The Ghana Under 15 Boys and Girls are optimistic of being Champions at the upcoming under 15 African Schools Championship WAFU Zone B in Ougadougou, Burkina Faso from December 1 to December 4, 2025.
The team which camped in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region had their last training session with series of training matches before leaving for Ougadougou, capital of Burkina Faso by a three hour road journey.
The first edition of the Under 15 African Championship took place in Togo in 2023 and was later hosted in Ghana in 2024 for school going kids at the basic level in an effort to promote grassroot football as well as development school level soccer.
In preparation towards this year’s edition in Burkina Faso in less than a week, the Ghana football Association decided to camp the kids in Bolgatanga which has the same weather conditions as that of Burkina Faso to physically and mentally prepare the teams.
The teams had training matches with the GFA elite Academy in Bolgatanga to further strengthen the boys and girls tactical and physical mentality ahead of the championship.
The head Coach of the boys team, Salifu Fatawu spoke about the team’s preparedness and he was optimistic of his boys performing well at the championship.
“So far, very well. I think everything for now is on course and ready for the competition ahead. Well, I think we’re going to Burkina Faso and Bolgatanga being very close to Burkina Faso, we deem it very important to come around, prepare ourselves, get used to the weather before we move to Burkina Faso for the tournament itself.
“I think these boys are well prepared and ready for the competition ahead of us. This level is a developmental level and I think we are much aware that all we need is to see what we teach these boys, you know, reflect in the games they play. And so far, the matches we played, things we’ve been teaching them actually showed in the game. And we believe that when we apply this against other countries in the competition, we’re going to come back with a trophy. So I am very confident that we’re going to compete and at the end, of course, win”, he said
Commenting on whether the team is aware of the tactical strategies of the competing countries and how best they can outplay them, he said “Football is about DNA and we know the WAFU football and we know the countries, we know their DNAs. And of course, we prepared our boys according to the Ghanaian DNA, which I think is the best of all. And we believe that when we are able to apply those things on the field, we will outplay the other countries”.
Coach Salifu Fatawu thanked the Ghana FA for the support and preparing the team for the tournament.
“We’ve gotten the support we need from the FA, just like we’ve been here, of course, it’s the FA that financed and sponsored us to come here. And we believe that the FA has been supporting us from day one at this level. And of course, we are ready,” he added.
The head Coach of the girl’s team, Sandra Boakye reiterated their readiness towards this crucial championship and she is optimistic of winning the girls tournament.
She said the girls are well prepared and physically sound to meet any African team at the championship.
The two captains of the boys and girls teams assured Ghanaians of winning both trophies.
” All I can say is that, we are poised in becoming champions looking at the level of training we had from our coaches right from our training in Volta region. We are urging Ghanaians both in Burkina Faso and at home to rally us with support”, Denzel Baffour Gyan, Captain of the boys team said.
Adam Hajara, Captain of the girls team is also optimistic of her team’s triumphant and becoming champions in Burkina Faso.
The retired Upper East Region footballers made a widows mite donation of water bottle and plastic bottle non-alcoholic drinks to the team a few hours to their journey to Burkina Faso.
By Tanko Mohammed Rabiu
