Former Asante Kotoko coach and renowned Ghanaian football scout, Didi Dramani has urged coaches in the second tier league to take a keen interest in the emerging trends in scouting around the globe to help unearth more talent and develop them into world class players.
Coach Dramani was speaking at a seminar on scouting, sports science and social media management for coaches and administrators from the nation’s Division One Football League.
The seminar was organized by Betway Ghana, under its Betway UP initiative to help develop football in Ghana and make local clubs even more professional and marketable.
With most division one clubs known to feed local premier league and foreign clubs with talent, Coach Dramani took the coaches through a session on scouting and coaching, urging them to stay abreast of modern trends and not to get stuck in the old ways of doing things.
“There is no limit to knowledge,” he said. “That’s why professors are still reading. The more we read and learn, the more we add up to our capacity. Football is evolving.”
He added: “These days, we have a lot of platforms, where information, relevant information on clubs or teams and players can easily be assessed. I can sit here and then still see what is happening in my city and get every information that I need to be able to plan.”
Didi Dramani also urged each of the Division One coaches to settle on a style of play and focus on recruiting players who fit the style.
“You need to know your club. You need to know your team. You need to know what you stand for especially the coaching philosophy,” he said. “Know your team model and style of play. It is fundamental to know your team before stepping on a scouting duty. Once you know your team, you know the demands.”
Also speaking at the seminar, General Manager in charge of digital at Media General, Michael Oti-Adjei, delivered a presentation on how football clubs can use social and digital media platforms to tell their own stories and thereby enhance their engagement with fans and other interest groups.
Sports medicine practitioner, Dr Aniemena-George Chidi urged club administrators to pay attention to the physical and mental well-being of their players.
He encouraged them to make use of water breaks to keep their players constantly hydrated during games.
“I always encouraged technical staff to inspect your players before the match just after training and during halftime,” he stated, pointing out that hydration can be achieved at very little cost.”
The training seminar was held in collaboration with the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA), whose chairman, Kudjoe Fianoo expressed gratitude to Betway for its continuing support for the development of football in Ghana, citing previous training programmes for Premier League and women football clubs.