By Simon Asare
Accra, July 26, GNA – The Ministry of Youth and Sports, in collaboration with the Office of the Vice President, has struck a partnership agreement with the National Football League (NFL) to introduce American football in schools.
Mr. Mustapha Ussif, the Minister of Youth and Sports, who announced this at a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday, said this would help develop the interest of Ghanaians in the sport.
Already, through the partnership, the NFL has organised its first ever tournament on the African continent in Ghana, where over 10 schools participated in the special development tournament.
“Out of this, 10 young Ghanaians were selected to represent Africa at the 2023 NFL Pro Bowl in the USA, a special tournament that precedes the famous Super Bowl, ” the Sports Minister said.
He added that “remarkably, the young Ghanaian team, which has just been introduced to the sport and tournament, placed fourth behind experienced participants, which are the USA, Australia, and Mexico”.
The Sports Minister stressed that the partnership with the NFL would be expanded to cover more schools in the second edition of the special development programme, which is dubbed “NFL Flag Football Competition.”
“This tournament would select the best players for next year’s Pro Bowl in the USA. I want to thank the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, for his personal commitment and effort towards the NFL project,” he said.
GNA