A Ghanaian football academy backed by former West Ham and Nottingham Forest forward Michail Antonio has brought a group of teenagers to England in the hope of securing professional contracts.
The 20 players from Samba Stars Academy have spent two and a half months in the UK, training and playing against professional and non-league opposition while attempting to attract the attention of clubs.
It is an unusual route for an African academy, with scouts more commonly travelling to west Africa rather than academies taking their players directly to the UK.
“The talent the lads have is incredible,” said Antonio.
“We created Samba Stars Academy to give young players in Ghana access to elite coaching, shape them as players and create real avenues into the pro game and show how much talent Ghana has.”
The academy is based in Kumasi, while a new facility is being built in Bompata, just over 100 miles north of Ghana’s capital, Accra.
Its decision to take players to England has already produced opportunities. Bournemouth, Everton, Manchester City, Charlton, Preston, Barnsley and Peterborough have all offered Samba Stars players trials this summer.
“The first two or three weeks it hadn’t sunk in, but then they saw the facilities we’d be [using] and the teams we were playing,” said head coach Freddie Okyere.
“They want to go and show what they can do. They are hungry, they really want it. I’m hoping there will be so much interest because we have so much talent here.
“With the facilities we will have in Ghana we feel we will be top two, top three [academies]. We hope we can bring the best of Ghana to Europe.”
Players gaining experience in England
Samba Stars have been hosted by Brook House College in Market Harborough and have trained at Harborough Town, who play in the National League North.
Their schedule has included matches against youth sides from the English Football League and non-league clubs. They began with a 9-0 victory over Dorking Wanderers and also defeated Under-21 teams from Sheffield Wednesday, Luton and Peterborough.
The Ghanaian side drew with Sheffield United and Barnsley, while their only loss was a 3-2 defeat by Preston’s Under-21s.
Antonio watched the team beat Peterborough Under-19s 6-0 last month.
“You can see from what they’ve done since they’ve been in the UK – the results against top teams – that they have what it takes to play pro level,” said the 36-year-old.
“It’s great to help knock down barriers and give these lads a real chance.”
All but one of the travelling group initially had their visa applications refused. They were eventually admitted to the UK after their cases were re-evaluated.
Seventeen-year-old goalkeeper Joshua Tetteh Tuwor said the experience had shown him a different approach to the game.
“The football [here] is very detailed,” he said.
“In Ghana we have the same passion but I’m seeing a different side of professional football.
“We are grateful to have such opportunities to train with elite coaches.”
Rob Newman, who previously worked as West Ham’s head of recruitment and Manchester City’s international scouting and recruitment manager, spent time with the academy in Ghana earlier this year and has helped coach the players in England.
Newman, a former Bristol City and Norwich defender, also played a key role in bringing Sergio Aguero to Manchester City.
“Hopefully clubs can see the potential,” he said.
“Nothing will give me greater pleasure in six months [than] going to see these boys playing in a first team in Europe. I believe they are two or three months away from being able to do that.”
Hinneh provides a first-hand example
There has already been a notable success story from the academy. Midfielder Listowell Lord Hinneh joined Middlesbrough in February after a trial and has since trained with the first team.
The 18-year-old moved from west Africa to England’s north east and admitted the climate was a challenge when he first arrived.
“When I came in January, it was so cold. Experiencing something like that for the first time was tough,” he told BBC Sport.
“Moving was a big milestone. It just makes me feel the dreams I’ve been having, thinking of trying to find myself in Europe to become a professional footballer.
“I feel the kind of dreams that I want, I’m on the verge. I’m on the way [to] becoming who I wanted to become.”
Hinneh, whose sister Groovy lives in Leeds, met the Samba Stars squad during their visit and offered advice based on his own progress.
“[I told them] what you’ve been dreaming about the future, it starts from here,” he said.
“Don’t just try, be so passionate. You need to play and enjoy it because you can have the success in whatever you’re doing. You have to just put your heart in it.”
For the players, the opportunity also carries the expectations of families and communities in Ghana.
Eighteen-year-old striker Sherif Mashud has already earned a trial with Hungarian top-tier club Zalaegerszegi through his involvement with Samba Stars.
“You have to have a tough mentality,” he said.
“Back home everyone is depending on you, everyone is looking up to you to succeed, to come and help them, your friends, your family. Everyone is praying for you.”
Ghanaian influence in English football
Ghana have reached five of the past six Fifa World Cups, having never qualified before 2006, and reached the quarter-finals in 2010.
At this year’s tournament, where they were eliminated by Colombia in the last 32, eight members of the Ghana squad were born overseas.
The Black Stars have not relied as heavily on diaspora players as some other African nations, although the Ghana Football Association has indicated it wants to widen its global search. That could increase competition for home-grown players seeking international recognition.
The new English season began with six Ghana internationals on Premier League books: Mohammed Kudus at Tottenham, Antoine Semenyo at Manchester City, Ibrahim Osman at Brighton, Ipswich’s new signing Abdul Fatawu, and Brandon Thomas-Asante and Caleb Yirenkyi at Coventry.
Nii Lamptey was the first Ghanaian to play in the English top flight when he joined Aston Villa in 1994. Michael Essien has made the most Premier League appearances by a Ghanaian and won two titles with Chelsea.
Only two other Ghanaians have won the Premier League title: Jeffrey Schlupp and Daniel Amartey, who were part of Leicester City’s side that produced one of football’s greatest shocks in 2015-16.
Hinneh, who regards Kudus as his biggest inspiration, hopes to follow those players into the top flight after Middlesbrough were beaten in last season’s Championship play-off final.
“Back home we’ve got people you grew up with and you might miss them, but that doesn’t kill the dreams I’m here for,” he said.
“I’m trying to figure out what the reality is, what the future holds for me and then just chase the dreams.”
