Owner of Eastbourne Borough FC Simon Leslie is looking to partner with Siaw Sports Company to help bridge the gap for future generations in Ghana.
Eastbourne Borough is a club based in Eastbourne, East Sussex, England. The team competes in the National League South which is the sixth level of the English football league system.
Leslie, an advocate for supporting mental health in football, tells 3Sports he was in Ghana for a business trip but decided to support Gold Coast Warriors SC with jerseys and contribute to football development in Ghana.
“As part of my trip to Ghana, I decided to bring some kits and see whether I could find a team to support and encourage. I didn’t think this would turn out to be so great. Gold Coast is an unbelievable club with incredible ambition. Seeing the people here with the same passion and vision in football made me realise we are a match made in heaven.”
“Ghana has had players come into the Premier League for years. It’s hard to get into the Premier League at this moment but if we can get kids into the system early enough into the lower leagues in the UK then that can become another pathway. This way a lot more people will get a chance,” Leslie added.
The founder of Siaw Sports Kwasi Siaw believes partnerships are the way to ensure that football in the country can grow.
“If you look at the majority of our high-level players, they all started from Colts football and the lower divisions. If people like ourselves don’t bring people over to help take our game to another level then these kids won’t get the opportunity.”
Earlier this year Siaw Sports partnered with Okwahu United. Emmanuel Akoto Bamfo, who is the club executive of the division one side, reveals the aim is to give more opportunity to younger players.
“Part of the idea of our partnership is to make sure that we could get opportunities for players in our community and also give the chance to other young players to play with Okwahu and then one day move outside. I think we are always looking to give young players the exposure to play outside and this ties into what Siaw Sports and Simon want to do.”
Anna Agyekum, who runs real estate companies called On Point Property Management and Ghana Property Expo, says she’s always looking for opportunities to give back to the community.
“When I heard that Simon was willing to give back to give back to the football community in Ghana, I contacted Siaw because he is very integral in the football space. It’s been a great outreach to provide kits for these young players. This shows that these players are being seen, and heard, and there’s hope for the future.”
Head coach of Gold Coast Godfred Odartey Lamptey was appreciative and said: “Thank you to Siaw Sports Company for doing this to the Ofankor community and society. We are happy to have him and Simon and everyone else contribute to our development.”
All stakeholders look forward to engaging further to ensure that more young players get guidance and support as they embark on the journey of one day realising their dreams of going professional.