US Soccer Champs Train 300 Girls in Ghana Football Program

A 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup champion just wrapped up a coaching tour across Ghana that could change the game for hundreds of young female footballers.

Amy Griffin and Kofi Sarkodie, a former Major League Soccer defender, spent two days training 50 coaches and 300 girls aged 12 to 18 across three cities. The U.S. Embassy program brought them to Tamale, Kumasi, and Accra to teach coaching techniques that build more than athletic skills.

The approach was strategic. Instead of just working with the young players directly, the American sports envoys trained their coaches first. Those 16 female coaches in Kumasi then immediately practiced the new techniques with their teams at Baba Yara Stadium.

"What you are seeing here today is the coaches working with their girls to develop and implement programs, drills and training that they have organized themselves," said Donya Eldridge, Education and Culture Attaché at the U.S. Embassy. The morning sessions covered team culture, technical skills, leadership, discipline, and communication.

Griffin, who also coached the U.S. Deaf Women's National Team, made clear this wasn't just about perfecting corner kicks. The program focused on creating environments where girls develop confidence, leadership skills, and community connection.

"Our goal is to build community and create environments where girls and young women thrive, want to learn and become leaders in their communities," Griffin explained. She said the response from both coaches and players showed that football provides the perfect platform for connection and teamwork.

The Ripple Effect

The genius of this program lies in its multiplication factor. Those 50 coaches will continue training thousands more girls across Ghana using these same techniques. By investing at the grassroots coaching level, the program creates lasting change that extends far beyond one week of training.

Griffin noted that Ghana already has talented players and committed coaches. The missing piece was often the supportive training environment that helps young female athletes truly thrive. The program equipped coaches with practical tools to create those spaces.

Each coach received training equipment including footballs, pinnies, water bottles, and bags to continue the work. The 300 participating girls got hands-on experience with coaching methods designed specifically to help them grow as athletes and leaders.

Sustainable change in women's football starts at the grassroots level, and this training provided the spark for wider transformation as coaches share what they learned across their communities.