President Simeon-Okraku reveals plan to expand bus acquisition strategy after delivering buses to 9 DOL Clubs
President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku has said the Football Association will expand the bus acquisition strategy after presenting keys to Nine (9) buses to Division One League Clubs on Wednesday, November 20, 2024.
At a short but impressive ceremony held at the Accra Sports Stadium, President Simeon-Okraku presented the buses to officials of the top three teams in each of the three Zones from the 2023-24 Access Bank Division One League season, which also forms part of the merit awards scheme put forward by the Association.
The presentation of the buses is in fulfilment of a pledge made by President Edwin Simeon-Okraku at the 29th General Assembly held in Kumasi on July 10, 2023.
“Sometime back in July 2023, during our Congress in Kumasi, I spoke about an identified need in the football ecosystem. One of the things I spoke about was the lack of transport for our clubs leading to the inability of our players to travel in comfort: And so the FA introduced a new policy called the bus acquisition strategy. Today we’re here to see the fulfilment of that singular promise by the Executive Council of the Football Association,” President Simeon-Okraku said.
“The acquisition of these buses was funded by increased inflows generated through various collective efforts at the time. This initiative is part of the merit awards for the 2023/2024 season. We aim to extend this effort to other clubs in the upcoming season, with details to be announced soon.”
The President revealed further plans of extending the initiative to the Women’s Premier League, with four clubs set to receive buses in the coming days while highlighting the continuing focus of the Association on creation and sharing of wealth for all.
“Let me also mention that our clubs in the Women’s Premier League are also part of this strategy and in the next few days, four Women Premier League clubs will also take home a bus each. I want to thank the EXCO, who are represented here, for their belief and trust in the vision. We have said that it is important for us to fix this fundamentals. One of the fundamental needs of our clubs is transportation, and we are determined to help address the challenges.”
“Today, it’s the turn of our Division One League Clubs, tomorrow it may be the turn of our Women Premier League Clubs, subsequently, it may be the turn of Regional Football and several others benefiting from this strategy.”
Representatives from the beneficiary clubs were present at the ceremony and expressed their gratitude to the GFA.
The Communications Director of Techiman Heroes, Gideon Bekoe, commended the GFA President for fulfilling his promise. “Transportation has been a problem, and now we are getting a bus. This will benefit us greatly and improve our operations as a club.” he said.
The General Manager of Okwahu United, Nana Kwame Dankwa, echoed similar sentiments, noting that the buses would alleviate significant transportation challenges faced by many clubs. “This initiative will go a long way in solving the major problem of transportation for clubs in Ghana,” he said.
The beneficiary clubs include Basake Holy Stars, Young Apostles, Vision FC, New Edubiase, Okwahu United, Techiman Heroes FC, Cape Coast Ebusua Dwarfs, Hohoe United and Victory Club Warriors.
GFA Communications
