GFA to commission two new football academies this year to unearth talents

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) is set to commission two new football academies in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions, as part of its initiative to discover and develop young football talents across the country.

According to the Technical Director of the GFA, Professor Isaac Kwame Mintah, these new facilities will be the next in line of the GFA Elite Football Academies, following the successful launch of a similar academy in Winkogo, Upper East Region, in February.

Speaking at the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS) Knowledge Exchange Seminar last Thursday in Accra, Prof. Mintah highlighted the long-term vision of these projects: to nurture young talents for the national youth teams, ultimately feeding into the senior national team. 

"Even as we speak today, we have already started the process to establish a second academy in the Ashanti region, specifically in Kumasi, which will serve students from the Brong Ahafo and Ashanti regions," Prof. Mintah explained. "Additionally, we are planning to open another academy in the Greater Accra region this year, hopefully in Prampram."

The GFA's strategy includes establishing Elite Football Academies in all ten footballing regions of Ghana within the next seven years. 

"The goal is to have one academy per region, ensuring a continuous supply of talent for our youth national teams, which will eventually feed into the senior national team," Prof. Mintah added. "Our aim is to maintain a robust talent pipeline, positioning Ghana to excel in the World Cup and potentially conquer the world stage."

Former Ghana international and FIFA High Performance Expert, Tony Baffoe, praised the initiative, noting its potential to strengthen the country's football foundation. "The more regional centres we have where players can train, the better it is for the country. This approach will help develop future stars like Dede Ayew and Kudus," Baffoe said.

The Head of the FIFA TDS, Ulf Schott, mentioned the scheme's objective to support national teams in reaching their full potential, particularly as FIFA expands the World Cup to 48 teams. "FIFA has allocated $200 million for the Talent Development Scheme over the next four years, aiming to ensure that every talented player has the opportunity to be selected and developed," Schott stated.

The TDS focuses on funding, expertise, training and education, and knowledge exchange. Currently, a Knowledge Exchange Workshop is underway in Ghana, with participation from ten Member Associations: Ghana, Algeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zambia. 

Through the Academies Programme, FIFA aims to ensure that at least 75 member associations have a high-performance academy or centre of excellence by 2027.