Mrs Akwaboah (L) presenting one of the items to Anlo Ladies together with Baruch and Jed Akwaboah
Soccer For Dreamers, an online initiative, has supported six women’s Division One southern zonal champions with sports equipment worth thousands of cedis.
Dubbed ‘Ubuntu Online Academy’, the initiative seeks to equip girls with tools to help them succeed beyond playing football.
The Academy, a platform set up to train young footballers in Ghana and on the continent to go into employment and entrepreneurship, will train the girls with business plans, courses on how to establish and sustain businesses, and lessons in doing business in Ghana by local business mentors.
On Thursday, a US-based sports charity outfit, led by its president, Mrs. Sylvia Akwaboah, and co-founders Baruch and Jed Akwaboah, visited the teams in Kyebi.
The teams included Epihany Ladies, Jonina Ladies, Elmina Sea Lions, Anlo Ladies, Hassport Ladies, and Kotoku Rush Ladies, all of whom are currently taking part in the Southern Zonal play-off championships in Kyebi.
The founder stated in her address that, “The Ubuntu Online Academy will help them go out there, get jobs, go into business, get money, and be able to fend for themselves and live a comfortable life off the field.
“Soccer For Dreamers will continue to support you girls; however, when your future is secured, you will then be the ones donating to the generations yet to come,” she told the players.
Co-founder of Soccer For Dreamers, Jed Akwaboah, noted that their dream is to build the popularity of women’s football in Ghana and hopefully one day see them at the World Cup.
The teams received education on the use of menstrual cups and how to reach the summit of their football careers without being inhibited by their monthly menstrual cycle, after which they were presented with the menstrual cups, which, according to Mrs. Akwaboah, are less expensive as compared to pads.
All six teams also received football gear, including football boots, shin pads, jerseys, balls, gloves, cones, and soaps, among others.
Chairman of the Eastern Regional Football Association (RFA), Linford Asamoah Boadu, who represented the Ghana Football Association (GFA), expressed excitement at the thoughtfulness of the group towards the female clubs.
He added, “Your support in bringing football equipment and the menstrual cups will go a long way to helping develop the game here in Ghana, and I know the partnership with the GFA is going to grow to a level that would benefit us all, and you would never regret taking up this initiative.”
From The Sports Desk