Colts football revival was already in GFA plans, says GFA president Kurt Okraku

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) says plans to relaunch the Colts football season were already in motion before President John Dramani Mahama publicly called for the revival of the youth competition.Since the launch of the 2026/27 Colts Football season, some within Ghana’s football community have linked the initiative to the President’s recent remarks urging a return of Colts football.However, GFA president Kurt Okraku had outlined the Association’s plans weeks earlier as part of its long-term grassroots football strategy.Speaking at the GFA Congress at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram on 20 August, Okraku announced that Colts football would become a major priority during the 2026/27 campaign, with the season officially launched in September.”This year, Colts football will be at the forefront of a lot of things that we’ll be doing,” he said.”In the month of September, we will be launching the Colts football season.”Okraku described Colts football as “the heartbeat of our game”, saying investing in young players was essential to the future of Ghanaian football.The GFA says 859 registered Colts clubs are currently operating across the country’s 10 football regions, with structured competitions for boys at Under-13, Under-15 and Under-17 levels, as well as Under-15 and Under-17 girls.The Association also unveiled a series of investments aimed at strengthening youth football across the country.For a third successive year, the GFA will spend $100,000 on footballs for distribution to Colts clubs nationwide.It has also invested GH1.8m over the past two seasons to train 600 youth coaches through the GFA-founded CAF Licence D coaching programme.In addition, the GFA will continue to provide free player registration and digital licences for up to 90 players per Colts club, while expanding training for scouts, referees, administrators and other grassroots football stakeholders.A new Kivo JLab Under-17 Inter-Club Champions League will also be introduced this season, alongside an GH800,000 investment to help Regional Football Associations organise Under-15 girls’ Colts leagues.According to Okraku, the initiatives, supported by partners including the KGL Foundation, Kivo and JLab, form part of the GFA’s wider effort to build a stronger grassroots football structure.With the new season now under way, the focus shifts from the launch to whether the expanded competitions and increased investment can create a sustainable pathway for the next generation of Ghanaian football talent.



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