StarTimes Bundesliga School Kicks Off In Ghana

The official broadcaster of the German Bundesliga in Africa, StarTimes has commenced a five-day training programme for 100 young Ghanaian footballers in Accra.

The programme christened Bundesliga Football School is a partnership between StarTimes and the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) and it started on Saturday at the Lord's Wembley in Shukura with the participants being put through their paces by elite youth football coaches.

According to the Head of Marketing at StarTimes Ghana, Mrs Akofa Banson, the programme is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project which is targeted at developing Ghanaian youth football to the elite level.

"We are doing this as CSR project to project youth football in Ghana. That is why we are partnering the Bundesliga to run this programme so that we can have some elite talents for the various national teams".

Participants
Mrs Banson said the participants were selected by the Ghana Education Service and the Ghana Football Association from across the length and breadth of the country.

They comprise 25 female players aged under 17 years, 25 male players aged under 13 years, 25 players aged under 15 years and 25 male players aged under 17 years.

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She disclosed that the participants would be catered for by StarTimes for the duration of the programme which climaxes on Wednesday, December 18.

Coaches
The School is being run by coaches from Germany and Ghana including Head Coach, Birger Nass, School Co-ordinator, Bjoern Nass, two-time Women's World Cup winner, Renate Lingor, Black Maidens coach, Evans Adotey, National U-15 goalkeepers coach Isaac Amoako and Eric Ofori Antwi.

Providing further insight into the programme, Coach Nass said the participants would be exposed to the coaching regimen which has made Germany a powerhouse in world football.

He said a focus of youth football has ensured that German Bundesliga has regained its place among the best football leagues in the world.

"Over the next five days, there will be training sessions twice a day on individual and basic techniques like how we train in Germany.

"Also, there will be group tactics and individual tactics, so that they can show us what their level is and we can show them what the German kids get from us as coaches. The most important thing is that they have fun over the next five days".

He said there would also be knowledge transfer between the German and Ghanaian coaches during the programme.

Climax
School Co-ordinator, Bjoern Nass disclosed that the programme will end on Wednesday with a football tournament to crown a German Bundesliga champion in Ghana.

He disclosed that the participants would be involved in a motivational session conducted by Bundesliga legends, Lothar Herbert Matthäus, Charles Kwabla (CK) Akunnor and Samuel Kuffour.