West African Football Academy Sporting Club or WAFA for short, is a Ghanaian professional football club based near Sogakope in the Volta Region. 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]
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| Full name | West African Football Academy Sporting Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | WAFA |
| Founded | 2014 |
| 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 |
| Website | https://www.facebook.com/WestAfricanFootballAcademySportingClub/ |
The club was founded in August 2014, as the Feyenoord Academy in Goma Fetteh, founded by Feyenoord from Rotterdam, and Red Bull Academy near Sogakope were merged.
History
editFeyenoord Academy
editFeyenoord'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]
Red Bull Ghana
editFounded in 2008, the academy associated with the team has gone on to produce coaches and players alike. The team reached the second highest league in Ghana in 2009.[7] Red Bull Ghana was relegated to Division Two in 2013.
Merger
editIn August 2014, Feyenoord Academy was rebranded to the name West African Football Academy.[8] 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.[9]
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
editNote: 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)[10]
- Gideon Waja (2016–2017)[11]
- Mohammed Alhassan (2017–2018)[12][13]
- Ibrahim Abukari (2019–)[14]
Managerial history
edit
Saddiq Abubakari (2018)[15]- Prosper Nartey Ogum (2020–2021)
Gallery
edit
Seasons
editReferences
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. Archived from the original on 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
- ^ 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. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ^ Fürweger, Wolfgang (12 October 2016). Die Red Bull Story: Der unglaubliche Erfolg des Dietrich Mateschitz. Carl Ueberreuter Verlag GmbH. ISBN 9783800079506. Archived from the original on 15 June 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2019 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Fetteh Feyenoord Academy changes name to WAFA SC". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
- ^ "WAFA FC to switch home base to Sogakope for Premier League". Modern Ghana. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ "Jordan Opoku - Soccer Player - Dinamo Tirana". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
- ^ torontofc. "Gideon Waja | Toronto FC". torontofc. Archived from the original on 2024-06-15. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
- ^ "Hearts of Oak sign Mohammed Alhassan in four-year deal". Goal. 6 December 2018. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- ^ "Hearts of Oak MD Mark Noonan hints at 'more quality signings' after Mohammed Alhassan deal". GhanaSoccernet. 2018-12-06. Archived from the original on 2024-06-15. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
- ^ "WAFA SC announce squad and jersey numbers for 2019/20 season- Abukari Ibrahim named captain". GhanaSoccernet. 2019-12-28. Archived from the original on 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
- ^ "Who is Saddiq Abubakari, The Head Coach Of WAFA SC?". 442 GH. 2018-09-28. Archived from the original on 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2021-08-27.