Coca Cola launches National U-17 Championship

Coca Cola Ghana Limited, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ghana Football Association (GFA) have initiated a special National U-17 Championship, as part of efforts to discover young and talented players for grooming.

The championship will have a team representing each of the ten regions of the country, after a vigorous selection exercise kick-start by the close of July.

According to the organizers, the championship, which will last for three days will include football clinics to be handled by a five man technical team made of qualified and veteran coaches.

Launching the championship, Hon. Rashid Pelpuo, Minister of Youth and Sports said the initiative is synonymous with the intention of the government and the Ministry to focus on grass root development, hence the company will be given the needed support to succeed.

Hon. Pelpuo noted that the project is not just about football, but giving the youth an avenue to livelihood and a means of survival.

The Minister said his outfit will have serious discussion with Coca Cola Company Limited to find ways of strengthening the project and making it succeed.

“We want the partnership to go beyond just sponsorship to reflect our seriousness in the development and promotion of sports in the country.” He noted.

Hon. Pelpuo appealed to the company and other corporate bodies to extend their support to other sporting disciplines to ensure even development of sports in Ghana.

Mr. Kwasi Nyantakyi, President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) said his outfit is in support of the project, since it falls within their objective of youth development as it had made huge investments in similar areas.

He however stated that, the championship should be played in a fair manner by calling on the organizers to ensure that participants use the right ages to avoid cheating.

He also asked participants to be disciplined and conduct themselves in a responsible manner since they represent the future of the nation. Mr. Nyataktyi lauded the company for the initiative saying it was the first time Coca Cola Company was sponsoring youth football development programe after years of sponsoring the World Youth Championships.

The logo for the championship was unveiled by former Black Stars player and a member of the 1991 World U-17 winning squad, Yaw Preko, Hon. Pelpuo and Mr. Nyantakyi.