Football has grown over the years to become one of the powerful source of entertainment and engagement for the people of Damongo constituency in the Savannah region. But Damongo has since struggled to get a team to progress to the division one league and possibly to the premier league.
Damongo constituency can boast of Mole Nationals fc, Ndewura Jakpa Savanna fc, Yagbon fc, Laribanga Shooting stars fc, Nunumba Soccer Boys fc, among others all playing in the Northern Regional Football Association’s division two league with Mole Nationals fc, the oldest of all.
The area has lots of third division teams, women football clubs and juvenile clubs.
To help get a strong team that can qualify to division one and move higher to the Ghana premier league, Samuel Abu Jinapor,
Member of Parliament for the Damongo Constituency said he is ready to help the Damongo constituency get a top team for the area that will serve as a central point for all players of various teams to aspire to play.
The Lands and Natural Resources minister said he expects the sports committee to present to him, in two weeks, a road map that will help him realize this dream. He presupposed that the name of the team should DAMONGO STARS FC.
Lawyer Samuel Abu Jinapor disclosed this at a stakeholder consultative dialogue with the major football stakeholders at the Damongo community center on Thursday, 12th October 2023.
Abu Jinapor believes getting one strong team in Damongo as top club would make it easier to deploy more resources to help it achieve it goals and it will also help develop the area.
The law maker added that he will assist in building capacities of amateur coaches and improving the skills of existing coaches in the Damongo constituency through refresher courses.
” I would also look to improve the capacity of coaches and assist them to attend key training sessions to upgrade their skills. Existing coaches will also be supported to attend refresher courses to sharpen their skills”.
He expressed gratitude to the people of the area and pledged to do more to improve football and sports. He promised to deliver a bus for the teams for traveling to and fro Damongo and also provide logistical support to all the teams.
” I want to thank all football authorities, the local organizing committees, clubs, coaches, referees association and all for this beautiful dialogue session. Many communities like Nima, in Accra have made it through football, and I believe we can develop through sports in our constituency.
By the end of this year, I would provide a bus to run activities of all clubs in the constituency, I would also provide up-to-date jerseys and football boots to clubs. This will help us get one united strong team in the Damongo Constituency call Damongo Stars fc.
Whilst all teams would still be in existence, the best players and coaches would be selected to manage the Damongo stars fc.”
Touching on juvenile football, women football and football pitches development, Abu Jinapor pledged to help football authorities to revamp juvenile football in the constituency through education.
He assured the people of Busunu and Canteen electoral areas that construction of Astro turf will start in Busunu before close of the year and then Canteen area, will follow after Busunu.
Abu Jinapor believes that women football is dear to the growth and development of the area and as important as male football, hence charged the committee to help strengthen and empower women football in Damongo constituency.
Abu Jinapor gave each of the 17 clubs present at the meeting an amount of GHC1,000 ( a total of GHC17,000).
Mr Adams Alhassan of Regional Sports Committee, Fatuo Razak of Referees Association, Zulkaninu Abdulai all made presentations to the MP respectively.
Abdulai Zulkaninu – 0242381890 –
zulqanoah16@gorden
