One of the pioneers of womenââ¬â¢s football in Ghana, Madam Sophia Okuley, celebrated her 80th birthday at Haatso in Accra and the occasion was graced by the 1999 Black Queens squad.
Most of the players who played for Ghana in the 1999 Womenââ¬â¢s World Cup were nurtured by Madam Okulley including Adjoa Bayor, Genevieve Clottey, Mercy Tagoe, Faustina Doyi, Gifty Lartey, Helina Wilson and Mavis Addae, who were all present at the event.
Madam Okulley who is noted for her role as the chairperson for the Greater Accra Women's Soccer Committee and also the vice-chairperson of the National Women's Soccer Development Committee between 1991 and 2001 contributed to the growth and development of Womenââ¬â¢s Football in the country.
It was during her tenure that Ghana managed to raise a formidable women's team, the Black Queens, to qualify for the Womenââ¬â¢s World Cup in the USA in 1999 for the first time.
The Black Queens have since struggled to make an appearance at subsequent World Cups with the youth teams making headways.