Centa 14 Sports and Entertainment launch U-12 Communities Football Challenge

Former national U-17 star, Anthony Obodai is urging all stakeholders of football in the country to organise more youth football competitions in order to develop more talented footballers for the senior national team

According to Obodai, although it is the dream of every young footballer to play for the national U-17 team(Black Starlets) but this was not possible because of the limited number of spaces.

He said this is the reason why other tournaments must be organised to provide young footballers with the opportunity to exhibit their skills and hopefully get recruited into academies.

The former Ajax Amsterdam star made this known on Tuesday in Accra when he was unveiled as the ambassador of the maiden edition of the U-12 Communities Football Challenge in Accra on Tuesday.

"As a young footballer in Ghana, the most crucial point in your career are the ages before you become a teenager. Most people like myself go on to have successful professional careers in football when they play in the U-17 FIFA World Cup.

"However, we must find a way to ensure that those who don't also get the opportunity to exhibit their talents to scouts in the hopes of developing the careers. This is why I have accepted to be the ambassador of the U12 Communities Football Challenge which will provide many Ghanaian youngsters with a platform to express themselves."

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The six-a-side football competition is scheduled to start on September 16 and last for six weeks, ending on October 22.

The organisers of the competition, Centa 14 Sports & Entertainment expect a total of 112 teams drawn from five communities; Osu, Labadi, Teshie, Nungua and Gamashie to participate in the event.

According to a member of Centa 14 Sports & Entertainment, Mr Willem Coleman, youngsters who excel during the competition will be awarded scholarships by the Next Generation Academy (Negenta Academy) where their academic capabilities will be honed alongside their football talents.

He said asides the football competition participants will also be engaged in a reading and sanitation awareness programme during the competition.