Daily Heritage November 29

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Sports
DAILY HERITAGE WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2017
Beach soccer is not
dead — Ampofo-Ankrah
BY ANNETTE .S. YEBOAH &
ROLAND B. TAMAKLOE
THE PRESIDENT of the
Ghana Beach Soccer Association
(GBSA), Mr Yaw Ampofo
Ankrah, has said that
beach soccer in the country
is not dead.
According to him, though
no activities have taken place
for some time, that does not
mean that beach soccer has
collapsed.
He said there would not
be a rush to begin a beach
soccer league which would
not be able to sustain, but
rather things would be done
on a professional or semiprofessional
level to gradually
help beach soccer grow.
Mr Ampofo-Ankrah said
the authorities of the association
took a decision to set
up a committee to scout for
potential beach soccer arenas
in the Volta, Western, Central
and the Greater Accra regions
for the national championship
to be launched in
2018.
“The beach sports arena,
which is expected to be put
up in 2018, would not cater
for just beach football but all
types of beach sports,
namely beach wrestling,
beach tennis, beach volley
ball and other beach sports
and even be used as a
grounds for entertainment,”
he said.
The beach soccer
president further
stated that the executives
were in discussions
with the unions
in Uganda and Kenya,
and West African
Beach Soccer Union,
whose headquarters
is in Lagos, Nigeria.
“The project is
a long-term [one]
and it is not about
how fast we can
put things together
but rather how
long we can sustain
it. Slow pace
might be frustrating
but it is in the
positive direction.
“We have documented
copies of the
reviews on why beach
soccer has failed in the
country so copies would be
sent to the Ghana Football
Association, Ministry of
Youth and Sports, National
Sports Authority and the
Ghana Olympic Committee
in the coming days,” he said.
Mr Ampofo-Ankrah said
he was very hopeful that
Ghana would participate in
the first beach sports festival
to be held in Bahamas in
2018.
“We need to put in preparations
in order to get it
right. We do not have a
beach soccer arena and do
not have qualified beach soccer
coaches and referees who
can take charge of Confederation
of African Football
Beach Soccer Championships
or the Beach Soccer
World Cup.
“We aim to unearth talents
to give them a platform
to show what they can do
and also educate people on
beach sanitation,” Mr Ampofo-Ankrah
said.
•Yaw Ampofo-Ankrah,
president of GBSA
WBA to organise
inter-community
basketball
BY ANNETTE .S. YEBOAH
WESTERN
BASKET-
BALL Association
(WBA)
will on Saturday,
December
23, 2017, organise an
Inter-community Basketball Game at
the Takoradi Technical University
Basketball Court.
Mr Nasiru Aboney, who is the
Head of Communications for WBA,
told the DAILY HERITAGE
yesterday from Takoradi that
the game forms part of preparation
to usher in the maiden
Western Region Basketball
League in January 2018.
Aside the preparation to the
league, the head of communications
also said it would also serve as a practical
ground for officials known as referees
who will officiate the game in
December.
On Friday, September 29, 2017,
the WBA held an officiating course
and they were tutored by Ghana Basketball
Association Vice President and
FIBA Technical Delegate Ayambire
Idrrisu Gamelmis, popularly known as
Coach Iddi.
Twelve officials participated in the
course that comprises theory and a
practical sections and will have the
opportunity to put what they learnt in
September in practice on December
23.
According to Aboney, the basketball
league was to commence before
the training workshop but due to the
lack of officials in the region the authorities
of the WBA were forced to
postpone the league to have the training
first.
He further told the DAILY
HERITAGE that interested communities
or clubs who want to take
part in the one-day games would have
to pay GH¢100.00 as appearance fee.
Mr Aboney said the participants
would be given medals and certificates.
According to him, it is the vision
and mission of WBA to be rated
among the world class association and
very committed to working and caring
for people, including transforming
and reforming society in the context
of engaging people in their passion
for basketball.
Kotoko mgt distances itself from
Happy Man, Circles partnership
SPORTS DESK
REPORT
THE HEAD of
Communications of
Asante Kotoko, Mr
Obed Acheampong,
has said that the management
of the club is not
a party to the agreement
signed by the National
Circles Council (NCC)
and Charger Limited, producers
of Happy Man Bitters.
In a press release
copied to DAILY HER-
ITAGE in Accra, Mr
Acheampong said the
management had not consented
to the use of the
official logo of the club in
endorsing the product
Happy Man Bitters either.
According to him,
management has given assurance
of its continuous
efforts to seek avenues to
bolster the financial base
of the club and that to
achieve that, they will do
everything to protect the
image of the Kotoko
brand and in due time the
general public will duly be
notified.
In a related development,
the lawyer of Asante
Kotoko, Mr Yaw
Acheampong Boafo, has
said that the supporters
should not forget that
their headline sponsor,
MTN, also deals with the
NCC.
According to him, Dr
Kwame Kyei, who is the
Chief Executive Officer
of the Porcupine Warriors,
has told the supporters
every partnership
deal should be through
the management.
“I do not think that
Kotoko can associate itself
with alcohol. This is
something I and Dr
Kwame Kyei have told the
supporters leadership because
they have no right
and if they want to partner
any company,” Mr
Boafo said.