President John Dramani Mahama has called on the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and football club administrators to take urgent steps to improve the standard of domestic football and revive the country’s defunct Colts League.
President Mahama made the call during a courtesy visit by delegations from Ghana Premier League champions Medeama SC, Nations FC and Ampem Darkoa Ladies FC.
The President expressed concern over what he described as the declining quality of Ghana’s domestic league, particularly the continued early departure of promising young players to foreign clubs.
According to President Mahama, the rapid transfer of emerging talents abroad is weakening the local league and limiting opportunities for young players to develop adequately before making the move to international football.
“We must find a way to keep our talented players longer, give them opportunities in the national team, allow them to gain international experience, and then let them move abroad after they have matured,” he said.
He also noted that Ghana was losing promising players too quickly, with foreign scouts often moving in as soon as a young player begins to show significant potential.
“We are too quick to sell our players. As soon as a player shows promise, scouts take him away, mostly to Europe, and that depletes the quality of our local league,” the President stated.
President Mahama’s call for the revival of the Colts League places renewed emphasis on youth development as a key component of rebuilding Ghanaian football.
The Colts League has historically served as an important pathway for young footballers seeking to progress into senior club football and, eventually, the national teams.
Its revival could provide structured competition for emerging talents while helping clubs develop players before they are transferred abroad.
The President urged the GFA and club administrators to work together to create an environment in which talented players can receive adequate playing opportunities, gain international exposure and mature before pursuing careers overseas.
The intervention comes amid broader concerns about the competitiveness of Ghana’s domestic football and the need to strengthen the pathway from grassroots football to the professional level.
With Ghana continuing to produce players who attract interest from clubs abroad, stakeholders are being challenged to find ways of ensuring that the domestic game also benefits from the development of the country’s best young talents.
Ghana|Atinkaonline.com|Mavis Fantevi
