Nineteen (19) Team Masseurs have graduated from the first ever training course held at the University of Ghana, College of Health Sciences,Korle Bu, Accra.
The first batch of Graduands included some masseurs from the national teams, Premier League Clubs and Division One League Clubs.
GFA President Kwesi Nyantakyi thanked the University and College Authorities for accepting to collaborate with the GFA in this endeavor.
He further congratulated the Graduands for their efforts and sacrifice as they combined their regular work with the 12 weeks of learning.
“Today marks the beginning of one of the many initiatives the GFA has earmarked to help develop the game of football in Ghana.”
“The need to strengthen the medical wing of our Technical Directorate cannot be overemphasized considering the range of injuries that have been recorded in game.”
“The game of football has become extremely scientific, hence the need for us to strategically place ourselves well in this equation to take the necessary steps to ensure our Masseurs go through a formal training since most of them learnt the practice on the job”, Mr. Nyantakyi said at the graduation ceremony held on Thursday at the Korle Bu hospital.
He also called on club officials and managers to support the masseurs with the necessary logistics to enable them perform their duties.
“Since we have an established a certificate training programme, as part of our efforts to satisfy the Club licensing requirements, this certificate will become our basic requirement before anybody is engaged as a Masseur by the GFA or any club in Ghana.”
Mr. Nyantakyi further appealed to recognized academic institutions in and outside Ghana to run any programme or courses of significant relevance to the development of football in Ghana.
“I challenge our academic institutions to consider programmes in the area of computer analyses of various aspects of the game including analyses of injury mechanisms and patterns. This is the current trend in the game”, he added.
Dean of the School Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences (SBAHS), Prof. Patrick Ayeh-Kumi thanked the GFA for its initiative and called for more collaboration in the area of Medicine and Sports Science.
He also revealed that the School intends to introduce a similar course for team physiotherapists.