The National Juvenile Committee, chaired by the President of the Ghana Football Association, has set guidelines for the 2023/24 Colts (Juvenile) league season.
For the new season, the Committee has developed the following modalities:
- U-13 players can play for U-15 and U-15 players can also play for U-17
- Only one player from U-13 shall be permitted to play for U-17 on a given matchday and five (5) from U-15 can play for U-17 on a given matchday
- Each club must play U-17 matches every week while the U-15 and U-13 alternate every week.
- Both U-15 and U-17 players must play a minimum of 14 league matches in a league season while U-13 play a minimum of eight (8) matches.
- The “Catch Them Young” Referees must be involved in the officiating of all matches.
The duration of matches for all juvenile competitions shall be as follows:
- U-17 – Two halves each of 45 minutes; 90 minutes in total
- U-15 – Two halves each of 40 minutes; 80 minutes in total
- U-13 -Two halves each of 25 minutes; 50 minutes in total
Other modalities include: – Penalty kicks will be used to decide the winners of a drawn game in all Colts matches.
- Every person who coaches at the Colts level must have a minimum of License ‘D’ Coaching Certificate.
- Registration of the first thirty (30) players for each team for Colts football shall be free.
- For the next three (3) years, the FA will offer free training to Nine Hundred (900) Coaches at the Colts level. Thirty (30) Coaches will be trained per each of the ten (10) regions every year.
- The FA will offer free training to Media Officers for the District Football Associations (DFAs).
- The FA will offer free training to Administrators of the District Football Associations (DFAs).
The FA will offer free First Aid training to Regional Football and District Football Associations (DFAs).
The Ghana Football Association, working through the National Juvenile Committee, is keen on improving football in Ghana from the grassroots level.