FIFA has commended the Ghana Football Association for successfully hosting the Talent Development Scheme (TDS) Knowledge Exchange workshop, which was held in Accra from June 17 to June 21, 2024.
The focus of the workshop was for the 10 participating Member Associations (MAs) to share knowledge, discuss challenges, and explore the leadership capabilities required to accelerate the implementation of the TDS in the respective countries.
The workshop ended last Friday with Head of High-Performance Programmes at FIFA, Ulf Schott, reiterating the importance of the FIFA TDS, which is expected to raise the standards of both male and female national teams, driven by long-term dedication to global talent development.
“The Knowledge Exchange Workshop in Accra has provided a fantastic opportunity to engage with member associations about the challenges and opportunities of elite development in their countries. We are able to highlight the potential of the talent development scheme.”
He commended the GFA to accepting to host the workshop and further lauded the Association’s talent development efforts including plans to establish academies across the country.
He also reiterated FIFA has allocated $200 million for the Talent Development Scheme over the next four years with the identify and develop them.
“It is especially important that the general secretaries have the platform to align, exchange ideas with the technical directors, and also hold a discussion on the development of academies,” he added.
During the workshop, the participants were engaged in discussions, participated in meetings, listened to presentations by the various resource persons, and observed best practice sessions.
Technical, leadership, and management skills were all touched upon with five key themes:
- Management and resources
- Talent development
- Talent Identification
- Talent Coach Program
- Action planning
Impressed with the organization, Maxwell Caesar Kemeh and Joseph Tetteh Zutah, who were the coordinators for the workshop, received special recognition from the Head of High-Performance Programs.
Ghana’s delegation for the workshop was led by General Secretary Prosper Harrison Addo, Deputy General Secretary Ama Brobey-Williams, Technical Director Prof. Joseph Mintah, Head of Talent Identification Papa Nii Lartey, and Head of Women’s Football desk Jennifer Sarpong.
Other participants (General Secretaries, Technical Directors, and TDS Heads) came from Algeria, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zambia.
The TDS aims to help member associations fulfill their potential by ensuring that every talented player has a chance to be identified, trained, and deployed on the national teams.
Held once a year in each confederation, these multi-day workshops are designed to bring together key members of staff from each respective MA responsible for the development of elite youth talents.
