FIFA High Performance expert, Cayl Coetzee, has hailed the ongoing KGL Foundation Inter-Regional U17 talent identification Championship as an excellent initiative by the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

Coetzee was left impressed with the pool of Ghanaian talents on display after watching Tuesday's Group A games involving Northern Region and Ashanti Region, as well as Central and Brong Ahafo Regions, at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram.

He underscored the competitiveness of the Championship as the GFA keeps sharpening its focus on youth football, funded by the KGL Foundation.

Coetzee also highlighted the impressive performances of the "Catch Them Young" referees, who have taken center stage at this year's competition.

This policy, the brainchild of GFA President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, aims at nurturing budding referees.

"It's an excellent initiative. It's been brilliant to see that the teams have been so competitive, looking at the scorelines recorded.

Such an initiative really deserves more investment. I think the young players have done very well," Cayl Coetzee told ghanafa.org.

"We watched Ashanti Region versus Northern Region today and saw a player score a phenomenal hat-trick.

It's been double delight observing the products of the Catch Them Young Refereeing programme with a group of 15 and 16-year-old girls refereeing an U17 Boys match and you would have thought that they were professional referees.

The standard of refereeing and the level of competition and coaching was phenomenal to see, and it can only improve football in the long term."

He also praised the initiative as a key phase of FIFA's Talent Development Scheme (TDS) by the GFA, aimed at talent identification and development of the next generation of top football stars.

"FIFA's biggest investment at the moment, and over the last few years, is the Talent Development Scheme (TDS).

Barely a week ago, we saw the completion of the first-ever Elite Girls U15 competition, and we're building to the Girls U17 and the Boys U15 to come as well.

For us, at FIFA, it's a huge investment. It's important to see our Member Associations (MA's) developing, and you will never get that unless you pitch the best against the best; this is what this tournament promises and provides," he concluded.

The KGL Foundation Inter-Regional U17 Colts Championship, launched in 2021, has been an avenue for talent discovery for clubs, particularly Premier and Division One League clubs, with several players being beneficiaries of the esteemed competition.

The 12-day Championship runs till Thursday, August 8, 2024.