Press Release

Cantonments Football Academy in Ghana is launched

An innovative football training project in Ghana offering coaching experience and professional league placements has been launched by Gap Year specialists Projects Abroad.

Based in the capital Accra, this new project offers the opportunity to attend a football academy led by qualified coaches and participate in placements at local youth football clubs.

Academy Director in Ghana, David Flaschner, is a former Projects Abroad volunteer. He said, "We set out to provide a coherent structure and quality coaching for boys aged 7 to 18 as well as an excellent opportunity for volunteers to work with some of Ghana's brightest young talent. We're still in the early stages, but from the reactions of our first few volunteers and my own personal experience, we've achieved much, much more. Our aim is to first and foremost educate the children who attend but we also have a lot of fun at training sessions too."

This ground-breaking project also offers an effective route for young African footballers into Europe. Projects Abroad has established Cantonments Football Academy which has started to work with talented individuals so they can show their talents in a professional league.

Scott McQuarrie, Sport Co-ordinator at Projects Abroad, said, "It is always of great surprise that there are still so few African players playing in European leagues. Over the last few years there has been a slight increase but still a miniscule amount compared to the numbers of potentially great footballers in Africa. This project is an attempt to address this issue and help talented players make a name for themselves in the professional game."

Set up in 1992, Projects Abroad specialises in offering gap year students and other volunteers a diverse range of projects and destinations throughout Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Projects Abroad offers 80 different placements in areas such as sport, medicine, teaching, conservation, journalism, business and community development.

For further information about this and other Gap Year projects contact Scott at Projects Abroad on
+44(0)1903 708 300, +44(0)7789 990 005 or visit www.projects-abroad.co.uk.

Notes to Editors
Photograph within release shows a volunteer with colleagues from the football academy.
Additional photographs and interviews with David or Scott are available upon request.