Speaking at the launch, held under the campaign hashtag #ThisIsTheLove, Simeon-Okraku, who also serves as 2nd Vice-President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), described Colts football as the bedrock on which Ghana’s football story has been written.
“Ghana’s football history is filled with extraordinary players who started their journeys on small community pitches, wearing the colours of Colts clubs that believed in them before the rest of the world knew their names.”Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, President, GFA
From Community Pitches to the World Stage
The GFA President traced the lineage of several of the nation’s most celebrated footballers back to the Colts clubs that first nurtured their talent, underscoring the enduring importance of the grassroots system as the launch of the new season gets underway.
Among the tributes, Simeon-Okraku singled out Great Falcons, also affectionately known as “Great Farcos,” as the club that gave Ghana the legendary Abedi Pele, a three-time African Footballer of the Year and, by wide acclaim, one of the country’s greatest-ever footballers and an inspiration to generations of players who followed him.
He also recognised Anokye Stars for nurturing Anthony Yeboah, one of Ghana’s most respected and prolific strikers, and Great Cedabs as the starting point for Asamoah Gyan, Ghana’s most celebrated striker and the all-time leading scorer for the Black Stars.
Colts Clubs and The Legends They Built
- Great Falcons (Great Farcos) – Abedi Pele
- Anokye Stars – Anthony Yeboah
- Owareman FC – Sulley Muntari
- Great Cedabs – Asamoah Gyan
- Karen Stars – Nii Odartey Lamptey
- Ashaiman Young Revelations – Thomas Partey
- Mighty Victory – Stephen Appiah
- Ken Harrison Babes – Sam Johnson, Christian Sabah, Robert Sabah, Adolph Armah
- Paa Badu / Liberty Babes – Michael Essien
- Cowlane Babies – Laryea Kingston, Aziz Ansah, Godwin Attram, Dan Quaye
The President further highlighted Owareman FC as the Colts home of Sulley Muntari, who went on to enjoy an accomplished career as a Ghanaian international and top-flight European club player, while Karen Stars was credited with producing Nii Odartey Lamptey, who announced himself on the world stage at a remarkably young age.
Ashaiman Young Revelations was recognised for producing Thomas Teye Partey, now regarded as one of Ghana’s outstanding midfielders and an important figure for the Black Stars, and Mighty Victory was noted as the club that developed Stephen Appiah, a great midfielder and celebrated former captain of the national team.
Simeon-Okraku also paid tribute to Ken Harrison Babes for its role in developing Sam Johnson, Christian Sabah, Robert Sabah, and Adolph Armah, and to Paa Badu, also known as Liberty Babes, for helping to nurture Michael Essien widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders Ghana has produced and a player who achieved tremendous success at the highest level of world football.
Rounding off his tribute, the GFA President described Cowlane Babies as the foundation for a generation of talent that included Laryea Kingston, Aziz Ansah, Godwin Attram, and Dan Quaye.
A Season Built on Legacy
The launch of the 2026/27 Colts Football season positions the grassroots programme as a continuation of that legacy, with the GFA signalling its commitment to strengthening the community structures that have historically served as the first step for many of Ghana’s football icons. The Association’s leadership has framed the new season not simply as a competition, but as an investment in the pipeline that has consistently supplied the Black Stars and Ghanaian football with world-class talent.