FIFA boost for Ghana beach soccer development

Football's governing body, FIFA who are also now in charge of all beach soccer related activities worldwide are set to engage and support Ghana beach soccer projects through the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

A proposed management team under the umbrella of the GFA will soon be formed to steer the affairs of the sport in Ghana.

Coaching, officiating, developmental infrastructure and technical support will be the key areas of support.

Ghana would hope to be among the select best when the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup kicks off in Portugal in 2015.

With the memories and record breaking feats of Brazil 2014 now being slowly shelved as part of football history, attention has now swung to the long list of football leagues and other FIFA competitions around the world.

Beach soccer is one sport set to benefit from FIFA's attentions and that bodes good news to the struggling game.

Since the association's formation in 2007, it continues to experience a steady rise as a key sports discipline in Ghana.

With significant challenges confronting the energy sapping sport, there was still enough confidence in the new sport to attract back to back sponsorship deals from Cal Bank and Voltic Mineral water.

In 2011, Ghana received its first developmental assistance from FIFA when beach soccer technical instructor Talib Hilal organized West Africa’s first ever beach soccer coaching course at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram.

Beach soccer in Ghana reached new heights in 2013 when the GBSA participated in her first international tournament; Morocco 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Qualifiers.

Although Ghana lost all her matches, Morocco 2013 was a significant breakthrough for an association barely six years old.

The qualifiers finally placed Ghana beach soccer on the world map for yet another sporting discipline.

At the time, the Ghana beach soccer league's maiden season had just wrapped up and a new partnership with the GFA promised many possibilities for the future.

Meanwhile the date for the commencement of the second round of the Cal Bank Beach Soccer Championship and Division 1 leagues would be announced after a meeting between the GBSA executives and all stakeholders.