Damongo, Savannah region.
Alhaji Abu Hassan Rhyzo, the Northern Regional Football Association (NRFA) chairman has tasked the West Gonja Municipal Football Association (WGMFA) Executive Committee to closely link up with Ghana Education Service, Municipal Assembly, security agencies, referees association, and other key stakeholders to develop football in the municipality.
Alhaji Abu Hassan Rhyzo said this during the inauguration of the West Gonja Municipal Football Association Executive Committee at the Damongo community center on Saturday, 25th May, 2024.
The NRFA chairman further appealed to the local football body to work closely with the media and urged the media in the Savannah region to assist the local football association by projecting and promoting positive mileage of football business to the publics to attract sponsorship for the sport. He said when the media highlights the positives of football, it will encourage institutions and individuals to support development of football talent in the area.
Alhaji Abu Hassan Rhyzo further appealed to spectators, players in the industry, team owners, and other stakeholders to influence football talent development positively to build confidence of young players.
He added that the team owners and playing body for division three (3) clubs, women football clubs, and colts or juvenile football clubs must concentrate on talent development rather than playing football for just the three (3) points.
“Develop football talent, improve them for the future and not just play to win a game within 90 minutes”.
Alhaji Abu Hassan Rhyzo advised clubs in the Municipality to take advantage of the license ‘D’ coaching programmes being organized by the Ghana Football Association (GFA), indicating that most of our current coaches are trainers.
“Most of our clubs have trainers but not coaches. Let’s try and begin with the license ‘D’ coaching certification because very soon no one will be allowed to sit on the bench if you don’t have a license ‘D’ coaching certificat”.
The West Gonja Municipal Football Association currently has no registered juvenile or division three football clubs.
Alhaji Abu Hassan Rhyzo urged the club owners to join hands with the municipal football association to get their clubs registered. Once the club is registered, clubs stand to benefit from future transfers of players who are aged 12 years and above through the FIFA system. Unregistered football clubs do not receive this benefit because the FIFA system doesn’t recognize such teams. This means an unregistered football club shall not benefit officially from players they develop from the scratch.
The Human Resource Manager of the West Gonja municipal assembly Mahama Abdulai) who represented the Hon. MCE Musah Kusubari commended the NRFA and congratulated the West Gonja Municipal Football Association Executive Committee.
He challenged the local football association to work as a team and closely with all stakeholders to develop football in the municipality.
He assured the local FA that the municipal assembly will support them with an office edifice to ease the daily administration of football in the municipality.
He also commended the government of Ghana and MP for Damongo Constituency Samuel Abu Jinapor for the construction of Astro Turfs at Damongo, Laribanga and Busunu communities to help develop football.
Iddrisu Saka, chairman for West Gonja Municipal Football Association in a welcome address expressed gratitude to the NRFA chairman and his team, stakeholders in the municipality for the support so far and pledged to work with all stakeholders for the good of the game.
Iddrisu Saka commended the outgoing Executive Committee members led by Iddrisu Sumani for their contributions to football development and pledged to continue from they left off.
Iddrisu Saka outlined his vision and goals and called on all stakeholders to assist the administration uplift football development.
He said the local football association is committed to grassroot football development, nurturing the next generation of footballers, improving playing grounds of football clubs, securing office space for the association, driving a unifying force, organizing capacity building for stakeholders, promoting competitive football, and assisting football clubs to register with the system.
During the program a nine member Exco team was sworn into office.
The newly elected executive committee members include;
- Mr. Saaka Iddrisu (chairman)
- Abdulai Nuhu Zulkaninu (Secretary and division 3 representative)
- Mr. Ibrahim Abu Nawas (Division 3 representative)
- Mr. Nuhu Aminu ( Division 3 representative)
- Mr Karim Lukman ( Juvenile representative)
- Mr Karim Inusah (Juvenile representative)
- Mr Umar Siasia ( referee representative)
- Madam Jakpa Faiza (referee representative)
- Mr. Adam Mashud (players representative)
The ceremony was attended by notable figures, including Alhaji Abu Hassan Rhyzo, Chairman of the Northern Regional Football Association, Mr. Tahiru Mohammed Taribo, Northern Regional Division Two League chairman, Ibrahim Alhassan Jihad, outgoing Savannah regional national sports authority director, among others.
In his closing remarks, the chairperson of the program Mr. Alhassan Ibrahim Jihad, expressed gratitude to all and sundry for gracing the occasion and pleaded with the NRFA Chairman to channel some training programmes to the doorsteps of the municipality for easy access.
The NRFA Chairman Alhaji Abu Hasan Rhyzo and his entourage presented two soccer balls, a trophy, and a cash amount of five hundred Ghana cedis (GHC500.00) to the newly inaugurated association.
A cash amount of five thousand Ghana cedis (GHC5,000) was presented to the local football association by the Member of Parliament for Damongo Constituency, and Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Hon Lawyer Samuel Abu Jinapor.
Source: Abdulai Zulkaninu. / padfm.com.gh
