#PowerHerGame: GFA Manager Urges Tumu Girls to Reject Myths and Embrace Football Dreams
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) successfully concluded a crucial one-day talent unearthing and sensitization drive in the Sissala East Municipal. The event, held at the Tumu Sports Stadium Astro Turf, marked a key activation of the Ghana Women’s Football Strategy (2023-2026), led by GFA Women Football Development Manager, Jennifer Amankwa Sarpong. The Tumu stop was part of a region-wide tour, with the team scheduled to move on to another district immediately after the successful program.
Jennifer Amankwa Sarpong stated that the primary goal of the strategy, which she implements under the direct supervision of the GFA President and Council members, is to tackle the significant development gap between boys’ and girls’ football. While boys have established structures up to the Premier League, girls’ pathways often lack grassroots development.
“The GFA thought of closing that gap, to develop young talent from 5, 6, up to 13 and 15 years,” she explained.
To facilitate this grassroots development, the GFA and the Ghana Education Service (GES) have established a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), allowing the GFA to visit basic schools nationwide to identify and nurture talent. The central mission is developing and promoting women’s football at the grassroots level.
The strategy is built on five key pillars, with Grassroot Football being foundational. The ‘Football 4 Girls’ initiative operates under this pillar, aiming to engage, inspire, and empower girls between the ages of 5 and 13 to actively participate in the sport. Another critical pillar is Education, specifically addressing and correcting misconceptions about girls playing football. Ms. Sarpong emphasized the need to educate both the young players and their parents on these issues.
The one-day event brought together girls from ten basic schools in Tumu, including St. Gabriel Basic, Egala Basic, United Basic, T.I. Ahmadiyya Basic, Falahia Basic, Tumu Basic, Tutco Demonstrations Model School, Girls Model School, Trian Christian Academy, and Stadium Residential Basic School. During an interactive session, Ms. Sarpong addressed misconceptions head-on. She firmly debunked the notion, raised by the students, that playing football leads to a girl becoming a lesbian, stressing that such claims were unfounded talk. Following the sensitization, the ten schools were paired to play five matches, each lasting ten minutes, providing a competitive platform for the newly engaged talents.
The Municipal Education Director, Mr. Charles Lewil, was present alongside other officials from his office. He welcomed the GFA team and offered encouraging words to the students, highlighting the importance of the program for their holistic development.
By Bashiru Nuhu Bapagu