Former Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan has called for sustained investment and stronger stakeholder commitment to Colts football, warning that Ghana can only rebuild its celebrated talent-production system if the latest revival is backed by resources, competitive structures and long-term support.
Gyan, now a National Team and Colts Football Ambassador, made the appeal as the Ghana Football Association (GFA) launched the 2026/27 Colts Football season on Tuesday with a major nationwide equipment package for grassroots clubs.
The former Ghana captain welcomed the renewed attention on the youth game but stressed that restoring Colts football to its former strength would require more than a ceremonial relaunch.
“I am very happy to be part of the Colts football this season,” Gyan said. “Colts football is what made me what I became; it’s the foundation of Ghana football.”
His intervention comes as the GFA attempts to reposition Colts football at the centre of Ghana’s player-development pathway following years in which the once-vibrant community system has lost visibility, investment and much of the public enthusiasm that made it a powerful production line for elite players.
The issue has also reached the highest level of government. President John Dramani Mahama recently questioned the state of Colts football during a meeting at Jubilee House with Ghana’s representatives in continental competition — Medeama SC, Nations FC and Ampem Darkoa Ladies — and called for stronger structures to identify and develop young players.
The President also raised concerns about Ghana’s emerging talents leaving the domestic game too early, underlining the need for development systems capable of preparing players properly before overseas moves.
GFA President Kurt Simeon-Okraku said President Mahama’s intervention reinforced the association’s programme of “fixing the fundamentals of football”, although he stressed that preparations for the new Colts season and Tuesday’s launch had been completed before the President’s comments.
For Gyan, however, the more important question is what happens after the launch. The 40-year-old legend, who began his own journey with Accra-based Great Cedabs before becoming Ghana’s all-time leading international goalscorer, lamented the decline in the passion and community involvement that once surrounded juvenile football.
“I don’t see the enthusiasm like before,” he said.
Gyan recalled an era when neighbourhood pitches attracted large crowds and young players learned to compete under intense community scrutiny — an environment that helped sharpen talent long before players reached professional football.
“If we work hard and together to make it a success, we can produce even better players than previously,” he said.
That challenge now extends beyond the GFA to government, sponsors, communities and corporate partners if the renewed Colts structure is to become sustainable.
Major grassroots investment
The GFA has begun addressing some of the immediate resource constraints facing clubs with a substantial equipment package.
Mr Simeon-Okraku announced that commercial associate Hoshi International, marketers and distributors of X1 Energy Drink, had donated 3,000 footballs for distribution to Colts clubs nationwide.
That support will supplement the GFA’s annual US$100,000 investment in footballs for grassroots development.
The Hoshi International partnership will also provide 15,000 jerseys and 15,000 pairs of casual shoes to Colts clubs across the country as part of a wider logistical support programme.
The GFA has additionally committed to supplying every Colts club with 10 footballs and two sets of bibs each season for the next three seasons, giving the revival a longer-term equipment component.
For the FA boss, Ghana’s football history provides overwhelming evidence of why the grassroots system matters.
Successive generations of national stars emerged from modest community pitches, where Colts clubs identified, trained and trusted young players years before they became household names.
That legacy was reflected in the presence at Tuesday’s launch of some of Ghana football’s most celebrated former internationals.
They included 1978 Africa Cup of Nations winner Mohammed Ahmed Polo, 1982 champion George Alhassan, 1995 FIFA Under-17 World Cup winner Awudu Issaka and 1992 Olympic bronze medallist Yaw Acheampong.
Their presence provided a reminder of what Colts football once produced.
