GFA support package covers Ghana Division One League and WPL clubs

The Ghana Football Association has announced a financial and logistical support package for clubs in the Division One League (DOL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL). The measures were outlined by GFA President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku at the Association’s 32nd Ordinary Congress at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram. They are intended to reduce the costs carried by clubs as the new domestic season approaches.

In the Division One League, the GFA will continue to pay the fees of referees and Match Commissioners throughout the season. Each of the 48 participating clubs will also receive GH₵120,000 and 30 footballs. The Association has valued the full DOL support package at approximately GH₵16,244,151.25.

The direct grants to the 48 DOL clubs amount to GH₵5.76 million. That figure sits within a broader package that includes match-official fees and the supply of footballs. By retaining responsibility for those officials’ costs, the GFA is also removing an expense that would otherwise be incurred each time clubs fulfil their league commitments.

The assistance is aimed at the operational pressures surrounding Ghana’s second tier. The clubs must organise matches and prepare their teams while managing costs connected with transportation, player welfare, training and other day-to-day requirements. The cash support and footballs do not replace those responsibilities, but they give each club a defined contribution and equipment allocation for the season.

The WPL package combines a financial grant with playing equipment and transport assistance. Each of the 20 clubs will receive GH₵100,000 and 30 pairs of football boots. The GFA will again cover referees’ and Match Commissioners’ fees, while Melcom and Goil will provide fuel support to help clubs with their movement and other operational needs.

The WPL clubs will therefore receive GH₵2 million in direct financial support before the value of the boots, fuel assistance and officials’ fees is included. The equipment allocation is also distinct from the DOL arrangement: DOL clubs will receive footballs, while WPL clubs will receive boots for their players. The different forms of support reflect the practical costs attached to running the two competitions.

Simeon-Okraku presented the package as part of the GFA’s effort to make both competitions more sustainable and better organised. The Association’s continued payment of match-official fees applies to both leagues, giving clubs support at the point where fixtures are staged. The financial grants, equipment and fuel arrangements extend that help beyond matchday and into preparation and travel.

The President also praised clubs for investing their own money in their home venues and facilities. He said he was encouraged by improvements to dressing rooms, spectator amenities, security infrastructure, sanitation facilities, media areas and other matchday requirements. Those upgrades concern the environments used by players, officials, supporters, journalists and commercial partners.

Simeon-Okraku described the improvements as contributing to football settings that are “safer, more professional, and more welcoming”. The combination of club-funded infrastructure work and GFA-backed operating support gives the domestic competitions two parallel areas of development: the condition of venues and the ability of clubs to meet recurring costs.

With 48 DOL clubs and 20 WPL clubs included in the arrangements, the package reaches 68 teams across the two competitions. The announced support does not consist solely of cash. It also covers referees and Match Commissioners, provides footballs to every DOL club, supplies boots to every WPL club and adds fuel assistance for the women’s league. Those measures will be in place as Ghana’s Division One League and Women’s Premier League begin another season.