Roberta Donkor calls for greater investment in grassroots football development

A football enthusiast and development specialist, Roberta Donkor, has appealed to government institutions, corporate organisations and development partners to invest more in grassroots football development, stressing that young talents across Ghana can become future football stars if provided with the right support.

Speaking during a donation exercise at Adaklu Kpetsu D/A Basic School in the Volta Region to mark her birthday, Ms Donkor said the future of Ghana football depends largely on the opportunities and resources made available to children at the basic school level.

She observed that although Ghana is blessed with abundant football talent, many promising young players fail to reach their full potential because of inadequate investment and limited support structures at the grassroots.

“I believe that we can groom the young ones in football. We can groom their talents to become the future Lamine Yamal, Semenyo and Kudus that we can one day be proud of,” she said.

Ms Donkor emphasised that football development begins in schools and local communities where young people first discover and nurture their abilities.

“It starts from today. They need resources. In the Volta Region, I believe our voices can be heard out there. So I call on all government institutions and all agencies to come and support the young ones,” she stated.

She noted that investing in grassroots football would not only help produce future national stars but would also strengthen national pride and improve Ghana’s competitiveness on the international stage.

“They can also become those great sports players and personalities we want to see on TV and want to enjoy Ghana matches. We want to enjoy Black Stars matches and be proud that we belong to a particular country,” she added.

The donation formed part of her annual birthday outreach initiative, through which she undertakes community projects and charitable activities instead of organising elaborate celebrations.

Explaining the motivation behind the initiative, Ms Donkor said she preferred using resources to support meaningful projects that directly benefit communities and schools.

“Every birthday of mine, I decide to mark it with some donations or a project. I actually do this because I believe that tithing is very good. But instead of giving it to a particular religion or denomination, I would rather put it together and choose a project that I want to do with it,” she explained.

She disclosed that friends and well-wishers from Ghana and abroad, including supporters from the United States, contributed towards the project.

As part of the exercise, Ms Donkor donated football jerseys, two footballs, soft drinks and biscuits to pupils of Adaklu Kpetsu D/A Basic School. The event also featured football matches for both boys and girls, creating excitement among the pupils.

A passionate supporter of FC Barcelona, Ms Donkor expressed the hope that football clubs in Ghana and the Volta Region would one day attain international standards.

She said Ghana should aspire to develop world-class football clubs and modern stadiums capable of hosting major international competitions and producing globally recognised talents.

According to her, a vibrant football industry could create employment opportunities for young people while contributing significantly to national development.

The Head Teacher of Adaklu Kpetsu D/A Basic School, Sally Dzidzor Hogba, thanked Ms Donkor for selecting the school as the beneficiary of her birthday project.

She revealed that the donation came as a surprise after Ms Donkor contacted her during the school holidays to inquire about the school's sporting needs.

“I am very happy that Roberta actually brought this birthday celebration here. She called me during the holidays and asked me a few questions. She asked if we had jerseys and if we were interested in jerseys. I said yes, but I did not know it was going to take this form,” she said.

Mrs Hogba explained that the school had long been in need of new jerseys because the existing sets were outdated and too large for many of the players.

“We actually needed jerseys because the set that the school had was donated years ago. If you look at them, you will see they are out of date and very big, even bigger than some of the under-15 players,” she noted.

She added that the donation was timely because the school had already planned to purchase new jerseys.

The head teacher also welcomed the donation of footballs, saying they would support preparations for upcoming inter-schools competitions.

Mrs Hogba, a strong advocate of school sports, said she consistently ensures that pupils participate in inter-schools and inter-circuit competitions despite financial challenges.

“A lot of schools lament when they are not able to raise funds to send their learners to inter-schools and inter-circuits. But I always make sure they go,” she said.

She pledged continued support for talented young athletes and called on stakeholders to assist pupils in pursuing their sporting ambitions.

The school's Sports Master, Famous Agordo, also expressed appreciation for the donation but appealed for additional support, particularly football boots and more jerseys.

“We need football boots, especially for the young ones. They do not have any and some of them are facing financial challenges. Sometimes we help as teachers for them to acquire some, but it is not enough,” he said.

Mr Agordo also requested additional jerseys for the school's under 13 and under 15 boys' and girls' teams.

He disclosed that the school placed fourth in an under-13 competition last year, with some pupils earning selection to represent their circuit.

He expressed confidence that the school would perform better in future competitions and produce more talented players.

One of the highlights of the event was the boys' football match, which was decided by a lone goal from Nathan Ahumbli, who was subsequently named Man of the Match.

The young footballer said he dreams of playing for the Ghana national team and identified Mohammed Kudus as his role model.

Nathan also expressed his ambition of one day playing for FC Barcelona, citing the club's attractive style of play as his inspiration.

His aspirations reflected the central message of the event: that with adequate investment, encouragement and opportunities, young talents from communities such as Adaklu Kpetsu can develop into future football stars capable of representing Ghana on the global stage.