Sports
Kurt Okraku priorities youth football as GFA continues to build for the future
GFA President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, announced to delegates at Congress on Tuesday August 27, 2024 that the Association will fully place youth football at the top of the Ghana Football Association’s (GFA) development agenda.
The GFA has already unveiled a comprehensive strategy to rejuvenate the grassroots, aimed at strengthening the very foundation of Ghana football.
The strategy, which is already in motion, embodies the GFA’s commitment to ensuring the enduring vitality of the sport across all levels.
Addressing delegates at the 2024 convocation of Congress at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram on Tuesday, President Simeon-Okraku underscored the importance of placing youth football at the top of the pyramid.
“It is critical for all of us who invest in Ghana Football to understand the need to invest more in our youth. We, therefore, need to institute policies that support clubs to develop talent in a competitive way so as to make our leagues attractive.” he told the delegates.
With his extensive background in Football Management and broad knowledge about the nuances of the sport, President Simeon-Okraku has a deep understanding of how to lead Ghana football along the lines of revitalising youth football in the country.
The Ghana Football Association has initiated several policies and programmes targeted at youth development and empowerment across all levels in the country. These interventions include the training of about 1,600 young referees under the unique Catch Them Young Refereeing policy and the introduction of the novel Elite National Girls U15 Challenge Cup (developed in line with FIFA’s Talent Development Scheme [TDS]) to develop top talent and enhance Ghana Football.
The GFA has also announced plans to collaborate with the Regional Football Associations to introduce Inter-District U-15 and U-17 festivals for boys and girls and continue the path of improving the KGL Foundation U-17 National Championship, Girls U-15 Inter Regional Challenge Cup while introducing a national U-17 Girls Challenge Cup.
The GFA aims to leverage Ghana’s massive pool of potential talent to boost on-pitch success at the domestic, continental and international levels as President Simeon-Okraku and the Executive Council remain keenly engaged on the youth development agenda.
The FA’s sharpening focus on youth football falls in tandem with FIFA’s announcement that the girls’ and boys’ FIFA U-17 World Cup will now be annual events from 2025, giving the very best young talents in every country the opportunity to shine on the global stage.
The GFA has outlined a set of key objectives geared towards enhancing participation and engagement at the grassroots level. The strategy prioritises opportunities for both male and female teenagers, emphasizing on inclusivity and accessibility to underscore the FA’s dedication to fostering a diverse and inclusive Ghanaian football landscape and thus nurture young talents and instill good values and passion for the game in them.
Black Stars captain Jordan Ayew says Ghana will leave nothing on the pitch when they face England in today’s World Cup Group L decider at Gillette Stadium.
With both teams on 3 points, Ayew said his job is to ease pressure on the younger players and hold everyone accountable, himself included.
“I’m doing my best to guide the boys, make them comfortable, take pressure off them, and help us perform,” Ayew told reporters. “I have to perform too. They have to perform too. It’s teamwork. We’re helping each other.”
Ghana come into the Foxborough clash after a 1-0 win over Panama in Toronto. England beat Croatia 4-2 in their opener.
The captain’s message was simple, “We’re going to give our 100% and we’re going to fight. I’ll make sure when we come off that pitch, we have no regrets.”
The winner takes control of Group L. Kickoff is 4:00 PM ET at Gillette Stadium.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Black Stars forward Brandon Thomas-Asante insists Ghana will carry no pressure into Tuesday’s World Cup showdown with England at Boston Stadium, saying the team’s self-belief and sense of purpose outweigh outside expectations.
Brandon provided a 95th minute assist that helped Ghana beat Panama 1-0 in Toronto.
The win left both Ghana and England level on three points in Group L following the Three Lions 4-2 over Croatia in their opening match.
Speaking to ghanafa.org Thomas-Asante is adamant that external doubt only fuels the squad.
“Everything to the best ability, it’s very much a case of we back ourselves, we believe in ourselves. Whether people on the outside doubt us, believe us, or anything that’s not what we think about. We think about why we’re here. We’re on a mission,” Thomas-Asante said.
The Coventry City forward said that mission removes any weight of expectation. “That means there’s no pressure. It’s even less pressure for us,” he explained.
“We know our fans believe, but we know that some people might want to overlook us. We use that to our advantage preparing properly and believing that we can go and do something,” He added.
England and Ghana both sit on three points heading into the Foxborough clash, with the winner set to take control of Group L. Kickoff at Boston Stadium on Tuesday.
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