Antonio-backed academy helps young Ghanaians pursue Premier League dreams

A Ghanaian football academy called Samba Stars, supported by former West Ham and Nottingham Forest forward Michail Antonio, has spent two and a half months in England this summer trying to put its young players in front of professional clubs. The academy is currently based in Kumasi while a new facility is being built in Bompata, more than 160 kilometres north of the capital, Accra.

During their stay, players from the academy have been given trials by clubs including Bournemouth, Everton, Manchester City, Charlton, Preston, Barnsley and Peterborough. Head coach Freddie Okyere said it took the squad a few weeks to grasp the scale of the opportunity, but seeing the facilities and opposition they would face changed their mindset.

The 20-player group has been hosted by a college in Market Harborough and has trained alongside National League North club Harborough Town. Nearly all of the players initially had their UK visa applications refused before being admitted following a re-evaluation.

One academy graduate, 18-year-old midfielder Listowell Lord Hinneh, joined Middlesbrough in February and has since trained with the first team. During the Samba Stars' visit, he met the squad to share advice and encouragement based on his own experience moving to England.

The touring squad has played a series of matches against English youth sides, including a 9-0 win over Dorking Wanderers and a 6-0 win over Peterborough's under-19s, which Antonio attended in person. Their only defeat came against Preston's under-21 team.

Rob Newman, a former recruitment figure at West Ham and Manchester City who has helped coach the group, said he expects some of the players could be ready to join a European club within a few months.

Ghana has qualified for five of the last six World Cups, and six Ghanaian internationals currently play in the Premier League, including Mohammed Kudus and Antoine Semenyo.