OUSMAN MANNEH:I'm Ousman Manneh. 'And I've come to Ghana to find out more about the trade 'in young African footballers who want to work in Europe.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Thousands have been abandoned by unscrupulous agents 'who are only interested In taking money from their families.'
OUSMAN MANNEH:'So I want to know what steps are being taken 'to give youngsters some real opportunities.'
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Back here in Ghana, there is no escape from football. 'Which is great news for me, being a coach and a keen player.
SULI:It's busy! Yeah, even on a Sunday.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'My new friend and translator Suli 'takes me around the local shops in searching for football.'
OUSMAN MANNEH:'If you can land your hands on a football, the games on!'
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Kids here love football and dream of becoming successful players.'
OUSMAN MANNEH:'It's easy to see how they can fall into the hands of scouts and agents. 'who exploit them and give them false hopes.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Life's tough here in Ghana.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Even though by African standards it's a relatively wealthy country. 'With many families living on 70 pence or less a day.'
OUSMAN MANNEH:'A world away from the unofficial academies 'that have sprung up all over Ghana.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'I'm on my way to one of the countries top football academies. 'To see how they aim to protect boys from exploitation and failure.'
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Here, at the Right to Dream Academy 'about an hour from Ghana's capital, Accra. '50 boys out of thousands of hopefuls each year 'are able to attend full time and at no cost to their families.'
OUSMAN MANNEH:'As I arrive, I'm met by 12 year old Collins and 14 year old Eric. So how was it living here and do you consider yourself lucky to be a part of this?
COLLINS:Yeah we feel very lucky because there's a lot of people in Ghana like our age who want to be here but it's our, we were chosen to be here so it is very important to be here.
OUSMAN MANNEH:Where are we going now?
OUSMAN MANNEH:'The academy isn't just looking for footballers… 'But also tomorrows leaders. 'And Eric has recently become the academy captain.
OUSMAN MANNEH:So how important is it for you to be the captain of the academy?
ERIC:I would say it's one of the most things I've ever achieved in my life. Because, I've been dreaming to become a captain. I've been looking at some of the role models like, Obama and other stuff. They are always outstanding people that become a leader.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Eric and Collins are promising young footballers. 'And the academy has had many success stories in placing 'talented boys with familiar football clubs.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Despite this here 'they are encouraged to keep an open mind on their career ambition.'
OUSMAN MANNEH:So where would you like to go from here? Would you like to be a professional footballer in Ghana? What is your dream?
COLLINS:My dream is to play in the Premier League.
OUSMAN MANNEH:In the Premier League? What team do you want to play for?
COLLINS:Hopefully Manchester City.
OUSMAN MANNEH:Manchester City?
OUSMAN MANNEH:What about you, what's your dream?
ERIC:My dream is to follow my education in the United States.
OUSMAN MANNEH:Really?
ERIC:Yeah for now.
OUSMAN MANNEH:Wow, any subjects that you want to do?
ERIC:I want to get involved with science, I aim to become a surgeon.
OUSMAN MANNEH:Oh really?
ERIC:Yeah.
OUSMAN MANNEH:Wow!
CK AKUNNOR:Movement, again, who is moving?
OUSMAN MANNEH:'During training I caught up with one of their coaches 'former successful international player and Ghana captain CK Akunnor.
CK AKUNNOR:Let's go, last attack. One of the things that attracted me was that It wasn’t just some football they we're giving the kid's education as well.
CK AKUNNOR:So, I said no I'd love to be a part of this.
OUSMAN MANNEH:Yeah.
CK AKUNNOR:Like several times, last week was the same. This week was-- come on get it right!
OUSMAN MANNEH:When you was a youth, when you was growing up to become a footballer in the national team how was your training compared to this, training now? Was it much difference?
CK AKUNNOR:Yeah, big difference you know there wasn't any pitch like that, you know? I started with bare foot.
CK AKUNNOR:In my area, when I got into professional football. It wasn’t from-- Well I call it professional. I went into the youth in my 20's and that’s when I started wearing football boots.
CK AKUNNOR:These boys are fortunate, very, very fortunate. I believe it will wield into good results at the end of today. This is very poor. What are you doing?
CK AKUNNOR:What are you doing? This ball was meant for you. Too early, too early Eric. Get back.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'British coach Gareth Henderby, 'who's been here since the place opened twelve years ago, 'explained that here, unlike at the unlicensed academy's 'football isn't the be all and end all.'
GARETH HENDERBY:Every player has a chance here to make it, some will progress on some will not. It's normal in life.
GARETH HENDERBY:Some will go through a higher level than others. Some will go to into Europe some will stay playing in Ghana Premier League.
GARETH HENDERBY:And then some may go into education so every players got the opportunity to go far. If they apply themselves in the right manor and they work as hard as they possibly can.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Most boys come from underprivileged homes. 'Teacher Harry Adekpui is in charge of their welfare.'
HARRY ADEKPUI:So the whole idea is to try to identify the highest potential in each of these boys. So in doing that you need ensure that you have the suitable environment for them to grow up?
OUSMAN MANNEH:What do you exactly mean by that?
HARRY ADEKPUI:Some of them come from places where they don’t really have fathers.
HARRY ADEKPUI:Even if they have fathers they don’t really care for them. So, they don’t really eat well they don’t come from environments and given proper guidance and support.
HARRY ADEKPUI:And so they don’t really have a definition of the word "care" and so some of them when you ask them it's time to go home… Go back to their families they don’t want to go. They see this place as home.
