Accra, March 20, GNA - Plan, an international non-governmental child-centred community development organisation, is to partner the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to develop women football in the country.

Consequently, staff of Plan Ghana, accompanied by Plan Germany, on Friday called on Executives of the GFA to discuss how to collaborate to develop the game especially among school girls.

Mrs Kathrin HartKopf, Foundation Manager, Plan Germany who led the delegation told members of the GFA that Plan's decision to partner with the GFA was because of its planned implementation of a sports initiative- Girls Football Project, which aims at addressing specific girl-related challenges such as teenage pregnancy, school dropout, among other things, considered as a drawback to the development of girls. "It is also to support girls to acquire vocational skills for self-employment, advocate a more tolerable environment for children, and to create and maintain girls' football teams in Plan's programme areas, who will. act as peer educators on the need to go to school." Mrs HartKopf said the project would subscribe to the National Health Insurance Scheme.

Plan has been providing jerseys, footballs, pitches, paying referees and coaches as well as taking care of the medical needs of players to ensure the success of the project.

Mrs Hartkopf said the project began three years ago at Asesewa in the Manya Krobo District of the Eastern Region, but had been extended to more than 15 communities in the area because of its remarkable success. The project she said had improved enrolment and retention of girls in schools, access to reproductive health information and health care.

She announced that Plan would fly some of the project beneficiaries to Germany to play a football gala with their counterparts to expose them to the international market.

Mr Fred Crentsil, Executive Committee Member of GFA in-charge of Women League Football, endorsed Plan's decision to partner with the GFA to develop women football, adding that women football development had been on a low-key in the country.

Mr Crentsil said though the GFA spent 70,000 dollars on women football last year, the amount was not enough and called on Plan to replicate the project in other parts of the country. He said Plan's project fell in line with the GFA's four-year programme to develop women football.

The delegation also took the opportunity to visit the training camp of the Black Queens and Black Princesses at Prampram in the Greater Accra Region, to fraternise with them and their technical handlers. They donated cartons of beverages to aid their preparations for their international assignments. The Black Princesses are in camp training towards the forthcoming World Under-20 Women Football tournament scheduled for July in Germany while the Black Queens are also preparing for the African Women Football Championship, which will take place later this year. Mr Anthony Kwabena Adusei, Head Coach of the Black Queens said a team would soon be going round the country to unearth talents and develop them for the national course. Mr Adusei, on behalf of two teams expressed appreciation to Plan for the visit and the donation. Mr Jacob Turkson, Southern Sector Manager of Plan Ghana educated members of the Black Queens and Black Princesses on the activities of Plan in the country.