Founder of the Right to Dream football academy, Tom Vernon, has hailed the talent of Ghanaian children as the country’s biggest asset.
The Englishman, who has been operating the famous academy in Ghana for over 20 years, believes this is not just limited to football but across all fields.
Vernon made this disclosure in an all-access interview with Joy Sports at the academy’s campus in Akosombo, Old Akrade while talking about the criteria for admitting kids.
“It’s really tough. The first thing I’ll say is that the kids who don’t get in, let’s say we take the top 20. The kids from number 21 down to, let’s say, number 100 would get into any academy in Europe, any academy in Europe.”
“You can take the guy number 100; we don’t have space for him here. If he lives in Madrid, he’ll be in the Real Madrid Academy, that’s my view.
“So it shows how much is still to be done to serve the talent and the youth of Ghana.
“Like we need much more of what we’re doing. I always say Right to Dream; we’re doing our part, but we need much more expansion of talent development.
“My view is, Ghana’s biggest asset is the talent of its children. Not in football but broadly.”
The Right to Dream Academy has produced some of the biggest football stars for Ghana’s national teams over the last two decades including Mohammed Kudus, Majeed Waris, David Accam, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Ibrahim Osman, who has just signed for Brighton.
Not just that. Ivy League graduates are among the products coming out of the Old Akrade-based academy.
Watch part one of Tom Vernon’s interview with Fentuo Tahiru Fentuo here:
