Despite considerable educational progress, school dropout rate among children with
football talent in rural Ghana is very high. Some children will never enter school, the
majority who do will drop out. Those who make it through basic education graduate
lacking basic skills, making it impossible to pursue higher education. Lack of support needed by these children exposes them to low self-esteem.
At Lead First Academy, players are initiated into the intricate details and operations of the game and life as a whole. This goes beyond learning the basic passing and dribbling of the ball.
This is the education part that prepares the boys and girls mentally for their future careers as pro footballers. LFA prepares students using the Ghana Education Service curriculum in an IB teaching & learning style. We also offer additional technical training skills in parallel. We believe the provision of the dual system enables us to better cater to our diverse student body, which encompasses a broad array of talents and interests and different learning styles.
Besides the innate talent of players, we deliver professional coaching and a comprehensive football curriculum that renews bad habits, introduces fundamental techniques, and encourages our student-athletes to think of the training to be more than just a professional exercise. We ensure equity for eligible girls and women to participate.
Our program has returned 9 school dropouts back to classrooms with impressive academic and social improvement by all our players. Our first-ever appearance in the GFA Juvenile tournament organised in the Shama District landed us our first U-13 trophy. In early 2020, Lead for Ghana awarded Lead First Academy as the most ambitious football club that directly improves the educational outcome for students, schools, and communities. Coach of the Black Starlets, Maxwell Konadu invited thirty (30) players to camp at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence. A number of players were invited nationwide. Solomon Ewuah of Lead First Academy chanced to be one of those scouted players prior to his achievement as the best U-13 player of the 2019 juvenile cup.
We always look forward to working with an incredible community of donors, partners, and organisations to support the academy's experience to be more inclusive and accessible to any disadvantaged child hoping to improve his or her academic and football professional skills for a better future. Anyone is welcome to impact with us! Contact us on info@leadfirstacademy.org to get adopt our model.
