Koforidua, May 11 GNA - Regional Sports Associations have been urged to formulate policies to generate funds to develop their activities since the National Sports Council (NSC) cannot singly provide funds for their survival.

"The Associations should look for sponsorship to organize their programmes since government alone cannot finance the over 35 sports associations in the country".

Mr Joshua Mensah, Eastern Regional Director of NSC said this at the inauguration of Regional Associations at Koforidua on Tuesday and challenge the elected against over-relying on the Council but advised them to ensure that their activities are in consonance with the goals of the NSC. "There should be good rapport between the NSC and the Associations to make the programmes sustainable".

Mr Mensah said that sports forms an integral part of the society, particularly in youth development and adding that is why government has designed sporting programmes through the NSC to provide an enabling environment to encourage sports development.

He reminded the members of the associations that their job was purely sacrificial and should be seen as a service to the society.

"It is meant to take children out of the street to help them to grow to stardom. The government needs all talents in the country, polished by the associations to make them national stars".

"We can produce more Alice Anum's and Leo Myles Mills in athletics among others".

Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Eastern Regional Minister who inaugurated the Associations expressed worry about the absence of a Premier League team in the Region and charged the Regional Football Association, corporate bodies and all citizens of the area to collaborate to achieve their goals. He congratulated the Regional Table Tennis Athletics teams for their sterling performance in the Triangular Tennis Championship and National Athletics Champion for the Under 17 and 19 categories respectively.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said that all efforts must be made to make the associations viable and vibrant and observed that but for the development of sports many of those who achieved success in the tennis competitions could have been social deviants or drop outs.