Plan B Phase III launched in Tamale to equip young footballers with skills beyond the pitch

The Plan B Phase III project, an initiative designed to equip young footballers with educational, entrepreneurial and vocational skills, has been launched in Tamale in the Northern Region.

The programme, initiated by HOPin Academy, an innovative ecosystem development and entrepreneurial organisation based in Tamale, with support from FANT, is aimed at creating sustainable career pathways for young footballers beyond professional football.

The initiative seeks to encourage footballers to remain in school or pursue further education, promote the safeguarding and protection of children's rights within football, and increase awareness of career opportunities beyond professional sports.

It will also focus on strengthening football clubs through improved governance and capacity development while building confident, responsible and resilient young leaders.

Plan B Phase III builds on the achievements of Plan B Phase II, which onboarded more than 1,500 young footballers over the past few years and created opportunities for participants in apprenticeships and sustainable business ventures.

The launch, held at the premises of HOPin Academy, brought together more than 50 young footballers, club owners, schoolchildren, heads of second-cycle institutions, coaches and other stakeholders to outline the programme's roadmap.

Participating clubs included Northern Ladies FC, Tamale C.F.C. and Bagabaga FC, among others, highlighting the broad community support for the initiative.

The Assistant Headmaster of Business Senior High School, Mr. Alhassan Mohammed Saani, commended HOPin Academy and its partners for investing in the development of young footballers.

He said the welfare of young footballers had historically been a major concern, discouraging many young people from pursuing careers in the sector.

“The past welfare of young footballers has been pathetic, therefore discouraging many from venturing into the sector, but with this project, it would encourage many of the youth to harness their career while exhibiting their passion,” he said.

Mr. Saani appealed for increased funding for sports at the senior high school level to help nurture young talents and prepare them for the future.

The Assistant Sports Master at Bagabaga College of Education, Mr. Hussein Jabiru, said the initiative would help promote discipline among young people involved in sports while equipping them with alternative livelihood opportunities.

He also called for coaches and match officials to be included in the capacity-building programmes, saying they needed continuous training to improve their professional skills and career prospects.

A Physical Education representative at the senior high school level, Mr. Fuseini Seidu Babamu, stressed the importance of educating heads of institutions and parents on the value of sports in the development of children.

He said such education would also contribute to the establishment of a formal child protection framework to safeguard the careers and wellbeing of young footballers.

Mr. Babamu called for the expansion of the project to other institutions and fields of study to provide broader development opportunities for young people.

A representative of the footballers, Adamu Mohamed Awal, expressed concern over the lack of quality football pitches in the region for training and competitive tournaments.

He said the situation was a major challenge for young talents seeking to develop their skills and pursue professional careers.

The Executive Director of HOPin Academy, MacCarthy Mac-Gbathy, said Plan B Phase III was designed to equip young footballers with the entrepreneurial, educational and vocational skills needed to succeed both on and off the field.

He noted that thousands of young footballers and athletes across Ghana and other parts of Africa dream of becoming professional players, although only a small percentage eventually reach the highest levels of the sport.

According to him, the limited opportunities mean many young athletes become vulnerable to unemployment and poverty when they are unable to establish professional careers or when their playing days come to an end.

He explained that HOPin Academy developed the Plan B initiative as a dual-career pathway programme to address the challenge.

“The project utilises the immense interest in football as a hook to educate and train youth in entrepreneurship, digital skills, and vocational trades,” he said.

Mr. Mac-Gbathy further disclosed that the Academy had acquired a field on which it intends to develop a modern astroturf to provide young footballers with improved facilities for training and development.

The Project Coordinator for Plan B Club, Joshua Amehi, said Phase III would promote holistic youth and leadership development.

“The Phase III introduces enhanced ‘Expert Desks’ to guide the beneficiaries through career guidance and counselling, employability skills and entrepreneurship training, scholarship and educational guidance as well as health and wellbeing to the beneficiaries,” he said.

Mr. Amehi said HOPin Academy remained committed to helping young footballers and other sports officials build sustainable futures regardless of the direction their careers eventually took.

He said the expansion of Plan B Phase III across the Northern Region represented an emerging model of sports-led youth empowerment, aimed at ensuring that young footballers develop the knowledge, resilience and practical skills required to succeed both within and beyond the sporting arena.