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Soccer News of Saturday, 11 May 2013

Source: Nana Poku Amankwah

Ghana to participate in Africa Beach Soccer Cup

25 players (beach-ballers) have been called to begin camping for the first official Ghana Beach Soccer national team.

The Ghana Beach Soccer Association (GBSA) has tasked a national team selection committee, made up of coaches from both championship and division one beach soccer leagues to produce a strong 25-man provisional squad to commence preparations towards the upcoming CAF beach soccer qualifiers in Morocco slated for the 22nd-26th of May 2013.

The committee members include; Mr. Maxwell Kpeglo (coach - Ada Assurance), Mr. Theophilus Nii Armah (coach – Teshie United) and Mr. Johnny Heman Mawusi (coach – Gulf Powers Bsc).

The team has been in non residential training for a week and will start camping from Saturday 11th May 2013 in Accra until they head to Morocco to participate in the qualifiers on Monday 20th May; two days before the opening game.

Through the support of the Ghana Football Association and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ghana’s participation in the qualifiers has been confirmed by Beach Soccer Worldwide; organizers of the tournament.

Ghana's push for recognition was initiated by Fifa technical instructor Talib Hilal who coordinated the first ever FIFA Beach Soccer Coaches Course in Ghana from the 29th of July to the 2nd of August in Prampram.

This will be the first time Ghana will be represented in a beach soccer event internationally since the start of ‘organized’ beach soccer initiated by the GBSA in 2007. The GBSA has since rapidly made strides by staging pilot events in Keta, Senya Breku and Ada to name but a few. The association has also hosted a successful FIFA coaches course organized by FIFA and the GFA in 2012.

The qualifiers in Morocco will be broadcasted all over the world, such as Euro Sport, FOX watched by over 90 million in America, Al Jazeera Middle East and North Africa, Supersport to be confirmed and also some major national TV station from Europe. In a related development, the second round of the 2012/2013 beach soccer league resumes on Saturday 11th May at the La beach soccer arena.