Nigerian footballers eager to have famous Ghanaian academy Right to Dream
21st January 2019
Young Nigerian football players have expressed their desire to have an academy formed on the model of the iconic football training school in Ghana, Right to Dream.
Football fans in Nigeria have also joined in as social media is awash with comments seeking to have the academy thanks to its massive successes.
Right to Dream is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and documentaries showing the massive impact the Ghanaian school has had on players, the country and their families has been widely praised in Nigeria.
The Right to Dream Academy was founded in 1999 by British social entrepreneur, Tom Vernon, to provide children from extreme poverty with the opportunity to build a better life for themselves and their families.
Scholarships are granted to young talented Africans by Right to Dream to study at the purpose-built Academy, located on the banks of the Volta River.
Students are taken through football, education and character development and today’s some of Ghana’s biggest talents Majeed Waris, David Accam, Thomas Agyepong, Yaw Yeboah and many others who play professional football abroad and also for the senior national team, the Black Stars.
Right to Dream has established Africa’s first residential Football Programme for girls, based on the Academy’s talent development model for boys.
Sixteen West African girls have been enrolled on scholarships at Right to Dream.
Female graduates normally secure student-athlete scholarships at leading private schools, colleges and universities in the USA, while some will pursue professional careers in football in Europe.
With this development, Nigerian fans are confident a similar academy concept in their country will vastly transform soccer to the benefit of the various national teams.
“Please I am begging you (Right to Dream) to come to Nigeria. My passion, hard work, dedication and talent can’t just be in vain,” a young Nigerian footballer wrote on Twitter.
Since 2007, Right to Dream has produced over 20 graduates playing professional football in Europe.
Some Right to Dream graduates have also received call-ups to Ghana’s national teams, from the Black Starlets (U17s) to the Black Stars.
Right to Dream has over 30 graduates studying at High Schools and Universities in the USA and UK.
In all, Right to Dream has helped to develop over 160 talented, young footballers – through a combination of football, education and character development.
-scorenigeria.ng