President of the Ghana Football Association, Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, had lauded Loughborough University for joining forces with Radford University for a strategic partnership that seeks for a thriving ecosystem for sports development in the country.
President Simeon-Okraku applauded the UK-based top University during a colloquium organised in collaboration with Ghana's private University, Radford University, at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra on Monday May 27, 2024.
The one-day forum, which attracted top officials of the various sports federation including the Ghana Football Association, is aimed at bridging the gap between Sports Education and the Sports Industry
In delivering his keynote address, President Simeon-Okraku highlighted several ground-breaking policies being championed by the GFA including the Football School, DNA and the Women's Football Strategy amongst others.
"I am here representing the biggest and most powerful federation in Ghana - football, and to express and to show the desire and commitment of our football industry and players towards a project like this," President Simeon-Okraku said
"I have said on numerous platforms that the best way to improve our sport, is for those of us in leadership positions to create avenues and platforms for people within football to exchange knowledge, learn and to give.
"If you have followed the work we've been doing at the FA, we announced a vehicle called the GFA school - which is a platform that we've created to allow our people in the football industry to gain formal education in partnership with Universities.
"Following that, we announced our DNA which defines our football and that document is a scientific paper prepared for us by the technical directorate through knowledge exchange.
"We have also rolled out the Women's Football Strategy and soon the Men's Football Strategy is going to be rolled out, all through processes like this. What we have today is perhaps a much bigger one because we have a big institution like Loughborough University interested in establishing presence in partnership with like minded institutions with our support to build our sport ecosystem.
"Sports is more scientific than we think and for those of us who want to make a life out of sports, it's important we gain more knowledge, exchange and share and that can only be done with tried and tested institutions like Loughborough. If and when this relationship get off the tartan tracks, not only people who work in the sports of football ecosystem in Ghana, but also people in the sub-west Africa region, will be key beneficiaries of such partnership." he concluded.
Loughborough University and Radford University have formed a partnership that seeks to offer courses in sports administration at the Borteyman facility - which hosted the 2023 All Africa Games in Accra pending an approval from the country's cabinet.
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