Accra, Feb 6, GNA - Kpando based Heart of Lions have struck a partnership deal with a Danish football club, Esberg, in an arrangement that will assist the premier league club to benefit from technical, sponsorship and kits assistance from the Danish club.

Following this deal, three officials from Denmark arrived in the country last week and have embarked on feasibility studies in Kpando where they held various interactions with the players and technical team of the club as well as inspected the club's sporting facilities. Mr Julius Onyameama, Director of All Sports Management Consult who brokered the deal told a press conference that the Danish club has a long and short-term interest in the club.

The three officials of the Danish club in the country are Mr Swed Pederson of the Danish Football Federation, Mr Behrend Behrendson, Marketing Director of Esberg and Lars Vind Hansen,the coach of the youth side and scout of Esberg FC.

The deal is to ensure that the Danish club trained coaches of Heart of Lions, provide kits to its academy side and the senior team as well as organize training tours for the club.

Mr Onyameama said the Danish club has a detailed programme for the Ghanaian club that include both long and short-term interest in the club.

He said Esberg's short-term plan would be to provide the needed technical assistance to the club to pave the way for its future plans to adequately support the club.

Mr Onyameama said Heart of Lions would in two weeks time receive soccer equipment from Esberg to aid them in their preparing towards the 2004 premier league season.

He added that the Danish club would also establish a sports academy for Lions to serve as a recruitment and training center for young football players from the West Africa sub-region.

According to Mr Onyameama the long-term plan of the Danish club is to own part of the shares of the club and to also help in making the club a formidable side and a force to reckon with on the local scene. Mr Behrendson said the club was not interested in the sale of players of Lions but to help develop the team and Ghana soccer in general.

He said the feasibility studies they conducted revealed that Ghana abounds with a lot of soccer talents and that was what they were considering in order to nurture and promote such talents. The Marketing Director said as part of their plans to promote the Ghanaian club, efforts are being made to convince some Danish companies operating in Ghana to sponsor the club in the coming football season. Mr Behrendson said football could not survive without a lot of capital investment especially in Ghana hence the decision of the club to ensure that the Lions club is financially sound.

He however deplored the bad nature of soccer pitches in the country stressing that good pitches play a key role in the performance of players and the success of the game and gave the assurance that the club will also therefore assist in developing better pitches for use by the Kpando based team.

Mr Behrendson on behalf of the Danish club also assured the teeming supporters of the Kpando based club of their unflinching support since their interest in the club is meant to be a permanent one. Ms Akua Sena Dansua, Member of Parliament for North Dayi on behalf of the club expressed the appreciation of the Chiefs and people as well as the supporters for deciding to assist the Kpando based club to develop.

She said the club has chalked some success in its first entry into the premiership and prayed that the club will strive to improve upon it. Miss Dansua called on the Danish club to also assist the club in improving its support base by building a secretariat and a stadium worthy of the club that will make the club a formidable side on the local scene.

She urged them to make the partnership between the Ghanaian club and Esberg a mutual one so that at the end of the day each component will not regret or complain about the deal..