US Embassy Initiative Trains Coaches in Tamale to Boost Girls’ Football Skills

Tamale: The United States (US) Embassy in Ghana, under its sports diplomacy programme, has trained 16 football coaches in Tamale to strengthen their capacity to develop the technical, leadership, and teamwork skills of girls in football. The three-day Training of Trainers initiative, which ended in Tamale, sought to equip the coaches, drawn from various professional football clubs and school teams, with skills they could transfer to young female footballers in the Northern Region. The programme is expected to create pathways for the girls to develop their sporting careers and leadership potential. According to Ghana News Agency, the training was facilitated by Miss Amy Griffin, Executive Director of Seattle Reign Academy, and Mr Kofi Sarkodie, a US Sports Envoy. Miss Griffin is a pioneer in women's football and was a member of the United States team that won the inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup in 1991. Mr Sarkodie, whose family roots are in Kumasi and who grew up in Ohio, previously played as a defender for Houston Dynamo. As part of the training, 96 young female footballers from various teams in Tamale participated in practical football sessions to enable the coaches to apply the lessons learned. The players were taken through activities designed to demonstrate how coaches could instill leadership, teamwork, and technical skills while creating an environment where players could make mistakes, encourage one another, and provide constructive feedback. Miss Donya Eldridge, Education and Cultural Attaché at the US Embassy in Accra, speaking during the training sessions, said the initiative was intended to ensure that girls received the same level of support and opportunities in sports development as boys. She said Tamale was selected as the starting point because of the strong passion for football demonstrated by residents, particularly during a World Cup watch party organised by the US Embassy at Jubilee Park in June this year, which attracted about 3,000 people. 'When it came time to implement the sports diplom acy programme, we said we should start in Tamale,' she said, adding that the initiative would be replicated in Kumasi before ending in Accra. Miss Eldridge said the training was not only aimed at improving the technical abilities of players but also at building their character, leadership, and teamwork skills. 'It's about building the team, not just to score, but how do you build them in terms of their character, their leadership skills and teamwork,' she said. Mr Joshua Amehi, Coordinator of the Plan B Football Project at HOPin Academy, said the organisation, which partnered with the US Embassy to organise the programme, had been working with young footballers to provide alternative pathways for sustainable careers. He said the project recognised that not every young person would become a professional footballer and, therefore, sought to equip them with technical and soft skills that could provide alternative livelihood opportunities. 'We see that we shouldn't leave anyone behind,' he said, adding that the partnership with the US Embassy provided an opportunity to strengthen the football development pathway for the young girls. Mr Nurudeen Sham-una, Coach of Bagabaga Ladies, lauded the initiative, saying it had exposed participants to modern trends in football coaching and better positioned them to prepare young girls for successful football careers. Miss Yahaya Rahaman, a player from Northern Business Senior High School, said the training had exposed her to new skills, including ball control, accurate passing and movement. She expressed optimism that the knowledge and skills acquired would contribute significantly to her development and help advance her football career.