We want to develop the next Kudus and Dede Ayew - Tony Baffoe outlines plan for FIFA Talent Development Scheme
Tony Baffoe is one of the experts at the seminar being in held in Accra, Ghana
Ghanaian football legend Tony Baffoe has provided a detailed account of the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS), outlining its scope, objectives, and the significant benefits it will bring to global football.
Speaking to journalists during the ongoing TDS Knowledge Exchange Programme in Accra on Thursday, June 20, 2024, Tony Baffoe explained that the TDS is an innovative initiative by FIFA that focuses on developing football at the grassroots level.
Tony Baffoe views the TDS as a medium-to-long-term strategic plan that will involve FIFA directly in discovering, nurturing, and grooming football talents.
Explaining the model of the TDS, Tony Baffoe stated that while FIFA's ultimate goal is to see all federations establish academies and centers of soccer excellence, FIFA will not oppose a Member Association that comes up with a different plan that ultimately leads to building a strong national team.
He revealed that the implementation of the policy will be country-specific, with Member Associations tailoring their plans to the specific needs of their countries while ensuring that the timelines of the strategic plan, based on which FIFA released the funding, are followed.
"What we want is a long-term strategic plan, and after the plan, you put in place a roadmap and timelines for achieving the strategic plan and how you are going to make an impact. I believe that the days we have been here, you also saw the outcome. But it also helped to reinforce the staffing within the Ghana Football Association and the technical department. So the Technical Director has an academy director, a high-performance manager, someone who's in charge of women's football, and so on," he said.
Regarding the specific case of Ghana, Tony Baffoe explained that the Ghana Football Association applied for support for its academy in the Upper East Region and also informed FIFA of its plans to establish academies across the sixteen regions in the country.
"It always depends on the project they applied for. For now, they applied for a project in the Upper East, but when speaking with the technical department, the idea is, of course, to create academies in other regions. The more academies and federation centers you have, where players can come together and train, the better it is for the country. Then you build a really strong foundation.
"This was our strength back in the days. We had inter-schools and colts football, and so on. So for me, this is very important to now set the foundation to have new Ayews, Kuduses, etc.," he added.
Ulf Schott, the head of FIFA TDS, clarified that FIFA’s objective with the introduction of the Talent Development Scheme is to ensure an even distribution of talents across the world and enhance competition among national teams.
"The idea is to support national associations to reach their full potential and increase competition among national teams. This initiative will increase the competitiveness of each national team to make the World Cup and other competitions more interesting and competitive. FIFA wants to be on the pitch. We are here to support member associations to work together to have a complete and holistic approach to football development," he explained.
About FIFA Talent Development Scheme
Launched in 2023 by FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger, the Talent Development Scheme (TDS) program is a true game-changer in terms of developing football. "At FIFA, one of our overarching aims is to give every talent a chance. The launch of the FIFA Talent Development Scheme is one of the keys to achieving that objective," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
TDS is helping to raise the standards of national team football around the world for both men and women, driven by FIFA’s desire for long-term dedication to global talent development. The program has four strong pillars: funding, expertise, training and education, and knowledge exchange.
FIFA will support all member associations participating in the TDS with a funding allocation of USD 200 million for the 2023-2026 operational lifecycle.
The main focus of the TDS will be to invest in academies—to set up at least one academy or center of excellence in every member association by 2026—and in national teams, talent identification, elite coaches, and structured competitions. FIFA is planning to ensure that 75 of its member associations have at least one high-performance academy or center of excellence in place by 2027 through its Academies Programme.
