West African Football Academy Explained

Clubname:West African Football Academy S.C.
Fullname:West African Football Academy Sporting Club
Nickname:WAFA
Founded:2014
Ground:WAFA Stadium
South Tongu District, Volta Region, Ghana
Coordinates:6.0353°N 0.5506°W
Capacity:1,000
Chairman: Karel Brokken
Manager: Prosper Nartey Ogum
Coach:Guillermo Hamdan Zaragoza
League:Ghana Premier League
Season:2021–22
Position:16th
Website:https://www.facebook.com/WestAfricanFootballAcademySportingClub/
Current:2021–22 Ghana Premier League

West African Football Academy Sporting Club or WAFA for short, is a Ghanaian professional football club based near Sogakope in the Volta Region. They are competing in the Ghana Premier League. The 2016–17 season was a successful one for WAFA as the side finished second in the Premier League,[1] beating Hearts of Oak 5–0 along the way.[2]

The club was founded in August 2014, as the Feyenoord Academy in Goma Fetteh, founded by Feyenoord from Rotterdam, and Red Bull Academy near Sogakope were merged.

History

Feyenoord Academy

See main article: Feyenoord Academy Ghana. Feyenoord's chairman Jorien van den Herik was given permission for the opening of Feyenoord's own football academy in the Ghanaian settlement of Gomoa Fetteh, just outside the capital Accra.[3] The go-ahead was given by the Chief of Fetteh in 1998 and the academy was opened in October 1999. At Feyenoord Academy, young talented African footballers could work on their football skills. In addition to helping their football potential the students were provided with formal education which was funded by Feyenoord.[3] The idea for Feyenoord's own football academy was formed in Abidjan.

Van den Herik signed the then still unknown Bonaventure Kalou and got into contact with the education institute at Kalou's club.[4] That same year the head of the education institute flew to Africa to take stock of the project and returned with a praising report. In January 1998, Feyenoord started its own Football School in Africa.[4]

Mohammed Abubakari was the first player that graduated from the academy and achieved a professional contract at Feyenoord.[5] [6]

Red Bull Ghana

See main article: Red Bull Ghana. Founded in 2008, the academy associated with the team has gone on to produce coaches and players alike. The team reached the second highest league in Ghana in 2009.[7] Red Bull Ghana was relegated to Division Two in 2013.

Merger

In August 2014, Feyenoord Academy was rebranded to the name West African Football Academy.[8] In the same year, the club took over the old Red Bull Academy near Sogakope and moved from their old location in Gomoa Fetteh to this new location in the Volta Region.[9]

Current squad

Academy

Club captains

Managerial history

Seasons

2020 -21 West African Football Academy season

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ghana Premier League Standings. https://web.archive.org/web/20161228050703/http://www.fifa.com/live-scores/nationalleagues/nationalleague=ghana-premier-league-2000000160/standings/index.html. dead. December 28, 2016. FIFA. 27 January 2018.
  2. Web site: WAFA massacre Hearts . 5 June 2017 . 27 January 2018.
  3. Web site: Feyenoord Worldwide . Feyenoord Rotterdam . 2024-05-02 . 2022-08-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220810081205/https://www.feyenoord.com/ . live .
  4. Web site: Feyenoord Worldwide . Feyenoord Rotterdam . dead . https://archive.today/20130123064946/http://www.feyenoord.com/domains/default/pages/content.asp?content=12770000000051_2_10000000001651&contentcode=Buitenland&navid=12770000000010_12770000000051 . 23 January 2013.
  5. Web site: Player Profile Mohammed Abubakari . GhanaWeb.
  6. Web site: Ghanaian midfielder Mohammed Abubakari has joined the Dutch club Feyenoord Rotterdam . BBC Sport . 17 February 2006 . 2 May 2024 . 16 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230516210638/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/low/football/africa/4724418.stm . live .
  7. Book: Fürweger, Wolfgang. Die Red Bull Story: Der unglaubliche Erfolg des Dietrich Mateschitz. 12 October 2016. Carl Ueberreuter Verlag GmbH. 17 January 2019. Google Books. 9783800079506. 15 June 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240615051733/https://books.google.com/books?id=Y289DQAAQBAJ&q=Red+Bull+Academy+in+Sogakope&pg=PT96. live.
  8. Web site: Fetteh Feyenoord Academy changes name to WAFA SC . 2024-05-02 . 2015-04-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402114357/http://allsports.com.gh/football/take-over-fetteh-feyenoord-academy-changes-name-to-wafa-sc-id3070380.html . live .
  9. Web site: WAFA FC to switch home base to Sogakope for Premier League . Modern Ghana . 27 January 2018 . 17 October 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211017201121/https://www.modernghana.com/sports/571558/2/wafa-fc-to-switch-home-base-to-sogakope-for-premie.html . live .
  10. Web site: Jordan Opoku - Soccer Player - Dinamo Tirana. 2021-07-13. www.ghanaweb.com.
  11. Web site: torontofc. Gideon Waja Toronto FC. 2021-07-13. torontofc. en. 2024-06-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20240615051744/https://www.torontofc.ca/players/gideon-waja/. live.
  12. Web site: 6 December 2018. Hearts of Oak sign Mohammed Alhassan in four-year deal. Goal. 15 July 2020. 17 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200717053040/https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/hearts-of-oak-sign-mohammed-alhassan-in-four-year-deal/r9o80rm4p9wrz8s675wjrr8y. live.
  13. Web site: 2018-12-06. Hearts of Oak MD Mark Noonan hints at 'more quality signings' after Mohammed Alhassan deal. 2021-08-20. GhanaSoccernet. en. 2024-06-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20240615051719/https://ghanasoccernet.com/hearts-of-oak-md-mark-noonan-hints-at-more-quality-signings-after-mohammed-alhassan-deal. live.
  14. Web site: 2019-12-28. WAFA SC announce squad and jersey numbers for 2019/20 season- Abukari Ibrahim named captain. 2021-07-13. GhanaSoccernet. en. 2022-11-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20221109134539/https://ghanasoccernet.com/wafa-sc-announce-squad-and-jersey-numbers-for-2019-20-season-abukari-ibrahim-named-captain. live.
  15. Web site: 2018-09-28. Who is Saddiq Abubakari, The Head Coach Of WAFA SC?. 2021-08-27. 442 GH. en-US. 2021-08-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20210827120016/https://www.442gh.com/who-is-saddiq-abubakari-the-head-coach-of-wafa-sc/. live.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "West African Football Academy".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.