Football Development Project Launched
A Football Development Festival Project[ FDFP] aimed at nurturing and exposing young talents to foreign experience has taken place in Accra with a call on the media to support and ensure the success of the project.
The Project, the brainchild of the Sharks Sports Academy [SPA] an Accra based soccer academy renowned for scouting, nurturing and exposing younger Ghanaians to foreign experience, was in collaboration with Mr. Alexander Falegan, a Nigerian FIFA Licensed Agent.
In his welcome address, Mr. Mohammed Sharks Osuman, the SPA Chief Executive Officer[CEO] was hopeful the project will not only succeed but will help provide good players for the various Ghanaian National Teams.
The Academy Boss explained that the Project which starts this Month will end in July 2013 with the scouting of 60 players who will be taking to training tours of the United Kingdom and Dubai. The Project takes one month to scout these players with the country being zoned into three different zones.
On his part, Mr. Alexander Falegan said that football development especially the grassroots which he referred to as the mainstream of soccer should not be left alone to the Government. He therefore called on the private bodies to come on board to help push the efforts being made by Government to another height.
He proposed for Governments in Africa to enact laws that enables all corporate bodies in the continent to sponsor a sporting activity or at least have soccer or any sporting team as being done in Dubai to help develop sports in Africa.
The FIFA Agent also requested for frequent sporting activities such as clinics, refresher courses, soccer competitions amongst others to be frequently sponsored and organized for coaches, administrators and the up and coming youth.
Praying for the success of the program, he is also confident that such an exposure with a very sound support will go a long way to nurture and develop younger talents not only in Ghana but Africa as a whole.
Spelling out the modalities for the Project, Mr. Umar Adamu of SPA explained that the country will be categorized into three different zones. Zone one will comprise of the Ashanti, Eastern, Western and the Brong Ahafo Regions.
Zone two includes the Northern and the two Upper Regions whiles zone three comprises the Greater Accra, Volta and the Central Regions. In all 90 players will be chosen out of which 60 will be scouted and sent to the two training tours.
Mr. Adamu further added that the Project, the first of its kind in Ghana will be held annually to help promote the development of football in the country.
Launching the project, Mr. Neil Amstrong, an Accra Hearts of Oak Board Member commended SPA for the initiative and prayed for the Project to see the light of the day for the development of the game in Ghana.