daughters became more involved in competitive sports, Bisi found herself learning an entirely new system: clubs, coaches, development pathways, tournaments, opportunities, and the countless decisions parents make while trying to help their children pursue something they love. Bisi was also following grassroots youth football development in Nigeria, watching the talent and the gaps with equal attention.
Somewhere along the sidelines, Bisi realized something was missing.
A village.
A community that understood both worlds: the Nigerian roots she wanted her children to remain connected to and the American sporting system they were growing up navigating. A place where parents could learn from one another, young athletes could see themselves represented, and relationships across Nigeria and the diaspora could create opportunities that might otherwise never exist.
That realization became Ómó Naija Athletes.
What began as one mother's desire to better understand her children's journey is growing into a community committed to connecting African and African diaspora families, celebrating young athletes, sharing knowledge, and building bridges to meaningful opportunities at home and around the world.
Bisi does not approach this work pretending to have every answer. She approaches it as a parent willing to ask questions, build relationships, bring people together, and create what she once went looking for herself.
Bisi is also the founder of The Courage Standard, a leadership and empowerment platform born from her passion for equipping women to lead with courage, judgment, purpose, and conviction, and now extending that work to leaders and organizations. Across her work, Bisi is committed to building people, strengthening communities, and creating pathways for others to thrive.
Bisi believes deeply in the power of mentorship as a development tool for young athletes. She knows firsthand that it takes more than talent and training to raise a champion. It takes a village, and in that village are the older athletes, the big brothers and sisters who have walked the path before, who can inspire the next generation not just by what they say but by who they are and what they have achieved. Building those bridges between generations is at the heart of everything ONA does.
Whether you are raising a young champion, arriving to compete, or simply believe in what we are building, you belong here. Join the village. Help us grow it. Naija no dey carry last.