GFA will Invest More in Youth Football – Kurt Okraku
The president of the Ghana Football Association, Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku announced to delegates at the FA’s Congress that the association willfully place youth football at the top of its development agenda.
The GFA has already unveiled a comprehensive strategy to rejuvenate the grassroots, aimed at strengthening the very foundation of Ghana football.
The strategy, which is already in motion, embodies the GFA’s commitment to ensuring the enduring vitality of the sport across all levels.
Addressing delegates at the 2024 convocation of Congress at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram on Tuesday, President Simeon-Okraku underscored the importance of placing youth football at the top of the pyramid.
“It is critical for all of us who invest in Ghana Football to understand the need to invest more in our youth. We, therefore, need to institute policies that support clubs to develop talent competitively to make our leagues attractive,” he told the delegates.
With his extensive background in Football Management and broad knowledge of the nuances of the sport, President Simeon-Okraku has a deep understanding of how to lead Ghana football along the lines of revitalizing youth football in the country.
The Ghana Football Association has initiated several policies and programmes targeted at youth development and empowerment across all levels in the country. These interventions include the training of about 1,600 young referees under the unique Catch Them Young Refereeing policy and the introduction of the novel Elite National Girls U15 Challenge Cup (developed in line with FIFA’s Talent Development Scheme [TDS]) to develop top talent and enhance Ghana Football.
The GFA has also announced plans to collaborate with the Regional Football Associations to introduce Inter-District U-15 and U-17 festivals for boys and girls and continue the path of improving the KGL Foundation U-17 National Championship, Girls U-15 Inter-Regional Challenge Cup while introducing a national U-17 Girls Challenge Cup.
The GFA aims to leverage Ghana’s massive pool of potential talent to boost on-pitch success at the domestic, continental, and international levels as President Simeon-Okraku and the Executive Council remain keenly engaged on the youth development agenda.
The FA’s sharpening focus on youth football falls in tandem with FIFA’s announcement that the girls’ and boys’ FIFA U-17 World Cup will now be annual events from 2025, giving the very best young talents in every country the opportunity to shine on the global stage.
The GFA has outlined a set of key objectives geared towards enhancing participation and engagement at the grassroots level. The strategy prioritizes opportunities for both male and female teenagers, emphasizing on inclusivity and accessibility to underscore the FA’s dedication to fostering a diverse and inclusive Ghanaian football landscape and thus nurturing young talents and instilling good values and passion for the game in them.
