Sixteen female football coaches in the Northern Region have undergone a three-day refresher training organised by the United States Embassy in Ghana. The training, held under the Embassy’s Sports Diplomacy Programme, focused on modern football techniques, including ball possession, tackling, player positioning, teamwork and leadership.
The initiative brought together 96 young female footballers from 16 clubs and their coaches. The coaches and players were taken through practical sessions by a team of experienced women’s football professionals as part of efforts to improve the quality of female football in the region.
The programme is also designed to equip local coaches with modern technical skills they can pass on to the next generation of female footballers.
Speaking to the media, Culture and Education Attache’ at the U.S embassy in Ghana, Donya Eldridge says Tamale was selected for the programme following the massive turnout recorded during a World Cup viewing event, which attracted more than 3,000 people.
She says the programme will subsequently be replicated in Kumasi and Accra, using a trainer-of-trainers model to expand its impact.
“We saw how Ghana rallied behind the Black Stars, and we want to make sure we keep that same energy and have similar plans to develop female football.”
Ms. Eldridge says leadership and teamwork are critical to building a formidable football team.
She explains that the U.S. Embassy has been working with coaches since last year and that the beneficiaries will continue to have access to the U.S. envoys for knowledge-sharing even after the training.
She says the presence of the sports envoys in Tamale is not only to train coaches but also to encourage young female footballers to take the sport seriously.
Executive Director Settle reign academy and FIFA Women’s 1991 world cup champion, Amy Griffin told journalists her interactions with the coaches and players have revealed significant talent and passion for football in the region.
She has therefore urged Ghanaian authorities to harness the potential of female footballers to build stronger national teams.
“There is talent and passion for football in Ghana, and we must harness it.” The U.S. Sports Envoy, Kofi Sarkodie, expressed the hope that the coaches will translate the lessons learned on the field into practical benefits for their communities.
He says the trainer-of-trainers model will enable local coaches to transfer modern technical and tactical knowledge to other coaches and young players. “The model we are trying to establish is the trainer-of-trainers model. It will provide opportunities for local coaches to teach and instill modern football techniques.” Coach of the Northern School of Business football team, Fuseini Seidu Babamu, commended the U.S. Embassy for the initiative.
He says the coaches were challenged to identify the kind of football culture they want to build for the next generation of female players. He expressed the desire to see Ghana’s female football teams dominate African football through improved ball possession.
The coaches were subsequently taken through techniques aimed at improving passing, movement, ball possession and tackling. Nurudeen Shaibu of Bagabaga Football Club also thanked the U.S. Embassy for selecting the club for the programme.
He says football has evolved significantly and continuous experience-sharing is needed to improve the development of young female players. He says the training has exposed the coaches and players to new approaches that will help them improve their game.
Some of the players who participated in the training described the sessions as enlightening.
One of the players said she learnt how to make accurate passes and improve movement on the field, while Saaka Mohammed Fati said the training taught her how to position herself before receiving a pass and how to stretch properly to prevent injuries.
The players expressed appreciation to the U.S. Embassy and appealed for the programme to be extended to cover more football clubs in the region.
Coordinator of the Plan B Project at HOPin Academy, Joshua Amehi, says the practical training will contribute to improving the quality and development of female football in the Northern Region.
