Right To Dream Academy has celebrated five years of their relationship with one of their sponsors Tullow Oil.
The institute-I will like to put it- has carved a niche and differentiated from the normal football academy which places a premium on trainees as financial assets and with this, you are discarded off immediately you lose form or get a career-ending injury.
So 20 years ago Tom Vernon, a former Manchester United scout for Africa, decided to tow a different line with emphasis on character as much as quality.
Talented players scouted on the continent are brought to Ghana and that's where the production takes place.
Young girls and boys are given the chance to fulfil their potential and even dream bigger through quality education to the highest level [tertiary education].
Vernon says: “You can see typically in the academy model if an academy thinks that the player doesn't have an economic value to them anymore then they are discarded from the academy and for me it's wrong.
“The FIFA system encourages to look at human beings financial assets and you can't operate like that. You need to take the human being and see the strengths that you have.”
“'Today you have seen some guys getting into universities, girls who did not have any hope or dream, going on to become lawyers,” Vernon adds.
''We have seen the other academies come and go- all the stories of how they kick kids out when it doesn't meet their funds anymore but we have made that long term commitment to every kid and you can see with our sponsors and with the growth that we are achieving.
''When you do the right thing, you will grow and we have always done the right thing by the kids and that's led to a growth in our philosophy and growth in the support for the model.''
Some of the famed graduates from Right To Dream are David Accam [Philadelphia Union], Majeed Waris [Nantes but on loan from FC Porto], King Osei Gyan[formerly of Germinal Beerschot but now retired] and Godsway Glah [Nordsjaelland].
Others are Samuel Mensah of Oesterunds, Manchester City-owned Thomas Agyepong on-loan at Hibernian, Abu Danladi [Minnesota United] and Dallas FC duo Francis Atuahene and Ema Twumasi.
Recently they produced youth internationals Mohammed Kudus and Ibrahim Sadiq who are now with Danish side Nordsjaelland, a club owned by Right To Dream.
By Ibrahim Ridwan Asante [Joy Sports-email:[email protected]]