KWAE, E/R- Stakeholders in the sports industry have called for greater attention to grassroots football development to help identify, nurture and develop young talents for the future.
They stressed that basic school and Colts football must not be neglected, as they provide important platforms for talent identification and development.
Speaking to the media during an inter-community soccer competition sponsored by the Ghana Oil Palm Development Company (GOPDC), the Physical Education and Sports Coordinator for the Kwaebibirim Municipality, Bokorvia Precious, said talent identification begins at the basic school and Colts levels.
He noted that for the past eight years, there had been no organised sports activities or football competitions for basic schools in the municipality.
According to him, failure to invest in young talents could leave the country with no option but to look elsewhere for players to strengthen its national teams in the future.
The Public Relations Officer of GOPDC, Christopher Asiedu, said the inter-community competition was organised to promote peace and unity among residents.
He added that the initiative was also aimed at using sports as a tool to help reduce drug abuse and theft, while creating opportunities to identify and nurture promising young talents.
The Sports Committee Chairman and Health, Safety and Environmental Officer at GOPDC, Gideon Ahamah, said the competition was designed to promote unity and discover talents at the grassroots level.
He stressed that developing local talents would help strengthen Ghana’s national teams as well as domestic Premier League clubs.
Mr Ahamah, however, urged the government to pay greater attention to grassroots sports development to create a sustainable pipeline of talent for the future.
The Assembly Member for the Pega Electoral Area, Evans Azumah, also noted that there were numerous talented young people at the grassroots level who needed greater attention and support from the government.
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