By Simon Asare / Jibril Abdul Mumuni
Accra, Aug. 11, GNA – Mrs. Gifty Oware, co-owner of Berry Ladies Football Club and a member of the Black Maidens Management Committee, has launched her campaign to contest as a member of Ghana Football Association (GFA) Executive Council.
She launched her campaign in Accra, which attracted sports personalities, former football administrators, and media personalities.
In her address, Mrs. Oware said her campaign focused on the six pillars of women’s football administration.
According to Mrs. Oware, the six pillars of the administration she intends to develop were: grassroots football, talent identification, marketing and sponsorship, national teams, league development, and education.
Women’s football, she said, lacks visibility, so she intends to bridge that gap by engaging the media in creating coverage for women’s sports to raise awareness and attract sponsors.
To improve player welfare, Mrs. Oware said she intends to introduce vocational training for players so that they can have alternative sources of income.
She went on to say, some of the players struggle financially when they hang their boots; hence, the vocational training would enable them to be financially stable post-retirement.
“We are looking at collaborating with agencies like NVTI, agencies that can give them soft skills so that when you are injured or retired from football, you would have something on which to rely and not become dependent on others,” she said.
Sharing her plans for developing the national teams, Mrs. Gifty said she would implement talent progression pathways to ensure a smooth transition from junior to national teams.
She also intends to strengthen the national teams by providing sufficient resources and training facilities.
In her quest to develop international partnerships for the women’s national team , she would promote exchange programmes to enhance competition and exposure for the teams.
Mr. John Boadu, former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party, on his part, urged her to use the position to eradicate the stereotype in football and promote women to participate in the management and administration of the game.
He advised her to identify the commercial opportunities in women’s football and to develop them for the benefit of the players and their clubs.
Mr. Samson Deen, President of the National Paralympic Committee, urged members of the football governing body to vote for Mrs. Oware since she has demonstrated her enthusiasm for women’s football.
He praised her for her ability to participate in male-dominated spaces and hoped she would replicate her achievement in other fields of football administration.
The GFA has set Friday, August 11, 2023, as the deadline for the submission of forms, with the main elections scheduled for September 27, 2023.
GNA