Two years ago, I wrote an article calling on government to dialogue with corporate Ghana to take up a club each and support them financially to mitigate player exodus, retain the best in our league and to make the league more competitive and more attractive. Corporate Ghana in doing so will not be dolling out cash like Father Christmas but will put in place pragmatic structures to ensure a win-win situation with the clubs. The previous Government ignored me but two years forward that idea seems to be taking shape in the new government.
I have been one of the notorious critics of the Minister of Youth and Sports, Hon. Isaac Asiamah and his administration but I was extremely delirious when I heard the Sports Minister announcing a strategic policy of getting corporate institutions to align with each national football team to ease their financial burdens, starting with Women Football.
What led to my cock-a-hoop state was the fact that the MOYS is being strategically intelligent and overly innovative in the area of football.
I know other sporting federations and their admirers will gang up against me and possibly spit fire on me but as I always say- 'I am a football writer and researcher', so let others take care of the other disciplines. This is my area and I die for it.
Following Hon. Isaac Asiamah's announcement of the policy on Metro TV, I followed up to find the reality of the policy and whether it's not one of the gimmickry of politicians.
I gathered that the MOYS has already held a meeting with the GFA who were represented by their acting General Secretary Alex Asante and ExCo Member Madam Leanea Addy. I was amazed at the swift manner in which the MOYS is taking up the initiative.
Already, I know eight companies including Vitamilk, Women's World Bank, Tanink Ghana Ltd, Fidelity Bank, Ghana Oil, Fanmilk Ghana Ltd, National Lottery Authority and Mikaddo Pharmacy have all greeted the initiative with open arms and have affirmed their readiness to take up the challenge and support Women Football.
This initiative will not only spare the government the pressure of always providing funds for the running and management of the national teams but will also create an excellent relationship between corporate Ghana and the football world, take off the burden of national teams always chasing government for their unpaid bonuses and also spare the MOYS time to think about other sporting disciplines.
A fish is not applauded for swimming since that's her environment and so must a miniater not be praised for doing his job, and I wouldn't have commended the MOYS for taking this step but I don't remember the last time we had such a policy from government after the era of the late Ohene Djan hence my attempt to commend Hon. Isaac Asiamah for this historic and remarkable step.
The announcement has been made and we all are waiting anxiously for the step to be taken.
I will, however, call on the Hon. Minister to ensure that the initiative trickles down to the National Women's League to give it a massive facelift to mitigate the level of female unemployment as well as reducing the level of vices such as prostitution and streetism.
Proverbs 21:5 says - 'Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind.'
For this I hail Hon. Isaac Asiamah and his administration for such a great step.
Let's see the start!
By: Sheikh Tophic Sienu @desheikh1 on twitter