Upper East Region to get a Premier League Club

Bolgatanga, Oct. 20, GNA - An eleven member Committee has been formed by the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo to ensure that a Premier League Club is formed in the Region within the next two to three years.

The Upper East Regional Minister in his determination to establish its first Premier League football Club at the weekend met with football management teams from splinter teams in the Region to brain storm and form a befitting Club in the Region.

Mr Woyongo expressed regret that the Region had no Premier League Club while the Upper West Region which was calved out of the Upper East Region has a Club.

The terms of reference of the Committee includes the formation of a club with a befitting name, composition of management members, workable formula for the selection of players to constitute a team, make proposal for sponsorship for the proposed team, among others. The Regional Minister attributed the failure of the Region to get a Premier League Club to the refusal of management of the various splinter football teams in the Region to team up to form a formidable football team and explained that football clubs in the Northern Region experienced a similar problem in the past but when they agreed and merged they came out with a formidable Premier League Club.

Mr Woyongo told the management of the splinter teams, especially the Division One teams to take a cue from the Northern Region and advised that they stood to gain a lot if they got together to form a strong team. He explained that they could use their teams to nurture young footballers and colts teams who would be fed into the Premier Club in the Region and to institute compensation packages to encourage the players. The Regional Minister advised the Management of the teams to take the issue seriously to improve sporting activities and stressed that there were hidden sports talents among the youth in the Region that could be tapped for its development.

Mr Woyongo noted that some of the renowned footballers in the country were from the Region, such as Abedi Pele and many more of such talents could still be tapped from the area if they were identified and given the opportunities to explore their talents.

He said that Government was committed to the development of sports in the country, particularly in the Region and would soon provide a sports complex facility to serve as a multipurpose sporting centre. The Regional Minister said the abandoned sports stadiums in some of the Districts in the Region would also rehabilitated and urged the management of sports in the Region to take advantage of the facilities to come out with a strong female football team.

He said he would encourage and help to ensure that the District Assemblies contribute to supporting the Premier Club and in collaboration with other people from the area, help look for sponsorship for the Club. The Regional Sports Development Officer, Mr John Bosco Abase said there were more than eighteen Clubs in the Region but they were not properly constituted and have no Constitution or Board of Directors and other necessary criteria to enable them individually form a Premier League and advised them to collaborate to meet the Region's goal. The Regional Referees Association Chairman, Yakubu Briamah repeated the need for the various teams to come together since that was the only means the Region could get to the Premier Division.

He said lack of facilities including, stadiums and sports equipment are some of the challenges facing sporting activities in the Region.