The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has opened a two-day FIFA-led assessment of the country’s amateur football system, as authorities seek to identify gaps and opportunities for strengthening the grassroots game.
The FIFA Amateur Football Environment Analysis programme, which runs from August 25 to 26 at the Alisa Hotel in Accra, is bringing together football administrators, technical experts and representatives of key institutions to examine how Ghana can improve its amateur football structures.
Opening the programme, GFA President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku stressed the need to give greater attention to amateur football, describing it as a critical foundation for the sustained growth of the sport.
The exercise is being conducted by FIFA Technical Experts Ali Mwebe and Serame Ezekiel Letsoaka, FIFA’s official responsible for amateur football development in Africa, with support from the GFA Technical Directorate.
According to the GFA, the assessment is intended to provide an objective look at Ghana’s existing amateur football environment, including its structures, development pathways and opportunities available to young players.
The first day focused on engagements with members of the GFA Executive Council, management and staff, allowing the FIFA delegation to gather information on the association’s current approach to amateur football development.
Among officials participating were Executive Council members Frederick Acheampong, Kingsley Osei Bonsu and Samuel Aboabire, as well as GFA General Secretary Prosper Harrison Addo.
The programme is expected to take a broader approach on its second day, with representatives from outside the GFA joining the discussions.
These include officials from the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, National Sports Authority, Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service and Ghana Olympic Committee.
Representatives of the Women’s Football Committee, football leagues, academies, sporting media, junior national team coaches and other stakeholders in beach soccer, futsal, refereeing and medical services are also expected to participate.
The broader stakeholder engagement is aimed at identifying challenges that affect the development of amateur football and exploring practical solutions that can improve the pathway from grassroots participation to elite football.
The FIFA team is also expected to share international experiences and best practices while assessing how Ghana’s existing structures compare with developments in amateur football globally.
For the GFA, the exercise presents an opportunity to develop a more coordinated approach to grassroots football by bringing together institutions whose activities directly or indirectly influence the development of young players.
The discussions are expected to generate recommendations that could help improve the organisation of amateur football, expand opportunities for young talents and strengthen collaboration among football authorities, government institutions, schools and other stakeholders.
The assessment comes at a time when the development of a sustainable talent pipeline remains central to efforts to secure the future of Ghanaian football.
By examining the strengths and weaknesses of the current system, organisers hope the FIFA engagement will provide a basis for reforms capable of creating a stronger and more accessible grassroots football environment across the country.
