The GhanaAmerican Football Federation (GAFF) has announced partnership with Yison Tech Hub, a non-governmental organization (NGO)in Wa to promote American football in the Upper West region to groom talented footballers for the region and the nation at large.
The partnership was aimed at supporting the region to produce highly educated world class footballers and future soccer players and administrators.
Speaking at a meeting to discuss the development of the game in the region, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NGO,MrIssahaqueSerikperaNaa said the initiative was a strategy to create a safe space for the youth to stay away from addiction, crime and other deviant behaviour.
He said the continuous despair among the youth regarding unemployment in the country could be brought under control when the potential of the new game was harnessed to its fullest.
He said it was his hope that as a youth centred organisation, Yison Tech Hub would support the game to ensure that talented individuals in the region pursued football as a career.
“It is a great initiative which we believe will go a long way to help the youth in societyand also create aplatform for the players to exhibit their talent in order to earn scholarships to travel outside the country,” he said.
He said the football would not only serve as a game or a profession for the talented youth but would also help to promote peace and unity among individuals in the communities.
He encouraged parents and caregivers to allow their children participate in sporting activities for them to unearth their talents aside pursuing academic laurel and running after ‘white collar’ jobs which were not existent.
The Director of Development for GAFF, Mr. Mohammed Osman said that his outfit was willing and ready to support and raise the standard of football in the region.
He said the Upper West region was big enough and had the requisite talent to propel the development of football to meet international standard for the benefit of the country.
He said it was important to create opportunities by helping young people in the region to identify and build on their hidden talents in sports to further their growth and development as it was going to promote proper upbringing, development, and better position the youth to become national assets for nation-building.
FROM RAFIA ABDUL RAZAK, WA