The General Manager of the club, Seth Panwum, said All Stars targeted a top four finish before this season, but having won the ultimate “It gives me a sense of confidence that with good preparations we can enter the money zone in our first attempt in Africa”.

Affectionately called Boyooyo, the former sports prefect of Lawra Secondary School told the Graphic Sports that his trump card which was unity in diversity ensured that the atmosphere in camp was always friendly, keeping the team more united.

Mr Panwum,  under whose stewardship the Wa club made history this season, said he made sure winning bonuses were reviewed and also ensured prompt payment of salaries. This, he explained motivated the team a lot and kept the boys focused.

“I had a very good inter-personal relationship with every member of the team. We also had to work as a system, complimenting each other week after week with a winning mentality,” Mr Panwum pointed out.

Arguably the youngest club general manager in the country, Mr Panwum was himself a former footballer (a goalkeeper) for a Division One club in Wa known as Yellow Masters where, by dint of hard work, he earned a call-up to play in the then Milo Games in Sunyani towards constituting the then Black Starlets but was overlooked by the handlers.

Later, he joined the then Upper West Heroes, which coincidentally had the present president of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi, as the Accra representative.

He rose through the ranks to become the team manager of Yellow Masters until Heroes and Yellow Masters were merged as part of efforts to qualify a team from Wa to the premiership.

He said the merger did not yield the expected results and so the handlers had to abandon the idea, leading to the formation of Wa All Stars.

Mr Panwum was elevated to the position of acting Public Relations Officer (PRO) from 2009 to 2012 and after excelling in his new portfolio, Nyantakyi handed over the team to him as the General Manager. Mr Panwum has for the past five years been steering the affairs of the club, alongside the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Samuel Oduro-Nyarko.

“I had a vision to make Wa All Stars one of the most attractive and competitive clubs in Ghana and across the African continent with a focus to develop the youth. I also challenged myself to have something to show before the club’s 10th anniversary and so I thank God our hard work has paid off with the winning of this season’s league,” Mr Panwum told the Graphic Sports.

He expressed regret at the decision to part ways with ex-coach of the club, Jimmy Cobblah, during pre-season but said he was happy Coach Enos Kwame Adipah, who was assistant to Cobblah, took the bull by the horn and clinched the ultimate.

“Next season is going to be a difficult season, considering the fact that we are the champions and so a lot will be expected from us. It is our aim to do very well in Africa and exhibit one of the best Ghanaian football ever after Accra Hearts of Oak in 2000 when we embark on our Africa agenda,” he emphasised.

Mr Panwum, who was born and bred in Wa but is a Mamprusi from Kpasenkpe in the Walewale District of the Northern Region, pledged his loyalty to the Wa club, saying “Some football academics have made informal gestures trying to lure me but my loyalty remains with Wa All Stars and would not want to do anything to dent the confidence Kwesi Nyantakyi has in me.”

The UDS Alumnus, who holds a Masters Degree in Development Management, said he would work hard to use football to improve the lot of the youth.

“For now, joblessness in the country is too much, particularly among the youth and football is doing well to give them hope for the future,” he said.