Ghanaian’s Right to Dream Academy Plays HJK Helsinki in Semi-Finals of World Youth Football Gothia Cup Tournament

Ghanaian’s Right to Dream Academy plays HJK Helsinki in the semi-finals of the world youth football tournament on Friday to determine who makes it to the final
Right to Dream Academy is in the semi-finals of the Gothia Cup – the prestigious World Youth Football Tournament held in Sweden.
The prestigious academy beat BK Hacken 1-0 thanks to talisman Yaw Yeboah on Thursday in the quarter-finals to set up a semi-finals clash with HJK Helsinki on Friday.
This will be the second time Right to Dream will be participating in the Gothia Cup and the Under-16s will be looking to improve on their third place finish in 2013.
The 16 students, overseen by RtD Technical Director, Gareth Henderby, and Skills Coach, Isaac Addo, departed from the Academy in Old Akrade last week; competing in the Gothia Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden, before basing themselves in Manchester in the UK.
Captain Sirdick Adjei-Grant commented on their tournament experience: “The teams we play against are technically very good so we have to be very disciplined and mentally ready. We have a young team and that means it is the first major tournament for some of the boys, but I believe in them and our potential to progress in the Gothia Cup.”
Following the tournament, the RtD squad will head to the UK for a 10-week tour, which will see the Academy youngsters test themselves against some of the best European sides including Manchester City, Newcastle United, Besiktas, Sunderland and Everton. The tour will also provide the students with an opportunity to live in and learn about different cultures, together with a series of educational visits.
Speaking on the importance of the tour for the RtD students, Henderby said: “We have a young squad this time so we will be looking to make sure that they use the experience for their development.”
Adjei-Grant concurred on the significance of the tours: “These tours and tournaments provide us with the opportunity and feeling of playing under pressure, against good opposition and in front of big crowds; so that will be great for our development. We will go out there and make sure we represent Ghana well, and show them that Right to Dream is one of the best football academies in the world – this is a good opportunity to show everyone that.”
The Academy is sponsored by Tullow Ghana, and is the cornerstone of Tullow’s agenda for creating shared prosperity through sport.