West African Football Academy
 | |
| Full name | West African Football Academy Sporting Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 23 October 1999 |
| Ground | WAFA Stadium South Tongu District, Volta Region, Ghana |
| Capacity | 1,000 |
| Coordinates | 6°2′07″N 0°33′02″E / 6.03528°N 0.55056°E |
| Chairman |  Karel Brokken |
| Manager |  Prosper Nartey Ogum |
| Coach | Guillermo Hamdan Zaragoza |
| League | Ghana Premier League |
| 2021–22 | 16th |
| Website | Club website |
Apply now:233556810592. West African Football Academy (WAFA) Sporting Club is a Ghanaian professional football club based near Sogakope in the Volta Region that was founded by Feyenoord from Rotterdam. They are competing in the Ghana Premier League. The 2016–17 season was a successful one for WAFA as the side finished second in the Premier League,[1] beating Hearts of Oak 5–0 along the way.[2]
History[edit]
Feyenoord's chairman Jorien van den Herik was given permission for the opening of Feyenoord's own football academy in the Ghanaian settlement of Gomoa Fetteh, just outside the capital Accra.[3] The go-ahead was given by the Chief of Fetteh in 1998 and the academy was opened in October 1999. At Feyenoord Academy, young talented African footballers could work on their football skills. In addition to helping their football potential the students were provided with formal education which was funded by Feyenoord.[3] The idea for Feyenoord's own football academy was formed in Abidjan.
Van den Herik signed the then still unknown Bonaventure Kalou and got into contact with the education institute at Kalou's club.[4] That same year the head of the education institute flew to Africa to take stock of the project and returned with a praising report. In January 1998, Feyenoord started its own Football School in Africa.[4]
Mohammed Abubakari was the first player that graduated from the academy and achieved a professional contract at Feyenoord.[5][6] Before Abubakari's move, Jordan Opoku spent some time at Excelsior and Antwerp before returning to Ghana.[7][8] In the buildup to the 2008–09 season, right-back Harrison Afful went on trial with Feyenoord, but was not offered a contract.
In August 2014, Feyenoord Academy was rebranded to the name West African Football Academy.[9] In the same year, the club took over the old Red Bull Academy near Sogakope and moved from their old location in Gomoa Fetteh to this new location in the Volta Region.[10]
Current squad[edit]
- As of 1 January 2021
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Academy[edit]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Club captains[edit]
- Jordan Opoku (2003) (2005–06)[11]
- Gideon Waja (2016–2017)[12]
- Mohammed Alhassan (2017–2018)[13][14]
- Ibrahim Abukari (2019–)[15]
Managerial history[edit]
Saddiq Abubakari (2018)[16]
- Prosper Nartey Ogum (2020–present)
Satellite clubs[edit]
The following clubs are affiliated with Feyenoord Gomoa Fetteh:
Gallery[edit]
Seasons[edit]
2020 -21 West African Football Academy season
References[edit]
- ^ "Ghana Premier League Standings". FIFA. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ "WAFA massacre Hearts". 5 June 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Feyenoord Worldwide". Feyenoord Rotterdam.
- ^ a b "Feyenoord Worldwide". Feyenoord Rotterdam. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013.
- ^ "Player Profile Mohammed Abubakari". GhanaWeb.
- ^ "Ghanaian midfielder Mohammed Abubakari has joined the Dutch club Feyenoord Rotterdam". BBC Sport. 17 February 2006.
- ^ "Jordan Opoku (Excelsior)". Voetbal International.
- ^ "Antwerp FC 04–05". EUFO.
- ^ Fetteh Feyenoord Academy changes name to WAFA SC
- ^ "WAFA FC to switch home base to Sogakope for Premier League". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ "Jordan Opoku - Soccer Player - Dinamo Tirana". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
- ^ torontofc. "Gideon Waja | Toronto FC". torontofc. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
- ^ "Hearts of Oak sign Mohammed Alhassan in four-year deal". Goal. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- ^ "Hearts of Oak MD Mark Noonan hints at 'more quality signings' after Mohammed Alhassan deal". GhanaSoccernet. 2018-12-06. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
- ^ "WAFA SC announce squad and jersey numbers for 2019/20 season- Abukari Ibrahim named captain". GhanaSoccernet. 2019-12-28. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
- ^ "Who is Saddiq Abubakari, The Head Coach Of WAFA SC?". 442 GH. 2018-09-28. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
- ^ Stage de préparation au Ghana: Une aventure positive [dead link]
External links[edit]
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