Officials and players of Right to Dream (RtD) U17 Academy squad last Friday presented the Gothia Cup they won in the just ended World Football Tournament in Sweden to their headline sponsors, Tullow Oil plc Ghana.

On receiving the Gothia Cup from the Rtd U17 squad, General Manager of Tullow Ghana Limited, Charles Darku, said: “The victory by Right to Dream Gothia Tournament reinforces our belief in the vision of the Academy. We in Tullow made a conscious effort to sponsor the Academy after following their exploits and convincing ourselves about their approach to developing football as a game without sacrificing the education and character development of the players. We share in the joy of this victory and will continue to sponsor the Academy going forward.

Commenting on the victory, Rtd Technical Director, Gareth Henderby, said: “Winning the Gothia Cup was a big moment for the Academy. To win the Gothia Cup is a fantastic achievement- it’s only our second year participating in the tournament. The Gothia Cup has a great pedigree and Right to Dream adds its name to the history of this tournament. The players showed a great amount of character to win the Final and a great sense of belief-you need that in tournaments, playing multiple games in a short space of time. They have proved they are winners”.

Overall, the RtD Academy came through six tough matches to win the tournament, including a 4-1 victory over the Finish side, HjK Helsinki, in the semi-finals.

The final was watched by a crowd of 8,000, including a large contingent from the Ghanaian community in Sweden. It was a match full of tension with RtD dominating possession and creating a series of chances. But resolute defending from Mjaillby AIF kept the score locked at 0-0 in normal time. A penalty shoot-out followed, with the young Ghanaian team coming out on top after seven successful penalty kicks and a crucial stop from the Academy keeper, Kusi Danquah Godwin.

Reflecting on the tournament, RtD Captain Sirdick Adjei-Grant said: “The teams we played against were technically very good so we had to be very disciplined and mentally ready. Every time we cross that white line, we go out represent Ghana well, and show the world that Right to Dream is one of the best football academies the Gothia Cup shown everyone that”.

RtD’s Armeyaw Muntari, who was named Man of the Match in the final, identified the team’s strength of character as the difference between the teams: ‘Every single member of the squad showed hunger and passion, we just believed in ourselves and that collective belief enabled us to come though this final challenge”.

The RtD U15s were also in action in Europe over the summer, representing Africa in the World Finals of the Manchester United Premier Cup. 8000 teams from 43 countries had entered the competition, with 20 teams competing at the World Finals in Manchester. The RtD U15s recorded victories over top academy sides, including Brazilian Vhampions, SC International, and Dutch Champions, Feyenoord. They eventually finished 4th, having lost to Valencia in the Semi-Finals. It was the academy’s sixth appearance in the World Finals of the Premier Cup since 2008.

The ceremony was graced by newly appointed Sports Minister, Maham Ayariga, who congratulated the playing body and management of Tullow Ghana for their contribution to the development of sports in the country.

The Academy is sponsored by Tullow Ghana, and is the cornerstone of Tullow’s agenda for creating shared prosperity through sports.