THE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM OF THE GHANAIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE: A FOCUS ON THE ORGANISATION OF GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL.

Abstract Grassroots football is a key component in developing young talents for a professional career. Over the years, the performance of Ghana’s premier league has been declining as most young talented football players prefer to play in top-flight European leagues that pay well. To improve the organisation of grassroots for the premier league’s benefit, this study examined how grassroots football can improve the performance of the league, and how practices from topflight leagues that can be inculcated in improving the Ghanaian premier league. Using the mixed method, interviews were conducted and secondary data on the average salaries of players were collated. 23 individuals involving football journalists, grassroots football players, grassroots football coaches, personnel from the GFA and retired football players and coaches were interviewed. Results showed that, the GDP per capita (PPP) of a country does not have a direct influence on the average salaries of players, rather the demand for football matches does. Hence, a way to generate revenue for the league teams is to increase the demand of the league by creating a link between the league teams and their communities. A fundamental way to do this, is to improve the organisation of grassroots football. As established by literature, investing in grassroots football can help create a system for developing young talents that can contribute to improving the performance of the league. The study showed that, adopting the academy system as practiced by many footballing nations is a step to improving the organisation of grassroot football. Keywords: organisational structure, grassroots football, Ghana premier league, talent development