About Cantonments Football Academy

The Cantonments Football Academy is located in the Ghanaian capital of Accra. The club caters for local boys aged six to seventeen, providing age-specific coaching and competitive league matches throughout. Having developed over a number of years in the local Cantonments community, this club truly offers a unique playing experience, including professional European coaching methods combined with a lively and caring Ghanaian family atmosphere.

Cantonments Academy FC Staff Profiles

David Flaschner - Technical Director David joined the club in January 2008, first as a volunteer and later taking on the role of Technical Director. A keen student of football, his main role is to plan and implement the training curriculum for each age group and look after the day to day running of the club. He is also responsible for assisting Projects Abroad volunteers during their time at Cantonments.

Richard Brown - Head Coach Richard has been coaching at Cantonments for the past three years and runs the U10 and U12 teams with Eric Otoo. A keen student of computing, his coaching potential came to light in a brief stint as assistant manager of his local school team.

Primus Nyalemegbe - Coach Primus joined the club at the very beginning, working alongside Rama Kudolo and also playing as a goalkeeper. Having taken a 3 year break to focus on his schooling, he is back coaching the U14 team and taking the goalkeepers through their paces.

Noah Dakudzi - GFA Representative Noah is another member of the staff who has been at Cantonments since the early years. When the club first started he worked with his friend Rama Kudolo and helped out with coaching. Nowadays he runs the U14 team with Primus Nyalemegbe and takes care of all official business regarding the Ghana Football Association.

Kofi Enogu-Owusu - Seniors Assistant Coach Kofi joined Cantonments in 2007 having coached youth football in Ghana for six years. He was spotted coaching league rivals Forden and immediately snapped up by the club. Combining roles coaching the U17 and Senior teams with the occasional Third Division league game as reserve goalkeeper, Kofi is a vital member of the Cantonments set-up.

Tom Davis - Chairman

Eric Otoo - Head Coach Eric is a member of Rama Kudolo’s close family and has recently joined the coaching staff at Cantonments. Leaning on his experience as a youth player, he runs the U10 and U12 teams with Richard Brown.

Rama Kudolo - Assistant Technical Director Rama co-founded the club with his father in 2000 and has remained an integral part of the Cantonments community ever since. His main role is to assist with the day to day running of the club. Having excelled as both a player and a coach over the past eight years, Rama provides invaluable experience for young players coming up through the ranks as both a role model and father figure.

Club History

The club started in unusual circumstances when a small boy was given a present he could not use. Ernest Amoah received a pair of football boots from his parents but had nowhere to play, so he asked his good friend Rama Kudolo to form a club for him and his friends. Rama was playing professional football at the time and decided to consult his father for some advice. He was told that the local community needed something to bind them together so Rama decided to take time out from his own career to run a club for his local people.

Cantonments Youth Football Club was born in October 2000 as a place for boys aged 9 and under to play together. It was only after many of the members were involved in a triumphant Inter-Schools football competition that year that Rama realised he had some real talent on his hands. In 2002 after much training the team was entered in the U12 Colts B youth league and gradually worked their way up the table over the following seasons. Ernest himself proved to be one of the stars of this young team along with his friends Nanoa and Polo.

In 2006 Rama encountered his first major problem - the players were too old to compete in the U12 league. It was then that he decided to take a big gamble - one that would shape the future of Cantonments. The team was expanded to cater for the entire Cantonments community with Rama running U12, U14 and U17 leagues. New players had to be brought in to form the two extra teams and the club was gradually transformed. Later that year the older boys tasted their first competitive action as a combined squad in the Rita Britton Cup. Sadly the trophy went to their fierce rivals Kinshege.

The other major change in 2006 was the start of the Club's formal association with Projects Abroad. Volunteers from all around the world were brought in to help with training. One volunteer, Alistair Slowe, stayed for nearly two years and contributed massively with time, energy and money. Alistair, in a unique partnership with Rama, built up a community-based football academy which soon became the envy of Accra.

After this inauspicious start the players rallied together for their assault on the Colts B youth leagues - the results were spectacular. In 2007 Cantonments placed first in the U12 league, first with an unbeaten season in the U14 league and first in the U17 league. To round off a perfect season, the boys tasted victory in the Rita Britton Cup, with Ernest scoring the winning goal against Good Shepherd in the final.

The story of Cantonments Football Club is a truly inspiring tale of how hard work and perseverance can produce something magical even from the humblest of beginnings.

2007 Honours and star players

U12 - league winners - Cobee, Rafique and Charles.
U14 - Unbeaten league winners - Kaka, Ransford and Sylvester.
U17 - League runners up - Ortega, Bosin and Thomas.

What We Provide

Training - Our age-specific training sessions are designed to create a seamless transition through the ranks from the age of six, right up to graduation at seventeen. In the early years, focus is placed on the development of individual technique and having fun. We are committed to fostering a positive image of the sport, which means more games and less tactical lectures. In later years we introduce more diverse material, ranging from conditioning work to tactical play, resulting in a well-rounded football education for every player at the club.

Facilities - We strive to provide top quality equipment for everyone at the club, from boots and balls right through to the playing surface itself. Our match pitch is located roughly five minutes walk away from the Cantonments community and boasts a quality grass surface. In addition we also have a synthetic surface for training to ensure that all players get the space they need to train, whatever the time, whatever the weather.

Atmosphere - Cantonments Football Academy is a community club run with an ethos befitting its location. We look to provide a family atmosphere for the players, which can range from holding team parties to the simple commitment to providing food and water for every player after matches. It is taking care of the little details that make the club what it is today - a friendly and inspiring environment for young people to grow up in, both as people and footballers.

Our Mission

Footballing Philosophy

At Cantonments Football Academy we believe in the simple concept of winning football played attractively. Our primary goal is to develop players with all of the skills to play expansive, attacking football and all of the mental qualities to succeed and win in the competitive world of the professional game. We see high-quality, high-pressure attacking football as our trademark and the perfect way to establish Cantonments Football Academy as the first choice when looking for Ghanaian players.

The Players

As a football academy, we deal first and foremost with the well being and development of our players. We are committed to giving them the best possible chance of a career in football, providing top-quality, European-style coaching and a route into the professional game via the Cantonments senior team and our contacts in Europe. However, we see it as our duty to ensure that the players grow off the pitch as well as on it, meaning a strict commitment to school attendance and no training in the morning - we would rather have our players too tired to train than too tired to concentrate in lessons!

The Future

At present the club is committed to working with local boys to improve their football education. In the longer term we hope to harness the vast array of talent available throughout Ghana and invite anyone who wishes it to be a part of our unique footballing experience. This will see Cantonments Football Academy becoming the premier source of talent in West Africa, kick-starting the careers of young hopefuls for many years to come.