Sports

FA boss thrilled at betPawa Ghana Premier League launch

Boss of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Mr Kurt Okraku, is excited to have betPawa on board as headline sponsors of the Ghana Premier League (GPL) – after seasons without a headline sponsor.

He made the remarks during the launch of the betPawa Ghana Premier League on Friday at the Accra International Conference Centre.

“After going almost four seasons without a league headline sponsor, betPawa found in the league a safe haven to invest in, and we are very much grateful for the belief and trust in not only the leadership of the GFA but in the belief to give back to society and to ensure that players who would not normally be found in the woods of Ghana are given a platform to showcase what they have.

“Last season’s league was very exciting, but this season is going to be super exciting because each of the 18 club are ready to fight for that target of envy that is to be crowned as the betPawa Ghana Premier League champions.”

Mr Okraku disclosed that officiating, which has always been on the lips of every fans throughout last season, would improve this season.

“All 45 centre and 45 assistant referees are at the Ghanaman Centre of Excellence in Prampram for a three-day training which will improve them and the FA will offer them every opportunity to excel while seeing an increment on their remuneration from last season.”

The GFA boss noted that the FA will reintroduce the Ghana Football Association Awards at the end of the season to reward deserving players, match officials, team officials and administrators for their sterling showing during the season.

As part of some new innovations for the upcoming league season, the FA has decided to trade a new identity of the league by introducing the special betPawa logo which hopefully will be the face of the league for a very long time to come, and he urged all the 18 league club to promote the logo throughout the season.

He used the occasion to outdoor a mascot for the league under the name Ɔkɔdeɛ Pawa as well as the official Premier League song.

The winner of the upcoming betPawa Ghana Premier League which kick off on the weekend of September 9 to 12, 2022 shall receive a price package of GH¢300,000 a glittering betPawa trophy plus 40 gold medals.

This is a 50 per cent upward adjustment from last season’s reward package, which was pegged at GH¢250,000.

Mr Okraku revealed that the first runner-up shall receive GH¢200,000 also a 50 per cent upgrade from last season reward plus 40 silver medals while the second runner-up will walk home with the same amount from last season GH¢80,000 plus 40 bronze medals.

For his part, renowned AfroPop musician and betPawa stakeholder Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade, better known as Mr Eazi, expressed his outfit’s gratitude at collaborating with the GFA to further enhance the passion of Ghanaians which is the league and to be working with the clubs and the Gaming Commission of Ghana for the good of the sport.

“We are very excited to sponsor the Ghana Premier League, a league that is already great with great teams, good players and passionate fans, betPawa is about empowering the people and providing opportunities to have a change of live for the better, and this is why we are here to offer a platform for all these people to achieve their dreams.”

General Manager of StarTimes Ghana, broadcast right holder for the league, Mrs Akofa Banso, revealed that, among other exciting innovations for the upcoming season, would be 160 live games.

The colourful event brought together major players of the game in the country including the Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Prof. Peter Twumasi, General Secretary of the GFA Prosper Harrison Addo, Black Stars Technical Director Chris Hughton, Black Stars assistant coach George Boateng, former Conference of African Football General Secretary Anthony Baffoe, musician Gregory Bortey Newman (King Promise) as well as a host of football and club administrators.

BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY

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