Top Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan says he is keen on initiating a campaign to revive colts (juvenile) football in the country.
Gyan has described the colts football system as the backbone of Ghana football but has bemoaned its crumble in the the last 10-15 years.
Ghana had a vibrant juvenile sector that served as a football factory producing exceptionally talented footballers for the national team.
The scenario has changed in recent times with several questions remaining unanswered about why the country has struggled to replicate the old days.
Gyan, a beneficiary of the colts system says he is eager to revive the sector and bring back the love and attention it needs.
He told TV3 Sports, “I started with the colts level, a lot of players who played for the senior national team, they (also) started from the Colts level”.
“I (recently) found out that there’s no more colts football in Ghana, that is something I want to do” he noted.
“I want to bring back (the love ) for colts football to Ghana, to be an ambassador or something and make sure I promote colts football”
Gyan has invited his former teammates who also profited from a well functioning colts football structure to join him on this revivication quest.
“We have Stephen Appiah, Laryea Kingson, myself, Sulley Muntari, Michael Essien, all these guys….the legends Abedi Pele, Tony Yeboah, I’m sure they all played in this colts level”
“that’s what I want to do, I want to bring back the colts football because I think it will help” he concluded.
Gyan played the colts level for a while before switching to professional level at the young age of 16. He scored 10 league goals in 16 games in his first and only Ghana Premier League season with Liberty Professionals.
He currently runs a juvenile football project dubbed the BabyJet Under 16 tournament. One of the beneficiaries of this initiative Matthew Anim-Cudjoe is currently on the books of Asante Kotoko.