Mr Edward Osei-Kwaku, Minister of Youth and Sports, has urged Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko to take a cue from the solid foundations being laid for the game of football at the Feyernood Football Academy.
Speaking during a tour at the $1.5 million facility at Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region, Mr Osei-Kwaku said such projects, directed at the development of the game at the grassroots, hold the future of football in this country. He was full of praise for the brains behind the project, Karel Brokken, the Managing Director and Coach Sam Arday, the Technical Director for bringing such a novelty idea to fruition, which he said the country stands to benefit from in the near future.
Mr Osei-Kwaku during an interaction with students of the academy urged them to be disciplined and reminded them of their responsibility to excel in view of the excellent facilities put at their disposal. The Academy currently holds a total of 50 students, made up of 18 from the first generation of ages between aged 15, 16 and the second generation who are between 12 and 13 years.
Mr Sam Arday later told the GNA Sports that the children follow a strict daily routine, which includes early morning and evening training sessions and the normal Ministry of Education approved school curricular in addition to French lessons. He said the academy would soon be expanded to include a senior secondary school. For the time being, he said, the academy is using the Winneba Secondary School where they have two of their students.
On recruitment, Coach Arday, said selection is done nation-wide during school sports festivals. "During last year's exercise, for instance, we had a total of 6,000 students and we took only 20 of them." He expressed the hope that the country would start benefiting from the product of the academy since most of the products would be released to any clubs.
Present with the Minister on the tour were Dr Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah, Chairman National sports Council, Mr Edmund Kofi Adumah, Acting national Coordinator, Youth Council and the Mr Kofi Djarteng, Chief Director of the Sports Ministry.