OUSMAN MANNEH:I think its brilliant I think, actually I'm speechless. They've gone through a lot of hard work to build this place. I wish loads of different countries had this opportunity for other kids as well.
OUSMAN MANNEH:I just hope they know how lucky they are to be honest to have this opportunity.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'The next morning I had a chance to join the boys 'on a typical school day.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'It's six a.m. and it's their first session, morning devotion.'
ERIC:We're all from different parts of Ghana. And people belong to different tribes and they speak different languages. But here they are trying to link us together so that we are all speaking English.
ERIC:Others are Muslims, others are Christian. So they want us to achieve the same thing.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Half past six after morning devotion 'we are all off to the first training session of the day.'
OUSMAN MANNEH:'As a regular player and a qualified coach 'I'm well used to intensive training.'
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Or so I thought!' My fitness is poor. It's rubbish, I thought I was quite fit actually.
OUSMAN MANNEH:Maybe it's the boots. Heavy. Nah, come on!
OUSMAN MANNEH:Actually it was really, really hard because I'm nowhere near their standards, nowhere near their level. Really, really good footballers. As you can see I'm sweating like an animal!
OUSMAN MANNEH:But I really, really enjoyed it and I don’t want to sit out I wanna get stuck in, see how far I can go.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'I ask Gareth how the boys cope with such intensive training.'
GARETH HENDERBY:Everything's about balance, in training. We have times when it's intense we times when we're doing technical training sometimes is more game understanding tactical training.
GARETH HENDERBY:Some days it's just small sided games which is the fun element in it. And then we have our matches as well each week for the players We've gotta realise that they're still kids.
GARETH HENDERBY:And we want them to grow up here but also make mistakes, have fun, have a normal life like any other kid would.
GARETH HENDERBY:They're in such a tight and tough schedule within our football program and our school program. That, if you're not careful it's easy to forget that they are kids sometimes.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'As for myself, I find the days schedule quite gruelling. 'After the six o'clock start, we've had the morning training…
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Then lessons from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. 'Then it was back on the pitch for another hour and a half 'of intensive training.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Eric and Collins seem to take this intensive routine in their stride. 'Much better than me.'
OUSMAN MANNEH:Boys it's been a really hectic day today hasn’t it?
BOTH:Yeah.
OUSMAN MANNEH:Is it usually like his every day, is this your daily routine?
COLLINS:Yeah, same every day. Yeah.
OUSMAN MANNEH:You tired?
COLLINS:Yeah.
OUSMAN MANNEH:Two trainingsessions in a day is not easy is it?
COLLINS:Yeah but you get used to it.
OUSMAN MANNEH:You're used to it now?
COLLINS:Yeah.
OUSMAN MANNEH:And what about you?
ERIC:Yea used to it, same.
OUSMAN MANNEH:I gotta say you're really, really fit!
OUSMAN MANNEH:Really fit lads.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'There's still time for a little more football before bed.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Ghana is playing and the excitement is mounting.'
OUSMAN MANNEH:I love it here, just everyone adrenaline is pumping, everyone's getting in the mood. I got my Ghana scarf on. It's really, really nice.
OUSMAN MANNEH:I feel like I live in Ghana, I feel like Ghana's my country.
ALL:GOAL!
OUSMAN MANNEH:'The long day has a happy ending, Ghana have won the match.' 'As I cheer with the boys I feel sad my time in Ghana is coming to an end.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'It's been an extraordinary journey into the world of African football.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'I've learnt so much about the pressures 'that lead to thousands of African youngsters being exploited.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'So many people's interests come before young people's dreams. 'An overwhelming majority of kids training in unofficial academies 'will never make it as international footballers.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Yet they are encouraged to believe they will.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Prospects for the few kids 'that make it to the elite academies are brilliant 'and not just in football, but they're only tiny minority.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Overall, my hope is that one day soon kids in Africa 'will have better chances of a successful career 'without having to leave for Europe.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'I think that this would be wonderful 'if the young footballers would lead the way to a fairer 'and wealthier continent.'
Ousmann Manneh, a 20-year old footballer from the Gambia now living in the UK, visits an official football academy in Ghana.
It is highlighted that although Ghana is not the poorest nation in West Africa many live on 70 pence or less a day.
Hence, football is a potential way out of poverty for Ghanaian youths.
The official academy does not give false hope and mixes coaching with education. British coaches also visit the academy to help in the training.
The majority of youths come from poor unstructured backgrounds and are given realistic opportunities for the future without the exploitation of the unofficial football trafficking seen before.
This clip is from the series Children at Work: Football.
Teacher Notes
Students could watch the clip and use the information gained to create a plan for their own sporting academy for disadvantaged young people.
Pupils can think of a name for the academy, state what sports they will offer, identify what groups they are aiming at, explain how it supports the young people and how it addresses personal ambitions and global issues.
Curriculum Notes
This clip is relevant for teaching PSHE at KS3 and GCSE. This topic appears in Edexcel, AQA, KS3 and GCSE in England and Wales, CCEA GCSE in Northern Ireland, and SQA National 4 and 5 in Scotland.
More from Children at Work: Football
Unofficial football academies in Ghana (pt 1/3) video
Ousmann Manneh, a 20-year old footballer from the Gambia now living in the UK, looks into the unofficial football academies in Ghana and the potential to exploit boys who dream of playing in the leagues of Europe.
Exploitation of African youths by football agents (pt 2/3) video
Footballer, Ousmann Manneh looks at the plight of African youths promised football trials. Ousmann interviews one youth who was abandoned on the streets of Paris by a Nigerian agent who took the money and ran.
