Ghana Team Take Home Bronx Boroughs President Hon. Ruben Diaz Jr. / Aac Prestigue African Soccer Cup Of Champions
It is just amazing how African community in the Bronx growing rapidly. The statistics shows that thousands of African immigrants live in the Bronx. And they are well noted as hard working people. Most African immigrant’s house whole are four to five in sizes.
Due to African immigrant’s rapid growth in the Bronx, the boroughs president His Excellence Hon Ruben Diaz JR has found it necessary to form a council for Africans called “African Advisory Council (AAC)”.The purpose and aim for this council is to bridge the gap between the African immigrants and the American citizens.
This council commenced three years ago. Some of the respective leaders who first started the council are Niambele Bourena, Madam Ramatu, Mussa Drammeh to name a few.
The council has five tiers of committee: Art and Culture, civic engagement, interfaith, religious liberty, and social services.
The council is currently run by these highly educated dynamic young leaders from various countries in Africa; Executives: Famod Konneh- chair form: Liberia, lacw vice chair: Nigeria, Niambele Bourena-liaison from Mali, and Pierre secretary Seria Leona. Committee chairs- Bula Bula: civics engagement- Congo, Araom Ameny- press, Stephaney Arthur- interfaith and Grace Imo Art & culture from Ghana.
The council has been vibrant ever since and engages African in the Bronx Borough with programs and culture performers such as soccer tournament, African multi culture dance and music festival.
In fact, just as how it is believed in the world as soccer the most Africans favorite game, the boroughs President Hon Ruben Diaz JR. also believes that, so he has make it his pride in conjunction with the AAC and endorses the soccer tournament and declare it as Bronx African National Tournament.
2010 the council launches inter country soccer game in the aim of bring diverse Africans together. Four teams from different countries of Africa participated in the first tournament. These continua to grow, the following year in about twelve teams from different countries played.
The Participants of the national African tournament have grown to unimaginable numbers as compared to previous years. Sixteen African teams registered and played for the 2013 tournament.
The sixteen African teams was categories in four groups; Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali and Nigeria group A; Niger, Gambia, Liberia, Cape Verde in group B; Guinea, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Ethiopia in group C and Ghana, Togo, Ivory Coast, Cameroun in group D.
The first / second games began 4/27-28, and the third / fourth games were 5/4-5. The semi-final was Sunday, May 12.
Each team played three teams matches lasting sixty minutes duration per game over two weekends in the qualifying phase of the tournament, which ended Sunday May 5th 2013. The first two teams in each group proceeded to the next leg of the tournament
Mr. Ambroise the chair of AAC Social Committee and the commissioner of AAC declares Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Guinea, Niger, Senegal and Togo as qualifiers for the play-offs leg of the tournament-Senegal vs. Togo, Burkina Faso, vs. Ghana, Guinea vs. Gambia and Sierra Leone vs. Niger.
The tournament concludes with final matches between winners of the semi-finally. And the winners were Ghana and Senegal on Saturday, May 18th at Macomb’s Dam Park located 161st street at River Avenue in the Bronx, New York opposite the world famous Yankees Stadium.
The final match: the 37 games played by sixteen African teams for four consecutives weekends, round down to four teams that played for first, second and third place.
It looks like Ghana Team was already crowed by the time they pitch. According to the fans and some spectators predicted that, Ghana Team might take home Hon. Ruben Diaz JR. Champs Cup of 2013 African National Soccer Tournament. Although Senegal Team has broken records and create a history of always taking home the champs cup in the face of Diaspora African soccer games. But this time it did not go on their side, Ghana took them by surprise, they have beaten them down by one (1:0) clean and pure goal with no questions. Currently, Ghana is lying in the 1st place as a winner out of the sixteen teams, and Senegal the champs from last year now laid in the second place and third is Guinea.
The team extraordinary exploits was spirits soars in the five boroughs of New York and for beyond.
On Monday May 27, New York City-based African soccer players met the Belgian Red Devils soccer team. The African Advisory Council of the Bronx’s Bronx Week 2013 Champions, Team Ghana, along with all 16 coaches from participating countries—Liberia, Ghana, Guinea, Togo, Cameroon, Nigeria, Mali, Gambia, Senegal, Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Cote d' Ivories, Burkina Faso, Niger, Sierra Leone and South Africa—traveled to New Jersey to meet Belgium's Red Devils football team. Participants from the African Cup of Nations held in New York City, along with our champions, team Ghana, and others had the opportunity to meet and greet with the Belgium national team at the Yurcak Field in New Brunswick, New Jersey at Rutgers University. They met and took photographs with famous players from the Barclay's Premier League (BPL) like Christian Benteke, Marouane Fellaini, Vincent Kompany, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and others. To learn more about how you can participate in next year’s soccer tournaments which bring together diverse African communities together, go to http://on.fb.me/15cTaZh. Go Ghana Team!
Come June 6th the champs “Ghana Team” will be officially crowed by the Bronx Boroughs President. It will be a moment that Ghanaians in New York, especially those that at Bronx cannot afford to miss it. Some of the special guests are Ghana Consulate and members from permanent mission to UN and other dignitaries.
We urge you all to come in numbers to enjoy this august event with our pride Ghana Team for their victory triumph over Senegal. The venue of the function is 851 Grand concourse Bronx New York 10452, starting time is 6pm sharp. For more info visiting African Advisory Council face book page.