Division One League: Young Red Bulls replace WAFA in Zone 2

Cape Coast-based Young Red Bulls FC have secured a place in zone two of the Access Bank Division One League for the upcoming season as replacement for West Africa Football Academy (WAFA) who withdrew their participation in the second tier league to focus on nurturing young talents at the Sogakope-based academy.

Young Red Bulls earned promotion to play in the 2023/24 Access Bank Division One League after winning a special three-team playoff to find a replacement for WAFA in zone two of the league.

They topped the league table with maximum points after beating Mahala FC 2-0 and Team Move FC 1-0. Second-placed Team Move FC and Mahala FC both had one point each but were separated by goal difference.

The Division Two League play-off was specially designed for teams that finished second in the recent Division Two Middle Leagues in the Central, Ashanti and Western regions to battle for the single remaining slot in zone two of the Access Bank Division One League following WAFA's exit. 

Start of season

Young Red Bull will now join 15 other division one clubs as they prepare for the 2023/24 league season, which kicks off on Wednesday, October 4.

A month ago, the management of WAFA notified the Ghana Football Association about its decision to withdraw from the league, citing the current change of policy direction to fully focus on developing young football talents through the academy system.

Their withdrawal follows a similar decision by Liberty Professionals, who also withdrew from the second-tier league for the upcoming season to concentrate on player development following a strategic shift in its operations. Liberty subsequently ceded their spot in zone three of the league to Hohoe United, which acquired ownership rights for the Dansoman-based club.