GFA Elite Academies house 155 young talents, says Kurt Okraku

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) currently has 155 young footballers enrolled in its three Elite Academies as part of efforts to identify and develop talent across the country.GFA President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku disclosed this during the launch of the 2026/27 Colts Football Season at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram.The 155 players comprise 117 boys and 38 girls, with the academies providing a structured environment for football development alongside education and personal growth.The Bolgatanga Academy has the largest number of players with 101, including 64 boys and 37 girls.Prempeh College has 33 boys, while Achimota School has 21 players, comprising 20 boys and one girl.Okraku said the GFAs talent identification strategy is focused on finding promising players beyond Ghanas traditional football centres.We want to find talent where the talent lives, he said.The GFA President said the academies form part of a broader pathway designed to ensure talented young footballers are identified early and given the necessary environment to develop.He added that the initiative is aimed at creating a bridge from grassroots football to elite development and eventually professional football and the national teams.