Ghanaian Premier League (GPL) Lessons

Hearts of Oak were crowned champions of Ghana last month following an exciting finish to the Premier League programme but what have we learned about top-level Ghanaian football over the course of the season?

1. Asante Kotoko have the best infrasructure of any club in Ghana. They are backed by the financial clout of the Asantahene and MTN and boast an impressive fanbase.

2. Despite this Hearts of Oak won the league because their players worked harder on the pitch. The likes of Obed Ansah and rising stars Tawrik Djibril and Kofi Abanga are the talents in a generally average crop of players.

3. Hearts jeopardised their title charge by changing things too much during the mid-season break. No side needs 10 new signings at this stage - it will only disrupt morale - but this lack of continuity is all too common in the Ghanaian game.

4. Hearts and Kotoko will still lack the resources to compete on a continental level next season. Surprising in Kotoko's case given the strength of their infrastructure but the continental competitions really need to be taken seriously - the local game would benefit from a strong performance by Ghana's representatives.

5. Local sides need to do more to nurture a fanbase. The video clip below is from a game between relegated St. Mirren and new boys Bechem Chealsea. Played in the national stadium but there were only a couple of hundred supporters in attendance.



and more briefly:

6. Alex Asamoah of Kotoko is the best striker in the league. Ghana needs more good strikers.

7. Heart of Lions are now an established Premiership side.

8. The league programme needs to be better organised and should start at the same time every year.

9. Better players are emerging from the Premiership now.

10. Above all more sponsorship is required in the Ghanaian game to take it forward.

We look forward now to the start of the next season this October!

INSIGHT: Return of the GPL

The Ghanaian Premier League returned today after a one month hiatus and Accra Hearts of Oak immediately re-asserted their dominance with victory over Heart of Lions. The Phobians (as Hearts of Oak are known) strengthed during the break with 11 new signings to see them through the remainder of the season. Dramatic mid-season rebuilding is commonplace in Ghananian football and we have to ask whether this is damaging to a clubs prospects in the long term? Taking the English Premiership as an example the most successful sides are generally based on core groups of players and coaches who have been given the time and resources to establish themsleves(think Manchester United and Alex Ferguson, Arsenal and Arsene Wenger). There is a lot to be said for allowing players and coaching staff time to adjust, building for the future with patience and forsight.
Unfortunately such forsight can be expensive particularly in African football where economic pressures frequently condemn clubs to lead a hand-to-mouth existence. If results do not come quickly then immediate changes must be made because resources are drained with every passing day. Just this week Sharks FC of the Nigerian Premiership have slashed salaries in the wake of poor results. The pressure from management, fans and the media is felt as keenly in African football as it is anywhere else. It is against this backdrop of short-term plans, tight financial margins and incessant turnover of personnel that the Sandlanders are looking to move forward. A challenge for us all.