The United States Embassy in Ghana has brought former U.S. Women’s National Team World Cup champion, Amy Griffin, and former Major League Soccer defender, Kofi Sarkodie, to Ghana as part of a Sports Envoy Programme aimed at strengthening the development of female football at the grassroots level.The initiative, which forms part of the Embassy’s World Cup engagements in Ghana, has taken the American sports envoys to Tamale and Kumasi, with Accra scheduled to host the final leg.The Kumasi leg of the event was held at the Baba Yara Stadium on Monday, 14th and Tuesday, 15th September, 2026.According to Donye Eldridge, Education and Cultural Attaché at the U.S. Embassy, the programme is designed to equip coaches with more than technical football knowledge.At each location, about 16 coaches of female athletes are taken through sessions focused on team culture, leadership, discipline and communication before putting the lessons into practice with their players. By the end of the programme, about 50 coaches and 300 young female footballers are expected to have participated. The initiative is also informed by lessons from Title IX, the U.S. legislation that has helped expand opportunities for girls and women in sport.Eldridge said the Embassy believes grassroots engagement with coaches and young players is an effective way to promote those lessons in Ghana.Griffin brings World Cup and coaching experienceAmy Griffin brings significant experience from both playing and coaching. A member of the U.S. team that won the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991, Griffin is currently the Executive Director of Seattle Reign Academy. She has also coached the U.S. Deaf Women’s National Team, guiding the side to two Deaflympic gold medals and two world championships.For Griffin, the programme is less about tactics and more about creating an environment where young female players can develop as people and leaders.“Our goal is to build community and to find opportunities to create environments … in which girls and young women thrive, want to learn, and become leaders in their community,” she said.She believes the enthusiasm generated by the programme can have a lasting impact if the coaches continue applying what they have learned.“Change happens with grassroots, and that’s what we’re doing right now,” Griffin said.Rather than identifying major shortcomings in Ghana’s existing system, Griffin said she had seen the essential ingredients for success; talented players and coaches willing to contribute their experience and knowledge.“I think it’s all here,” she said.Sarkodie stresses character beyond the pitchKofi Sarkodie, a Ghanaian-American former professional defender, brings his own experience from the U.S. football system. He was selected by the Houston Dynamo with the seventh overall pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft and spent five seasons with the club. His Ghanaian heritage has also given him a direct connection to the country and the coaches taking part in the programme. Sarkodie said the objective is to build the capacity of Ghanaian female coaches so they can develop leaders and create lasting legacies.He believes lessons learned through football can extend well beyond the pitch.“We believe that as our young ladies build skills on the pitch that they can use outside of the pitch. Skills like communication, respect, leadership,” Sarkodie said.Having observed the coaches and players in Kumasi, Sarkodie was encouraged by their response, particularly the emphasis on communication and enjoyment. For him, technical ability alone is not enough.He stressed that culture, teamwork, communication and trust should form the foundation upon which football development is built. Sarkodie also pointed to a lesson he has taken from top-level coaching: the character of a player matters just as much as their footballing ability.“A good player because they do the small things correct,” he said, emphasising the importance of developing good people alongside good footballers.Building a pathway for the Black QueensDonye Eldridge remarked that the decision to focus on female coaches was deliberate. By training coaches who will continue working with players after the programme ends, the lessons can reach future generations.“By training the trainer… you’re ensuring that their lessons learned will continue to multiply,” she said.Participants are also receiving practical resources, including water bottles, drawstring bags and sweat towels for the young players, while participating coaches receive two footballs. The broader ambition is to strengthen the pathway into Ghana’s women’s national team.Eldridge also noted that the Black Stars have established structures supporting their talent pipeline and said similar attention should be given to developing female players who can eventually feed into the Black Queens.