President of Kumasi Sports Academy Ladies (Ghanaian Women’s Division One League Club), Evelyn Nsia Asare has made a passionate plea to government and the Ghana FA President Kurt E.S. Okraku to seriously consider extending a helping hand to lower tier women’s football clubs especially in these times of difficulty.
According to the astute women’s football administrator, the focus should not solely be on those in the Women’s Premier League, rather attention and support should also be given to those at the lower levels.
Her comments follow a timely intervention by government through its YEA programme to pay women’s premier league players a monthly allowance of 500 Ghana cedis each, for the next 6 months.
Aside welcoming the news as very positive and necessary, Evelyn Nsiah Asare also ceased the moment to highlight the financial plight of clubs and administrators at the Female Division One level.
Nsiah Asare wants the GFA first of all to contour affairs to ensure there is a dedicated national division one league that mirrors what pertains to men’s football in the country.
She explains that some of the administrators including her have had to use their salaries to run their clubs and if such a trend continues, they risk losing their marriages.
She told Asempa FM, “We pay for everything; some of us use our salaries to cover these expenses. If care is not taken, very soon our husbands will leave us, because you use all your salaries for football related stuff”.
“It looks like the Women’s Football has been limited to the premier level. That is the challenge some of us have,” she continued.
“So we are pleading with our father Kurt Okraku to do everything possible alongside the Women’s League board to streamline things.
“So that those at the regional levels will play a Division One League, so we can also make progress, and the premier league teams will also play their own. So they help us because we buy almost everything (on our own).
“We pay for referees; for security, then the stadium usage fee as well,” she stressed.
Aside the government’s package to support women’s football, there is a $500,000 package from FIFA to support the sector as part of its COVID-19 relief package.
Evelyn Nsiah Asare wants the Ghana FA to allocate an amount from this to support the lower tier women’s football clubs.
“It is not easy so with the $500,000 that has come from FIFA, we are pleading with the GFA president Kurt Okraku to recognize us because most of our players are with the U-17,” she said.
“At times the monies given us isn’t enough but we are very good managers. We are able to manage things very well, so if we really pay attention to women’s football, we will go far,” she concluded.
Evelyn Nsiah Asare is on the fastest growing women’s football administrators in Ghana. Aside her role at Kumasi Sports Academy, she is also the CEO of Hasaacas Ladies a female premier league side and a board member of Ghanaian football giant, Kumasi Asante Kotoko.