Women’s Football, A Ray Of Hope (II)

ACP Lydia Yaako Donkor, Director, Police Ladies FC

 

This is the concluding part of a piece throwing light on how the Kurt ES Okraku-led administration has taken the country’s women’s football a notch higher.

The policies and strategic interventions are part of the best ways aimed at reviving a game that was dead for close to two years and has been attacked by COVID-19 for a year and a half.

The current FA has also introduced a policy to train female coaches for all Premier clubs in license D coaching certificate, introduced Merit Awards for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) where the top three clubs all received awards (prizes) – GH¢50,000 for Premier League winners and GH¢30,000 for FA Cup winners and medals.

In 2021/2022 Season, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) expanded WPL teams from 18 clubs to 20 clubs (Executive Council decision) – Each club now plays 38 matches.

Again, the GFA introduced Motivational Awards such as Nasco’s best player and coach of the month award and Nasco’s best player and coach of the season award as well as Malta Guinness best player and coach of the month awards.

With the introduction of the Women’s Super Cup competition in 2021/2022 Season, Women’s Super Cup winners and runners-up received GH¢30,000 and GH¢10,000 cash prizes respectively.

Other packages include, Betway sponsorship money of GH¢40,000 to each club,opportunities for club CEO’s to travel with national teams maiden and subsequent participation of WPL winners in the Women African Club championships (Hasaacas Ladies FC were Gold Medalists for the 2021 edition).

The increase in the number of clubs from one to two in the women Middle League competition for Northern Region.  Increment in prize money for League & FA Cup champions. League winners, runners-up, and third place prizes (of GH¢30,000 and GH¢10,000 for WPL and Women’s FA Cup for 2021/2022 Season), Expansion of the Women’s FA Cup and serious improvement in the Women’s Division One League.

Inclusion of greater number of people from clubs in the technical and management committees of National teams.  WPL Club Representatives were invited to attend the World Cup in Qatar 2022.

Introduction of stricter club licensing for women but reasonably implemented.

Women to officiate women’s games. A three-member committee set up to draft a policy framework for the introduction of U-15, U-17 competition Football for Girls project established Betway development programme for WPL Club members offered free for WPL clubs officials. WPL also offered opportunity to access UEFA Assist mentorship programmes for club officials and players.

GFA has also instituted the Catch Them Young female referees.

In the 2020/2021 Season, a COVID-19 Relief Fund from FIFA (helped some clubs to acquire buses)- $10,000 each, GFA facilitated the GH¢500 monthly stipend from YEA for 2019/2022, WPL clubs received sponsorship from Decathlon Ghana (1,500 Kipsta Balls), and sports products as well as sponsorship from Melcom Ghana- GH¢3,000, Woodin, and Malta Guinness GH¢1 million sponsorship deal for the WPL.

WPL clubs also received GOIL sponsorship of GH¢5,000, secured Betway as a partner for the WPL, and funds for teams playing in the middle league for Premier League qualification.  GOG Covid Fund of GH¢10,000 each club, Melcom shopping Voucher (GH¢2,000) for each club, Betway sponsorship 2021- 2023 Seasons of GH¢800,000 for the WPL, GOIL fuel coupons for clubs- GH¢12,000 for Northern Sector and GH¢10,000 for Southern Sector per club, officiating fees for all WPL plus WFA Cup Games fully absorbed by the GFA.

During the 2020/2021 Season, WPL received publicity as follows: Creation of two Facebook accounts (WPL – Southern Zone, WPL – Northern Zone) in addition to the main GFA page, two live broadcast UV Solo equipment were secured purposely for live streaming, WPL Twitter account has been established (the handle provided statistics), WPL Highlights produced by GFA for broadcast, Women’s Premier League televised live on Max TV. Bringing more media people in the Women’s Premier League by the introduction of VMOs for matches, GFA also supported publicity of WPL with cameramen to cover matches, among other forms of publicity.