He said it was the FA's vision to set up its own football academy in northern Ghana to scout for talents in junior high school to train them to realise their dream in football.

Bolga SHS partnership
The FA boss told the Daily Graphic that subsequently, two additional football academies would also be set up in the Ashanti Region to cover the middle belt and a third one in the Greater Accra Region to take care of the coastal belt.

After commissioning a FIFA-funded standardised artificial turf in Winkongo in the Upper East Region last Friday, Mr Simeon-Okraku revealed that the GFA and the Bolgatanga Senior High School would soon announce a partnership for the establishment of the football academy in the region to train young footballers.

He indicated that the topmost football talents in the five regions of the northern part of Ghana would be brought to the Bolgatanga SHS to study and learn football at the Kurt Simeon-Okraku Winkongo Technical Centre, which was close to the school.

He explained that it was the intention of the GFA to make a profound statement that it was possible for schoolchildren to have normal education and also pursue a career in football for their own benefit.

“This is the vision of the GFA but the foremost one will be in Bolgatanga SHS and that very soon the project will take off as planned to assist the youth to unearth their talent in football,” he said.

Football development
He said the football academy project was to unearth talents within the schools to encourage them to find a career in football and contribute to its development as well, stressing “ obviously, the new technical centre established will be where talents in education, coaching, football will be developed.

He expressed optimism that the establishment of the technical centre and the football academy would create a conveyor belt for more football talents to be produced to justify the huge investment made.

He stated the GFA would continue to spread football infrastructure across the 10 football regions in the country to enable clubs and footballers to have access to standard facilities to improve their football career.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the Chairman of the Upper East Regional Football Association, Salifu Shaibu Zida, lauded the GFA and FIFA for coming into the region to establish the technical centre to enhance football activities.

“There is no doubt that with the provision of the new astroturf, the youth now have a befitting place to develop their football career,” he said.
The newly established GFA technical centre, named Kurt E.S. Okraku Winkongo Technical Centre, was funded by FIFA through the FIFA Forward 1.0 initiative and is set to revolutionise football in the region. It boasts not only the artificial park but also additional facilities such as floodlights powered by a standby generator, two movable goal posts and an inner perimeter fencing.

The entire project, which cost over $1 million, aims to provide a conducive environment for football development in the region.